Prison sentence for serial rogue trader

A BRADFORD trader has been sentenced to 26 months in prison after pleading guilty to 19 offences under unfair trading and fraud laws, pretending to be working for Pilkington Glass.

Andrew John Roberton was sentenced under the Fraud Act 2006, and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, following an investigation by West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service.

Mr Roberton, who is well known to West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service for his sales practices in selling double glazing products to consumers in their own homes, was trading as AJR Home Improvements in 2013 when he again came to the attention of Trading Standards.

He has previous convictions for similar sentences, serving 12 months in 2012.

The case involved 10 elderly consumers, some being very vulnerable, were given dishonest, false and misleading information by Andrew Roberton in order to get them to sign up for double glazing.

The average age of the victims in this case was 76 years old, the youngest was aged 65 and the eldest victim was 89 years old.

The victims in the case were first telephoned by Andrew Roberton, often being told that that AJR Home Improvements were working on behalf of Pilkington Glass to rectify problems with windows fitted by other West Yorkshire companies.

Andrew Roberton had in fact had connections with these other companies, having previously worked at a number of double glazing companies in West Yorkshire.

Presiding Judge Batty said:”You realised how easy it was to sell to the elderly, how they would take your word on face value and that they were easier to ignore and fob off.

“You ran a shoddy business, targeting elderly consumers and either de-frauded them or failed to comply with Trading Standards Regulations.

“In the case where you did provide cancellation rights, this was pointless as if your elderly customers cancelled they would never get their money back from you.”

Upon sentencing, Judge Batty said: “The offences were aggravated by deliberately targeting vulnerable, elderly victims, and further aggravated by previous convictions and that you were out on licence from prison when you committed some of the offences in this case.”

David Lodge, head of West Yorkshire Trading Standards said “This is another good result in our fight against those rogue traders who deliberately target elderly, vulnerable consumers on their doorstep.

“Doorstep crime remains a very high priority for the Service and let this sentence be a warning to other rogue traders.”