A joiner conman who scammed people across Scotland with fake promises to build sheds and summer houses has been jailed by a sheriff who said: “The public is fed up with bogus workmen”.
Alistair Baxter, who ran AB Garden Building Limited, took money from more than 60 people by promising to build sheds and summer houses.
The 36-year-old took more than £100,000 in deposits but failed to carry out any work.
The callous conman even went as far as fleecing a grieving Aberdeen dad he knew had suffered the shocking, sudden and unexpected death of his son.
The 69-year-old man from the Nigg area of Aberdeen lost £1,200 to Baxter after asking him to build a summerhouse in memory of his late mother.
Rogue trader mocked victims
On average, Baxter was taking home around £2500 per month, with the sheriff telling him: “Your greed was remarkable.”
Baxter also mocked his victims, with one man receiving a message saying: “you’re not getting your shed, ha ha ha”.
Stirling Sheriff Court heard a fraction of the money had been repaid.
Sheriff Derek Hamilton told Baxter: “I accept you paid back some money to some customers but that was very little in the scheme of things.
“This was a fraudulent scheme designed to defraud a large number of private individuals.
“Many were for significant sums – no doubt all of the victims felt the financial impact and they would have felt a range of emotions on real realising they had fallen victim.”
In relation to the man sent the message by Baxter, Sheriff Hamilton added: “He made three payments to you, then had nothing to show for it.
“You were literally laughing at him”.
He jailed him for 40 months, telling him: “The public has to be protected from people like you.”
Covid blamed
Baxter’s defence agent said her client had been a victim both of his own success and an employee who stole from him.
She said: “It will not help the victims in any way, but he wishes to express his remorse to his victims.
“He had a successful business for years. Things spiralled out of control during Covid – he couldn’t keep up with how well his business was doing.
“An employee working for him had taken money and he was struggling to pay suppliers.
“It’s no excuse for his behaviour, but it gives an explanation why he was taking money and was unable to pay it back.”
‘Despicable’
In April, Baxter, a prisoner at Low Moss, admitted being engaged in a fraudulent scheme whereby he dishonestly gained £110,000 from people living in the Stirling, Aberdeen, Falkirk, Glasgow and Dumbarton areas between September 2020 and March 2024.
On that occasion, Sheriff Hamilton told him: “You can expect a lengthy custodial sentence.
“This was a despicable course of behaviour.
“Approaching 70 customers have been defrauded with little or no intention on your part of carrying out work.”
Helen Nisbet, Procurator Fiscal for Tayside, Central and Fife, said: “This was a clear case of deception and an egregious breach of trust by Alistair Baxter.
“He took significant sums of cash from people who paid him to do work and then brazenly refused to do the work or return their deposits.
“It was an appalling course of behaviour and he has now been held to account for his crimes.”