A fraudulent tradesman from Whitstable, who swindled nearly £65,000 from customers and gambled it away, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
A Trail of Deception
Lewis Blake, a window shutter installer from Gladstone Road, conned 89 customers out of £64,774 between August 2020 and May 2021. Blake took substantial deposits from customers, promising to install shutters, but failed to deliver on his promises.
Victims described Blake as polite and well-presented, and many were initially confident in paying him half the cost of the shutters upfront. However, Blake never returned to complete the work, offering a series of excuses including:
- Covid-19-related delays
- Shipping issues
Discovery of Fraud
A social media group formed by victims brought Blake’s fraudulent behavior to light. Investigations revealed that despite receiving significant deposits, Blake had only ordered 14 shutters between 2019 and 2022.
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