A rogue gardener in Wales has defrauded customers of over £20,000, leaving them with unfinished and substandard work. Darryl Baldwin-Skeet, 41, from Pontyclun, operated under the name Diamond Groundworks Landscaping and swindled two families who had hired him for gardening services. Baldwin-Skeet, a repeat offender with prior fraud convictions, provided fake photos of past projects to secure the work.
At a recent sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court, it was revealed that the defendant had a history of fraudulent activities, including a previous sentence for selling non-existent cars online. The court learned that Baldwin-Skeet misrepresented his expertise to clients, leading them to believe his team could handle the landscaping jobs competently. However, the work carried out was shoddy and unsafe, necessitating extensive repairs.
One couple paid a total of £20,823 to Baldwin-Skeet for landscaping their garden. Despite some initial work, the defendant coerced them into making additional payments by falsely claiming underquoting and financial losses. The clients felt pressured and harassed, fearing abandonment of the project if they did not comply. An inspection later revealed that half of the work and materials promised had not been delivered.
Another couple fell victim to Baldwin-Skeet when they engaged him to build decking, agreeing to an initial payment of £825 that later escalated to £1,041. The defendant and his team failed to show up as agreed, leading to further deception about the payment status. Baldwin-Skeet eventually admitted to engaging in an unfair commercial practice.
During mitigation, Baldwin-Skeet’s defence cited his inability to handle the workload and expressed remorse for his actions. Christopher Evans, his representative, argued that the defendant did not set out with intent to defraud but rather succumbed to incompetence. Despite the plea for leniency, Judge Eugene Egan condemned Baldwin-Skeet for preying on trusting individuals and exploiting their goodwill.
In sentencing, Judge Egan imposed a nine-month prison term on Baldwin-Skeet, with the defendant required to serve half the sentence in custody before release on licence. The judge emphasised the impact of such deceitful schemes, highlighting the betrayal of trust experienced by the defrauded families. Honest workers were urged to be vigilant against such fraudulent practices in the industry.