Rogue Isle of Wight Carpenter Defrauded Customers of £160,000

A rogue carpenter defrauded customers of over £160,000 by taking payment for work that was never completed.

Scott Richard Carpenter, 41, of Quarry Road, Ryde, Isle of Wight, admitted two offences of participation in a fraudulent business by a sole trader when he appeared at Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 19th November 2024.

Participation in a fraudulent business by a sole trader is an offence under section 9(1) of the Fraud Act 2006. It has a maximum sentence, in this case, of 26 weeks' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction; 10 years' custody on conviction on indictment.

Magistrates heard that Carpenter, who ran Bespoke Carpentry and Building Services on the Island, operated the business for around 19 months.

During that time he defrauded six customers out of a total of £162,275 by demanding upfront payment for work that was never done or completed to a very shoddy standard. One customer lost £88,000 in the scam.

Michael Foster, prosecuting on behalf of Isle of Wight Council, told the court that Carpenter's modus operandi was to demand upfront payment for materials, which were never purchased. When confronted by customers he would present old invoices and to support his claims and fabricate medical conditions to stall for time.

Carpenter dishonestly told three of the customers that he had bowel cancer. He eventually declared himself bankrupt, but maintained the solvency of the business to customers.

Mr Foster told that court that Carpenter's offence had a starting point of 5 years' custody, so should be sent to the Crown Court for sentencing.

Tom Cooke, mitigating, agreed the case should be allocated to the Crown Court.

He said that there were various mitigating factors, which would be disclosed at the Crown Court ahead of sentencing.

Mr Cooke said that his client disputed the £160,000 claim, saying instead that the true amount was closer to £120,000.

Magistrates ordered a pre-sentence report and sent the matter to Isle of Wight Crown Court for sentencing.

Carpenter was granted unconditional bail until his sentencing hearing on Friday, 7th February 2025.