A fraudster who conned 18 victims out of nearly £40,000, mostly through shoddy workmanship, has been jailed for five years and one month following an investigation by KCC Trading Standards. After earlier pleading guilty to 15 offences of fraud by false representation and two of running a company for fraudulent purposes, Raymond Sharpless failed to…
Renovation work on a Kent petrol station was so poor and dangerous that it could have caused an explosion, a court was told. Following an investigation by KCC Trading Standards, the contractor has been sentenced to 200 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £12,000 in costs at Canterbury Crown Court for breaching health and…
Four men suspected of targeting a number of vulnerable and elderly residents by dishonestly pretending to be legitimate tradespeople were arrested during a day of enforcement action in Kent. Kent Police and KCC Trading Standards participated in a nationwide operation on Wednesday (10 May) which included Medway Trading Standards teams, HMRC, the Environment Agency and…
The ongoing period of severe weather could leave people vulnerable and Kent County Council is calling on residents to rally round and help friends, families and neighbours. A level three cold weather alert has been announced for Kent by the Met Office which triggers actions in the NHS, public health, social care and other community…
Research carried out by Kent County Council showed that a majority of Kent residents are unaware of their consumer rights before they buy; often only finding out when something goes wrong. The top reported issue in Kent is with the purchase of second-hand cars, with 36% of the county’s population likely to have a problem…
A puppy importer who tried to bring five dogs into the UK through the Channel Tunnel using false pet passports has appeared in court. In a prosecution brought by KCC Trading Standards, Canterbury Magistrates were told that a vehicle in which Attila Istok was travelling was intercepted by the Police on 15 February (2016) and…
A man who sold counterfeit goods from a relative’s address in Folkestone through Facebook has appeared in court, following a KCC Trading Standards investigation. Richard Friend appeared before Canterbury Magistrates’ Court (on Tuesday 20 September) charged with14 Trade Mark offences and admitted selling counterfeit goods through his Facebook page. The Trading Standards investigation was launched…
A conman who intimidated people across Kent into paying for shoddy workmanship on their driveways, has been ordered to repay his victims a total of £68,330 in compensation. A lengthy investigation by Kent County Council’s Trading Standards began in 2013 and led to 12 months’ imprisonment for Owen Saunders, of London Road, Wrotham, in June…
A horse-dealer who conned clients out of thousands of pounds by falsely describing the health and condition of some of the animals she sold has been jailed. Karen Ruston previously pleaded guilty to 11 offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and two offences under the Horse Passport Regulations 2009 in a…
More than 35 victims who were ruthlessly targeted on their own doorsteps by a rogue building company have seen justice served after the company’s sole director, William Henry King, was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Maidstone Crown Court. King had previously admitted engaging in unfair trading practices through his company,…
Potentially life-threatening LED Christmas lights have been seized by Kent Trading Standards. They were discovered on sale through an online auction site and were brought to attention by a Dover resident who received an electric shock when they were plugged into the mains. Tests revealed the lights were poorly constructed, using inferior components, and leaving access…
Investigations by KCC Trading Standards played a major part in bringing a persistent doorstep conman to justice. Between February and April 2015 Patrick Doran and his company, Quality Style Paving Limited, targeted four victim households in Kent, carrying out substandard and significantly overpriced driveway work. Doran (25) was jailed for a total of 27 months…