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.
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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.
