Published: 14 August 2026
A fraudster has been sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison following a successful Buckinghamshire & Surrey Trading Standards investigation.
On 7th August 2026 at Guildford Crown Court, Nicholas Whittaker, 64, from Buckinghamshire, received his sentence for a £12,000 fraud he committed against an elderly and vulnerable lady from Woking. The offending occurred between June 2021 and April 2022.
The victim was unable to provide Trading Standards officers a precise account of what work had been carried out, meaning they instead had to rely on accounts from neighbours, and historic images of the property, to piece together the chain of events. From this investigation, it was established that gardening work had been undertaken, including putting down gravel, and that some internal decorating had likely been carried out too. The victim was charged £12,000 for these works.
A surveyor was instructed to review the property and determined that no work had been undertaken that came remotely close to the value of £12,000, and that the work that had been undertaken had been done to such a poor standard that, in the case of the garden work, remedial work would be required to put it right.
The victim in this case was originally cross examined in advance of the trial using special measured designed to support vulnerable victims to give evidence. Mr Whittaker then pleaded guilty before the main trial was due to start, but only after the victim had had to give her evidence.
In sentencing Mr Whittaker to two years and 10 months, the Judge concluded that Mr Whittaker knew that his actions were dishonest and that he deliberately targeted the victim due to her vulnerability, stating “I have no doubt you realised how vulnerable she was, she was easy prey and you targeted her for that reason.”
Amanda Poole, Assistant Head of Buckinghamshire & Surrey Trading Standards, said: “We are here to protect our residents from harm, and we take that responsibility incredibly seriously.
“Let the sentencing of this criminal serve as a warning to any fraudsters out there that we will relentlessly pursue you, and your crimes will not go unpunished.
“As ever, I’d like to thank Trading Standards colleagues involved with this investigation for their invaluable work in keeping residents safe.”
For more information on how to keep yourself or a loved one safe from fraud or scams, please visit our website: Rogue traders scams and cold callers - Surrey County Council.
