Man jailed for conning elderly into buying mobility aids

AN “arrogant and greedy” former director of a company that supplied mobility aids and furniture to vulnerable elderly people has been jailed for
15 months for fraud.

Peter Kitson, 64, of Elizabeth Close in Henley, the former director of the Mobility Furniture Company, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Tuesday last week.

He pleaded guilty to falsely claiming that goods were subject to a sales discount, making misleading claims that customers would not be placed under pressure to purchase goods and falsely claiming that goods were bespoke.

The court heard from 15 sales staff at the nationwide company with a £30m turnover who were paid commission based on the selling price, making a financial gain from overcharging.

They described how high-pressure sales techniques were used to undertake fraudulent deals from 2015 to 2018 across Devon and Somerset.

This included using banned practices such as time-limited offers and refusing to leave the homes of customers. One customer told Trading Standards they were cold-called 88 times in a year, despite saying they were not interested.

Clients were told they would receive bespoke, made-to-order furniture, such as adjustable chairs and beds, which was in fact from off the shelf, leaving customers unable to cancel their order.

During an interview, Kitson admitted the sales in 2015 were not genuine and falsely claimed the company would not use cold calling or high-pressure selling.

He signed an undertaking under the Enterprise Act against using certain practices. However, he continued to ignore Trading Standards.

This was despite receiving comprehensive advice from North Somerset Council on the use of these practices, both in his capacity as the director of the Mobility Furniture Company and as the director of Great British Mobility prior to that. Judge
Stephen Climie called the company under Kitson’s management one of “greed and torture” and that his actions had had a “devastating life-changing impact” on some of his victims.

He said the blame fell on his shoulders as the director, acknowledging that Kitson had previously admitted that he was “arrogant and greedy” to the probation officer.

In mitigation, Judge Climie accepted testimonials from the defendant’s friends and family, reducing the sentence from a maximum of two years to
15 months.

Alex Fry, operations manager for the Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, said: “This was a large-scale, long-running investigation and we are pleased that it has reached a successful conclusion today.

“The case involved many victims from across the country who were subject to hard sell and misleading tactics.

“Most of those victims were elderly or disabled, and I would like to thank and pay tribute to those who came forward and supported the case, including the families of those who have sadly passed away without a resolution.

“This conviction stands to demonstrate that we will not tolerate fraudulent trading, particularly when it involves consumers who are more likely to be vulnerable.”

Gwen Farler, 84, from near Bridgwater in Somerset, told BBC Somerset she was “really duped” into buying a £5,000 falsely claimed custom-made bed, suited to her sick husband’s needs.

She purchased the bed in 2015 for her husband, who died in 2018, who needed a mattress that was adjustable as he had back pain and various illnesses.

She said: “We were really duped. I had four mattress toppers on it to make the £5,000 bed sleepable.

“I often slept on the sofa in the lounge as the bed they sold us was awful. The stress kept me awake at night and I ended up going to the doctors and taking antidepressants.”

If you have complaints about misleading sales, contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223113.