A Staffordshire KBB retailer has been found guilty of fraud and perverting the course of justice after taking money from clients and not completing work.
Business owner Richard Stubbs, 55, and his co-accused, Carl Egerton, 54, were handed the guilty verdict yesterday at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, following a six-week long trial.
The jury found Stubbs guilty of three charges of fraudulent trading, seven charges of fraud and two charges of intending to pervert the course of public justice. Egerton, a builder who carried out work on behalf of Stubbs, was found guilty of one charge of fraud. Prior to the trial, both entered “not guilty” pleas.
Stubbs sold kitchens and bathrooms to consumers through a business called Idesign Kitchens & Bathrooms Ltd and then subsequently by Peak Kitchens & Bathrooms, which also trades as “The Bathroom Doctor”.
Staffordshire County Council says its trading standards service conducted a five-year long investigation into Stubbs and his business, looking to verify the complaints of fraud.
According to reviews of Stubbs’ business online, customers report agreeing plans for work which were never carried out, having products fitted that were different to what they ordered, and being unable to contact Stubbs to rectify major installation mistakes. In one case, a victim reportedly handed over more than £100,000 for unsatisfactory and unfinished work.
Victoria Wilson, a cabinet member with responsibility for trading standards at Staffordshire County Council said this was “a particularly nasty case”, and said she was pleased with the ruling.
She continued: “Not only did Stubbs take money upfront from customers and not complete or only partially complete the work, but many of the victims were vulnerable or people going through a difficult time.
“Our Trading Standards service works hard to protect local communities from rogue traders and will always take action against any traders or businesses who behave inappropriately.”
Prior to his career as a KBB retailer, Stubbs used to be a police officer, before suffering a spinal injury and starting work in the kitchen and bathroom industry in 2006. His first business was called Delta Bathrooms and Kitchens, which reportedly closed in 2009.
The case has been adjourned to a later date, when both Stubbs and Egerton will be sentenced. Stubbs has been remanded in custody until the sentencing hearing.
