Prison sentence for fraudster who targeted vulnerable Bucks resident
A ruthless fraudster who conned a vulnerable resident out of £42,900 has been handed a prison sentence following a successful prosecution by Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards.
Benjamin Hamilton from Chester in Cheshire pleaded guilty to the charges of fraud and money laundering when he appeared at Reading Crown Court in September and was sentenced at a court hearing in Amersham on Friday 13 December.
Hamilton, trading under the name ‘Woodlands Tree Services’ carried out a variety of landscaping works for the resident over a two-year period between May 2015 and June 2017. He repeatedly visited the vulnerable resident who lived alone at his home in High Wycombe, using a variety of different aliases. He did not provide any written paperwork such as quotes or invoices to reflect any work of the work he identified as needed or carried out and provided a variety of reasons to keep returning which included requesting payment for preplanned work.
Close friends of the resident reported what had happened and the trading standards team launched an investigation. An expert witness report was carried out which indicated the value of the work carried out was not representative of the money paid by the resident. The expert described the work as somewhat random and of little benefit.
In total the resident paid £42,900 for work which the expert witness valued at just £2,400.
In court, Hamilton was sentenced to a total of two years and eight months in prison for the charges against him relating to fraud and money laundering.
The sentencing judge noted that Hamilton’s actions were of high culpability due to the fraudulent activity spanning several years. The resident was considered particularly vulnerable due to his age and mental health. Although Hamilton admitted he did complete more work than was initially suggested by the prosecution, it did not alter the fact that the value of the work performed was still vastly below the amount charged.
The judge reduced the sentence due to Hamilton’s early guilty plea and stated that the sentence given was the minimum the court could impose, considering the severity of the offence.
Mark Winn, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Homelessness and Regulatory Services, said: “This successful prosecution underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting residents and ensuring justice for victims of fraud and money laundering. The dedication and thoroughness of our Trading Standards team has been instrumental in bringing this case to a close.”