Trevor Paul Bateman has received a 15-year Bankruptcy Restrictions Order (BRO) from Swindon County Court for ripping off elderly customers.
Bateman is currently serving a four-year jail term following a string of offences.
Bateman’s BRO, which runs from 23 May 2013 until 2028, follows an investigation by The Insolvency Service.
It restricts Bateman, 51, from being a director of a company without the permission of the court.
He must also disclose the BRO when applying for more than credit worth £500, and the name by which he was made bankrupt if seeking to do business in a different name.
Between 1 February 2008 and 1 September 2010, while trading in partnership with another person, Bateman:
- carried out work, often for elderly clients, that was unnecessary; of poor standard and over priced;
- made false representations about the work;
- failed to give customers notices of their cancellation rights; and
- charged customers for materials that were used on other customers’ jobs.
This resulted in claims against him totalling £161,538 which contributed to his bankruptcy.
In 2005 Bateman started trading as a builder under the name of All Season Landscape & Property Maintenance in partnership with another person.
More recently, the partnership traded as A&S Contractors, and Beat A Quote.
The firm carried out all types of general property maintenance, repairs and renovations and obtained work normally by leafleting an area and direct cold-calling of potential clients.
Susan MacLeod the Official Receiver in Gloucester said: “The maximum period for a Bankruptcy Restrictions Order is 15 years, and this case merited it.
“Several of the creditors who suffered as a result of the bankrupt’s actions were elderly and lived alone.
“This result sends out a message to unscrupulous traders who attempt to take advantage of the public, that the Insolvency Service will investigate them and if appropriate take action to protect the public in the future.”
