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Fraudster sentenced for £1.5 million renewable energy and home safety scam

A fraudster who bullied vulnerable victims into signing contracts for poor standard work has been sentenced.

A fraudster who conned elderly and vulnerable residents out of £1.5million for renewable energy and home safety products has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment alongside a 10-year directorship ban.

Robin MacDonald, aged 45, of Park Row, Bretby, Burton-on-Trent, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation along with charges of fraudulent trading following a five-month trial at Nottingham Crown Court where more than 200 victims gave evidence.

Between 2014 and 2015, MacDonald, repeatedly mis sold victims products including solar panels and emergency medical buttons through his businesses Sunpower Renewables Ltd and Stirling Technologies Ltd trading as Proshield Alarms.

The defendant was prosecuted following an investigation led by the National Trading Standards Regional Investigations Team East Midlands, hosted by Nottinghamshire County Council, and supported by Derbyshire County Council Trading Standards.

Sunpower Renewables sold renewable energy products to customers and sales representatives often bullied and pressured victims into signing contracts for works which were then completed to a poor standard, with some creating structural instability in homes.

Proshield Alarms promised customers round the clock safety through products which would allegedly alert emergency services in the event that their alarm systems were triggered, with victims being misled through the deliberately false statements made by sales representatives and the marketing brochures.

A second defendant was found not guilty by the jury on the same charges.

Roy Hancher, aged 54, of Light Ash Lane, Coven, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading and was sentenced to one year and eight months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months and a six-year directorship ban. Nicola Mather, aged 44, of Spindletree Drive, Derby, pleaded guilty to money laundering prior to the trial and was sentenced to one year imprisonment suspended for one yearas well as 200 hours of unpaid community work.

Mark Walker, Interim Service Director for Place at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “I’d like to thank and recognise all of the victims who came forward and worked with our investigators to bring this case to trial and these individuals to justice.

“These sentences show that the dishonest selling of products will not be tolerated.

“There is a saying that if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is and sadly scammers hope to exploit this for their own gain.

“We would always advise residents to be alert to cold calling and to never buy at the door. If residents have any concerns or if something doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t, and nobody should ever be afraid to close the door.

“Scammers may turn up out of the blue offering something you didn’t think that you needed, but by working together to spot their behaviour we can make sure that they don’t take advantage of friends, loved ones and neighbours.

“If you think you've fallen victim to a rogue trader, you can report this to the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline by calling 0808 223 1133. You can also contact them for advice prior to entering into a contract to purchase goods or services.”

Lord Michael Bichard, Chair, National Trading Standards, said: “MacDonald and his associates preyed on and took advantage of vulnerable people – stopping at nothing to get what they wanted.

“Lingering in the homes of their victims for hours, they bullied customers – many of them elderly – into signing contracts at vastly inflated prices for products they didn’t want or need.

“I hope that the sentences handed down today will provide some solace to the victims and serve as a powerful deterrent to anyone hoping to make money from fraudulently selling renewable energy and home safety products.”

Notes to Editors

The sentencing took place at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday 14 June 2024.

The companies included:

  • Sunpower Renewables Ltd
  • Stirling Technologies Ltd T/A Proshield Alarms

Details of the sentencing are as follows:

Robin MacDonald

  1. Count 1: 7 years’ imprisonment - CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FRAUD BY FALSE REPRESENTATION contrary to Section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.
  1. Count 2: No separate penalty - FRAUDULENT TRADING contrary to Section 993 of the Companies Act 2006.
  1. Count 3: 3 years’ imprisonment (concurrent) - CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FRAUD BY FALSE REPRESENTATION contrary to Section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977
  1. Count 4: No separate penalty. - FRAUDULENT TRADING contrary to Section 993 of the Companies Act 2006
  1. He was disqualified from being a director for 10 years.

Roy Hancher

  1. Count 4: one year eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months - FRAUDULENT TRADING contrary to Section 993 of the Companies Act 2006
  1. 12 rehabilitation activity requirement days
  1. He was disqualified from being a director for six years.
  1. Count 3 was ordered to lie on file.

Nicola Mather

  1. Count 5: 1 year imprisonment suspended for 1 year. - ENTERING INTO OR BECOMING CONCERNED IN A MONEY LAUNDERING ARRANGEMENT contrary to section 328 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
  1. 200 hours of unpaid work

About National Trading Standards

National Trading Standards delivers national and regional consumer protection enforcement. Its Board is made up of senior and experienced heads of local government trading standards from around England and Wales with an independent Chair.