A Warwickshire gardener who preyed on homeowners by demanding large upfront payments has been spared jail. Bruce Harris told customers to ‘take a leap of faith’ before scamming them out of more than £39,000.
Starting in 2019, Harris, who was self-employed, was hired by residents mainly in Banbury to carry out a range of jobs. He would demand large sums of money for projects ranging from basic gardening and wall building to creating an outdoor model railway and constructing a pond.
Once the money had been paid, Harris would typically complete only a small amount of the job before halting and blaming various issues for the delays. Some of the excuses he gave included bad weather, his van breaking down and injuring his hand while using secateurs.
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Sometimes, Harris would offer customers sheds, plants and other materials at discounted prices, claiming he had secured special deals with suppliers. Customers would then be pressured into transferring money quickly to ‘secure’ the promised discounts.
Ultimately, the goods or services people had paid for would never be delivered. After giving customers a string of excuses, Harris eventually stopped responding and ignored further attempts to contact him, Warwick Crown Court heard.
Complaints about Harris were reported to Warwickshire Police. But the 51-year-old continued to give a series of excuses for failing to provide refunds or complete jobs.
When challenged over the tens of thousands of pounds taken from customers, Harris could not prove he had purchased the materials or plants they had paid for, Warwick Crown Court heard. Harris was charged with 13 fraud offences.
Harris, of Long Compton, was handed a 36-month suspended prison sentence at Warwick Crown Court. He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation activity aimed at addressing his offending.
DC Roberts, from Warwickshire Police, said: “Rogue traders like this cause significant distress to their customers, as well as embarrassment to the community of hard-working, honest tradespeople across our county. I want to thank each one of the residents who reported Harris’ behaviour and helped with the information we needed to see him held to account.”
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