An Isle of Wight carpentry business owner defrauded his customers for £160,000 and falsely claimed he had bowel cancer to 'fob off' his clients.

Scott Richard Carpenter, of Quarry Road in Ryde, attended the IW Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, November 19, and pleaded guilty to two counts of participating in fraudulent business carried on by a sole trader.

Michael Forster, prosecuting on behalf of the IW Council, said that between May 1, 2021, and November 30, 2022, the 41-year-old ran Bespoke Carpentry and Building Services IOW.

Mr Forster told the court Carpenter operated the business for 19 months, during which he was involved with six customers who paid him substantial amounts of money for work either completed poorly completed or not completed at all.

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Magistrates heard Carpenter defrauded his customers out of a total of £162,275, including £88,000 from one customer alone, after asking for payment upfront to purchase materials for specific jobs.

He did not spend the money as promised and lied about purchasing materials by manipulating his clients and producing invoices from previous jobs to buy himself more time, said Mr Forster.

The court was told Carpenter declared himself bankrupt but continued to ‘fob off’ customers and lied about having medical conditions.

Mr Foster said Carpenter told three customers he was in hospital because he had bowel cancer, despite never being diagnosed.

The court heard the offences carry a sentencing starting point of five years in custody, with the prosecution asking magistrates to send the case to the crown court for sentencing.

Tom Cooke, defending, agreed that magistrates did not have sufficient sentencing powers in Carpenter's case but said his actions have various mitigating factors, which will be shared at sentencing.

Mr Cooke said Carpenter disputes the £160,000 claim and insists the real sum was closer to £120,000.

Magistrates said it was a very nasty use of manipulation and ordered a pre-sentence report ahead of sentencing at the IW Crown Court on February 7.

Carpenter was granted unconditional bail.