A rogue trader who targeted three vulnerable Anglesey residents was sentenced at Caernarfon Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday, May 28th).
Jason Christian Stephen Edwards, 42, of Sketty, Swansea had previously pleaded guilty to six counts under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (Caernarfon Crown Court on the 3rd May 2019) following an investigation by Anglesey Trading Standards.
Edwards had engaged in misleading and aggressive commercial practices contrary to Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
He was sentenced to a total of eight months for the aggressive practices and four months for the misleading practices, to run concurrently, suspended for 12 months and disqualified from being a company director for five years. In addition, Edwards is restrained from contacting the victims and must attend thinking skills and rehabilitation courses and undertake 180 hours unpaid work.
Judge Huw Rees described the offences as “unnecessarily mean” and told Edwards “…you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself.”
The Court heard that between January 2014 and March 2018 Mr Edwards, trading as Premier Digital Services Ltd, targeted three vulnerable Anglesey residents aged between 68 and 92 years old, two of whom were recently widowed, selling various insurance/maintenance service policies for satellite systems, televisions and kitchen appliances. Before the policies expired, Edwards telephoned his victims and repeatedly extended the policies, for an additional charge.
One victim was sold 17 policies during a period of 32 months at a cost of over £2,500. A total detriment of almost £4,000 between the three victims. In addition to the aggressive commercial practices used to confuse victims and extend policies, when a victim tried to claim on her policy for a broken freezer, Edwards failed to meet the terms of the policy, claiming he wasn’t an ‘engineer and couldn’t fix it’. There was no insurance cover.
Furthermore, the Court heard that Edwards had previously, on behalf of ‘Crystal Clear Cover Ltd’ signed an Undertaking to Swansea County Court in 2009 not to contravene the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
An Isle of Anglesey County Council spokesperson said, “We welcome the conviction. Exploiting vulnerable individuals is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We commend the bravery of the victims who assisted Trading Standards Officers to bring this man to justice.”
“If any resident has experienced problems of this nature or has concerns about the trading practices of a particular trader, they are encouraged to contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 04 05 06 if not for their own benefit to help us to protect other vulnerable members of the community.”
Ends 29.5.19