Following investigation by the Public Protection Partnership (PPP) Trading Standards supported by the PPP Joint Case Management Unit, on the 27th July 2016, , Daniel Collins of Bourne Lake Park, Cricklade, Swindon pleaded guilty at Reading Crown Court to six offences contrary to the S2 Fraud Act 2006 and three offences contrary to Regulation 7 & 11 of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (Aggressive Commercial Practice). He was sentenced to 3½ years imprisonment when he appeared at Reading Crown Court.
In a further Proceeds of Crime Act hearing held at Reading Crown Court on 20 September 2018, he was handed a large financial penalty. Considering the case, Her Honour Judge Notts held that Collins had benefited from criminal conduct to the amount of £134,414.47. He was ordered to pay a confiscation order of £95,721.00. From this amount £73,093.91 will be repaid in compensation to six households which had all been coerced by Collins into paying for poorly executed work at inflated prices.
To facilitate his offending, Mr Collins incorporated two companies: Designwise Paving Limited, incorporated on the 13th February 2015; and Homepride Paving Limited incorporated on 3 August 2015. Between 18 February 2015 and 10 October 2015, Mr Collins offered to undertake groundworks at the homes of six households. Once the work was started he would inflate his prices to a level that did not reflect the actual work done. After paying the work was either not completed or was substandard. Collins will have to pay £95,721.00 in three months or serve a further 15 months imprisonment.
Cllr Iain McCracken, Chairman of the Joint Public Protection Committee, said, “These were serious offences as illustrated by the immediate three and half year custodial sentence back in 2016. The painstaking financial investigation carried out by the PPP has traced the proceeds of those crimes. This Confiscation Order and default sentence send a clear message that crimes of this nature will not be allowed to go unpunished..”
The Public Protection Partnership is a shared service of Bracknell Forest Council, West Berkshire Council and Wokingham Borough Council and delivers trading standards, environmental health and licensing functions.
