A North Yorkshire electrician is jailed after defrauding customers in a solar panel scheme, taking nearly £25,000.
Sean Berry, age 34, ran SB Electrical. Customers paid him for electrical work and solar panel installations, providing up to 50% upfront. Berry never did the work, provided the materials, or gave refunds.
His company was located in Stokesley. North Yorkshire Council investigated after receiving six complaints from residents of Easingwold, Whitby, Middlesbrough, Hull, and County Durham.
One resident called Berry manipulative and stated Berry lied to him and took advantage of him. The resident felt justice prevailed at sentencing.
Berry lived in Middlesbrough. The court sentenced him on February 26. He admitted to four counts of fraud and unfair trading practices under regulations.
He received a prison sentence of two years and eight months for each fraud, all running together. He got eight months for unfair trading, with those sentences running concurrently.
Berry also got one day for missing a hearing on February 25, which ran at the same time. The court did not order costs or compensation, but it disqualified him from being a company director for ten years.
North Yorkshire Council notes similar scams are increasing. Councillor Greg White commented that traders take money and then fail to do the work or supply material.
White mentioned the trading environment is hard, but he said misleading customers is unacceptable, as people are paying money and getting nothing.
White hopes the sentence sends a message to traders that the council won’t tolerate these practices. He advises struggling tradespeople to communicate and agree on a repayment plan, emphasizing that ignoring customers makes everything worse.