Trading Standards investigation leads to conviction of husband-and-wife rogue trader team
Date Added: 30/03/2022
Our Trading Standards Team have convicted a rogue trader couple of fraud.
Trading as SDL Landscaping Limited, Sean (42) and Amy Lankshear (31) both of Winchester Road Sandy, appeared at Luton Crown Court for sentencing on 28 March.
Our Trading Standards Team started their investigation into the couples fraudulent activities in 2019, after receiving six separate complaints from residents and carried out investigations, over several months across Central Bedfordshire, Bedford Borough and Cambridgeshire.
The investigation found that in 2019, SDL Landscaping Limited were employed on one occasion to carry out a garage conversion and single-story extension to the rear of a house. They were paid in excess of £50,000 by the customer but the work was slow and of poor quality, with rainwater leaking into the house and electrical cables hanging from the ceiling. They failed to return and complete the work. The customers had lost £15,000 for work already paid for and incurred significant additional costs paying other traders to rectify the work.
Our investigation also revealed that Mr Lankshear falsely claimed the business was VAT registered. Information received from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, proved that the representation made was false, after they received additional payments in excess of £8,000 for VAT.
Other cases were found where customers had complained about poor workmanship, had disputes about materials and had asked for the work to be put right, each time they failed to return and complete the work leaving each customer needing emergency building works.
On further investigation, it was also discovered that Ms Lankshear tried to frighten victims into making further payments. In one case by issuing a fictional Statutory Demand and in another by sending a letter stating that they now owed an additional £1440 and that if it was not paid promptly, wrongly claiming they would invoke The Late Payment of Commercial Debt (interest) Act 1988.
Our Trading Standards Team were able to prove that these had no legal basis and that they had been served for the purpose of scaring the householders into making further payments.
Sean Lankshear was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, he received a Community Service Order of 140 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay victim surcharge of £156 and costs of £375.
Amy Lankshear was sentenced to a Community Service Order for six months, received a curfew from 11pm-7am and an electronic tag. She was ordered to pay a victim surcharge £95 and costs of £375.
If you have a matter that you would like Trading Standards to look at please contact the team via the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 or email [email protected].
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