An interior installations company director has been jailed for 18 months after South Gloucestershire Council’s Trading Standards team prosecuted him for multiple thefts from customers of his two businesses.
James Brown, 55, of All Saints Close, Longwell Green appeared at Bristol Crown Court on 20 June where he was handed the 18 month sentence. He had previously pleaded guilty to the 19 charges of theft at an earlier hearing, which relate to business done under his company names of JR Brown Interior Installations Ltd and Brown & Son Interiors Ltd.
The thefts amount to a total of over £101,000 which was taken from 19 customers of Brown’s companies during 2018 and 2019 and then again during 2023.
South Gloucestershire Trading Standards brought the prosecution after officers received a number of similar complaints covering six months in 2023 alleging that customers had paid money to Brown & Son Interiors Ltd, a business that predominantly supplied and fitted kitchens and bathrooms but had received little or nothing in return.
Upon further investigation, a pattern appeared to emerge whereby James Brown would be very prompt in securing work mainly for the supply and/or fitting of new kitchens. He would mostly request full payment for the kitchen up front if the customer wanted him to supply it, plus half the cost of its fitting. It transpired that Brown would occasionally persuade customers to buy their new kitchen through him by promising that he could secure it through his trade account at a discounted price. However, Brown mostly ordered the kitchens for his customers but very rarely paid for them and frequently delayed on planned installation dates.
During September 2023 Brown’s customers were told he had suffered a mental breakdown and that all jobs would be delayed, but this was closely followed by an announcement that Brown & Son Interiors Ltd had ceased trading and had entered into liquidation. At this point 15 customers of the company were left out of pocket to the tune of £85,000, with some already having had their old kitchens ripped out by Brown and no prospect of the new kitchen they had paid him for being supplied.
Examination of Brown’s bank accounts revealed that during the six months in 2023 when customers had paid him approximately £85,000 nearly £40,000 had been taken from those accounts as ‘drawings’ for Brown’s personal use.
South Gloucestershire Trading Standards then started to look at the previous company James Brown had been director of during 2018 and 2019, JR Brown Interior Installations Ltd, and discovered a very familiar pattern of complaints. Again, James Brown simply ceased trading through the company and applied to have it struck off at Companies House. Again, this resulted in a number of customers being left substantially out of pocket for predominantly kitchens and bathrooms they had paid Brown in full for in order that he could secure them at discounted prices.
Action under the Proceeds of Crime Act is also ongoing which has involved securing a restraint order over Brown’s £450,000 family home.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, cabinet member for communities and local place at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “We’re really pleased to see this case conclude and a jail sentence handed out. James Brown used similar tactics across two different companies over several years, targeting customers by requesting large upfront payments and then failing to deliver. The businesses practices of this man caused a great deal of distress to his victims, with some losing in excess of £14,000 each, on top of the worry and inconvenience.
“We are committed to helping keep people and their money safe from rogue traders in South Gloucestershire and I hope this prosecution reinforces the message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.”
Visit https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/consumer-advice/ for advice on how to avoid rogue traders.
