Trading Standards investigation leads to conviction of husband-and-wife rogue trader team
Wednesday, 30 March 2022
We've convicted a rogue trader couple of fraud and aggressive commercial practices
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. We started our investigation into the couple’s fraudulent activities in 2019, after receiving six separate complaints from residents. We carried out investigations over several months across Central Bedfordshire, Bedford Borough and Cambridgeshire.
Our investigation found that in 2019, SDL Landscaping Limited was employed on one occasion to carry out a garage conversion and single-storey extension to the rear of a house. The Lankshears 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 customers paid 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 SDL Landscaping failed to return and complete the work leaving each customer needing emergency building works.
On further investigation, we also discovered that Ms Lankshear tried to frighten victims into making further payments. In one case, she issued a fictional Statutory Demand; in another, she sent a letter stating that customers now owed an additional £1440 and (that if it was not paid promptly) she wrongly claimed she would invoke The Late Payment of Commercial Debt (Interest) Act 1988.
Our Trading Standards team was able to prove that these had no legal basis and had been served for the purpose of scaring the householders into making further payments.
The court found Sean Lankshear guilty on two counts of fraud by false representation, contrary to the Fraud act 2006. He was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 2 years. He received a Community Service Order of 140 hours' unpaid work and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £156 and costs of £375.
Amy Lankshear was found guilty on two counts of Aggressive Commercial Practices contrary to The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. She was sentenced to a Community Service Order for 6 months, received a curfew from 11pm until 7am and an electronic tag. She was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £95 and costs of £375.
Our Executive Member for Community Services, Councillor Ian Dalgarno, said:
This result sends out a clear message to any traders contemplating similar unscrupulous treatment of consumers, in Central Bedfordshire, or even in the surrounding areas. Our Trading Standards team will work tirelessly to bring rogue traders before the courts and ensure that they are held accountable for their crimes.
We understand that the Lankshears' actions were extremely distressing for our witnesses and recognise the bravery and resilience that they exhibited during a long and thorough investigation.
We hope that the outcome at Luton Crown Court will empower other potential victims of any rogue trader activity, to come forward and report it in complete confidence, to our Trading Standards team.
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 trading.standards@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.