Shed conman jailed after scamming victims out of £110,000
Shed conman jailed over scams worth £110,000
5 minutes ago
Share
Save
Share
Save
Tim Bugler
Alistair Baxter failed to construct sheds and cabins despite taking large deposits
A man has been jailed after he scammed nearly 70 people across Scotland out of a total of £110,000 by falsely promising to build garden sheds and summerhouses.
Alistair Baxter advertised on social media, took orders and pocketed deposits from victims in Dunbartonshire, Stirlingshire, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
The 36-year-old made over £30,000 a year from the scheme and a sheriff told Baxter: "Your greed was quite remarkable."
He pleaded guilty to fraud at Stirling Sheriff Court and has been jailed for three years and four months.
The court heard how people who paid thousands of pounds in deposits received calls from Baxter asking for more money before their garden buildings were put up.
But despite paying the extra sums, the buildings were not erected.
One victim paid a £1,000 deposit, then Baxter asked for two further payments totalling £1,650 over five months.
When the customer contacted him, Baxter blocked him on Facebook and messaged him: "You're not getting your shed ha ha ha."
Sheriff Derek Hamilton told Baxter, who appeared for sentencing via a video link from Low Moss Prison: "You were literally laughing at him."
Google
Alistair Baxter was sentenced after admitting fraud at Stirling Sherriff Court
The court heard that other people who complained and asked for their money back got only partial refunds or, in most cases, no refund at all.
Some customers received deliveries of materials, but no construction took place.
Others who previously had summerhouses erected by Baxter's company, AB Garden Building Ltd, went on to pay extra for improvements.
But these were never carried out and they lost their money.
Prosecutor Jamie Hillend said Baxter defrauded 67 customers of a total of £110,000 between September 2020 and March 2024.
The court heard they were unlikely ever to get their money back.
Significant sums lost
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
41 minutes ago
- BBC News
Durham school cut jobs after finance boss stole £120k
A school had to cut jobs and spending on pupils after its finance manager plundered almost £130,000 from its accounts, a court has Enright left St Leonard's Catholic School in Durham more than £80,000 in debt when he made dozens of fraudulent transactions between 2019 and 2020, Newcastle Crown Court tried to mask the thefts by creating fake invoices with the money then used to pay gambling debts, the court 46 and from Houghton-le-Spring, was jailed for two years three months after admitting fraud by abuse of a position of trust. He began working as the business and finance manager at the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs the 1,265-pupil school, in June 2018, prosecutor Saba Shan was suspended from his job due to "unrelated performance concerns" in September 2020, with another finance manager then being given access to his emails, the court heard. 'Job losses made' That manager discovered "irregular transactions" and the depth of Enright's theft was rapidly revealed, Ms Shan February 2019 and November 2020, Enright made 104 transactions ranging from £300 to about £7,000 a time, the court the "face of it" the payments were made for invoices to school suppliers but in reality the money went into accounts controlled by Enright, Ms Shan said. In total, he stole £129,160.43 from the school leaving the institution about £82,000 in debt, the prosecutor a statement read to the court, the school said, to make up the shortfall, it had to restructure its support staff with a number of redundancies having to be made, although the exact number of job losses was not disclosed. 'Significant impact left legacy' Spending on items such as books and school equipment as well as other curriculum activities also had to be cut, with the impact being felt by pupils for a number of years, the statement school said Enright had been "entrusted to safeguard public funds" and his actions had "directly resulted" in pupils not being able to "benefit" from the money meant for their had also created "mistrust" in staff in similar positions to his, the school mitigation, Shada Mellor said Enright developed deep depression and a gambling addiction after the "very unpleasant" end of his 15-year marriage and he was "very sorry to all concerned".The court heard he is still £35,000 in Felicity Davies said his actions had had a "significant" impact on the school and had left a "legacy" over five years since the fraud was committed. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Daily Record
Dog bite claims - why the keeper is to blame, not the animal
Over the last few years, reports of dog attacks have become increasingly prevalent across news and social media, writes Damian White, Partner at Digby Brown. The controversy around certain breeds is understandable, but most people know it's also misplaced and, sometimes, misconstrued. It's not solely XL bullies, Dobermans, and Rottweilers - Digby Brown disagrees with the idea of bad breeds in general. But we do agree with the notion of bad owners, and so does the law. In Scotland, victims can get help via the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987. This law makes it clear that a dog keeper can be held strictly liable if someone is injured as a result of the dog 'biting or otherwise savaging, attacking or harrying'. Strict liability means that, instead of an injured person having to prove why the keeper is to blame, the keeper instead has to prove why they are not to blame. Strict liability does not apply in situations where the dog may have bitten as a form of self-defence, such as if the victim was deliberately playing rough or goading the animal into acting aggressively. But the Act does not apply if a person is injured in what is clearly an accident, like being knocked over by a dog that jumped up affectionately. The term 'keeper' is important to consider because the person who is at fault is the person who was in control of the dog at the time of the incident, and that might not necessarily be the owner. This is common in cases where an owner leaves their pet with a professional dog walker - the walker doesn't become the dog's owner but does become the dog's (temporary) keeper. This means that if a dog bites someone while in the care of a dog walker, the victim would claim against the dog walker, not the owner. (Canine professionals should have public liability insurance to deal with these circumstances.) Likewise, a keeper can be a loved one or family friend who looks after a dog while the owner is on holiday. We totally understand why people regard pets as being part of the family, but the reality is that the law essentially recognises dogs as property, and compensation is most commonly secured via one of the following routes, depending on the person who was in control of the dog at the time of the bite: If the keeper is a private individual, a claim is most likely made against their pet or home insurance. If the keeper is a professional service provider, a claim is most likely made against any professional insurance they have. Digby Brown Solicitors has years of experience in helping people affected by dog bites, and dog bite compensation can be used to help people with: One such person was art teacher Kristina Aburrow, who was mauled by a Rottweiler as she crossed the road in Aberdeen. She was left with a four-inch gash on her left forearm and was shocked when the police took no action against the dog owner.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Heartbreak as beloved couple are found dead in tent on shores of Scottish loch
A beloved couple have been tragically found dead in their tent on the shores of a Scottish loch. Adele Tait, 47, and her partner Craig are believed to have pitched up last week near the picturesque Loch Awe in Argyll and Bute. But relatives grew concerned when they hadn't heard from the pair, who are believed to have lived together in Longridge, West Lothian, and called police to investigate the area. Officers then made the tragic discovery on Saturday, June 7, and have since said that they are not treating the deaths as suspicious. Ms Tait's grieving mother took to social media on Tuesday, saying she was 'in pieces' at losing her eldest daughter. She wrote: 'I am devastated to be writing this, my eldest daughter Adele and her partner Craig have sadly passed away. 'The family are heartbroken at this time. You are my first born, the one that made me a mum. 'I am in pieces. Another part of my heart is in heaven.' Adele and Craig are believed to have pitched up their tent last week near the picturesque Loch Awe (above) in Argyll and Bute A friend of Adele also posted: 'Thank you for always being an amazing friend, always honest and caring.' A neighbour of the couple added that they were a 'good couple who liked camping' and that their deaths were a'tragedy.' Police Scotland said: 'A man and woman were found deceased within a tent on the side of Loch Awe at 4.25pm on Saturday. 'Their deaths are not being treated as suspicious.'
