A Verwood man has been jailed for five years and eight months after defrauding 18 householders across Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.
James Knight, 34, of Verne Road, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 10 July following a prosecution by Dorset Council Trading Standards.
Knight advertised landscaping services on social media before taking large deposits for materials. Customers were then left with little or no work completed, while anything carried out was described as substandard.
The fraud totalled around £42,000. One resident was left with soil instead of a returfed lawn, while another said the front of her home resembled a bomb site after driveway work stopped.
When sentencing, Judge Mousley said, “You have an appalling criminal record. You claim that you that you feel remorse, but the only remorse you feel is that you have been caught and brought before the court. You exploited the trust of hard-working people and had no hesitation in extracting as much money from them as possible.”
Knight, who had 77 previous fraud convictions, was also given an eight year Criminal Behaviour Order preventing him from advertising or approaching homes to offer work.
Councillor Matt Bell said the case showed the impact rogue traders can have on residents.