A man was sentenced to jail for conning approximately 70 individuals throughout Scotland out of a sum of £110,000 by deceitfully guaranteeing the construction of garden sheds and summer houses.
Alistair Baxter promoted his services online, accepted orders through social media, and collected deposits from individuals in Dunbartonshire, Stirlingshire, Glasgow, and Aberdeen who were later considered victims.
The individual, who is 36 years old, earned more than £30,000 annually through the program. A sheriff commented to Baxter, saying, “Your greed was exceptionally notable.”
At Stirling Sheriff Court, he admitted to committing fraud and was subsequently sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
The court was informed about individuals who had paid substantial sums in deposits and subsequently received calls from Baxter demanding additional funds before their garden structures were erected.
However, even after paying additional fees, the constructions were not built.
A single victim put down a £1,000 deposit and subsequently, Baxter requested two additional installments amounting to £1,650 spread across five months.
When the customer reached out to him, Baxter blocked him on Facebook and sent a message saying, “You won’t be getting your shed ha ha ha.”
Sheriff Derek Hamilton informed Baxter, who was appearing for sentencing through a video link from Low Moss Prison, saying, “You were actually chuckling at him.”
The court heard that other people who complained and asked for their money back got only partial refunds or, in most cases, no refund at all.
Certain customers got their supplies delivered, yet no actual building work occurred.
Other clients who initially had summer houses built by Baxter’s company, AB Garden Building Ltd., later paid additional fees for enhancements.
However, these plans were never implemented, resulting in them losing their funds.
Prosecutor Jamie Hillend stated that Baxter deceived 67 clients out of a combined sum of £110,000 from September 2020 through March 2024.
The court was informed that they would likely never recover their funds.
Significant sums lost
Alison Miller, the solicitor representing Baxter, stated that when he launched his business in 2017 as a carpenter, fraudulent intent was not part of his plan.
The lawyer said he was under stress due to garden improvements booming during the Covid pandemic.
Baxter had a gambling problem, she added, and an employee had taken money from him.
Ms. Miller stated, “Funds were being received from multiple clients, and he began utilizing them for various purposes.”
He fell into debt and couldn’t repay most of the people he owed money to.
Sheriff Hamilton informed Baxter, “Although you did repay some funds to certain clients, the amount was quite minimal in the grand scheme of things.”
Notably, this plan was not crafted to deceive entities such as big businesses or governments.
A large number of individual people… suffered substantial losses. There is no question that each of your victims experienced financial distress due to your deceit.
He added: “There’s no appropriate alternative to custody in this case – the public is fed up with bogus workmen.”
Helen Nisbet, the procurator fiscal for Tayside, Central, and Fife, stated that it was a clear instance of deceit and a severe violation of trust.
She stated: “Alistair Baxter appropriated substantial amounts of money from individuals who paid him for services, yet he blatantly declined to complete the tasks or refund their payments.”
This was a disturbing sequence of actions, and he has finally faced the consequences.
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