'Crooks charged £5k for a bed I could not sleep in'

Families have been sharing their anguish after "crooks" working at a mobility furniture firm persuaded them to spend thousands of pounds.

Gwen Farler, 84, from near Bridgwater in Somerset, said she was "bullied by crooks" into buying a £5,000 bed they falsely claimed was custom-made to suit her sick husband's needs.

She said: "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."

The company's former owner Peter Kitson has since been jailed after his firm, The Mobility Furniture Company, conned vulnerable customers across the UK out of £65,000.

Ms Farler was one of 20 victims whose evidence was used by Trading Standards South West to bring the prosecution.

She continued: "We were really duped. I had four mattress toppers on it to make the £5,000 bed sleep-able.

"The salesman measured our height and weight. But when it came it was not custom-made and didn't really fit into the space we wanted it."

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

Ms Farler and her late husband had to take out a of loan of £5,000 in 2015 to pay for the custom-made bed

She continued: "Our previous bed they took away was a better quality.

"You tried calling their office to return it and they would just pass you around the office and fob you off.

"We're not very wealthy people. We kept our heads above water.

"It was on my mind morning and night. They were crooks."

Ms Farler ordered the adjustable bed, which was due to be custom-made

Exeter Crown Court heard staff at Kitson's business used aggressive and pressurised sales techniques to carry out fraudulent deals on elderly people across the UK between 2015 and 2018.

Kitson, 64, of Congresbury, North Somerset, pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading and was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

The court heard Kitson was fully aware of the tactics being used by his sales staff

Mike Anyan's mother, Dorothy Anyan, was also a victim of the mobility furniture company.

Mr Anyan from South Petherton said his mother, who has died since, was in her early 90's at the time and was "not very mobile".

He said: "It was an astronomical price at £13,000. It looked good as it was a bed that also turned into an armchair."

Mr Anyan and his mum agreed to buy the bed with a deposit of £6,000 required to secure the purchase.

"When the bed arrived, it was blatantly not bespoke to my mum. It was a standard unit and with standard folds in it," he said.

Mr Anyan said "justice has been served" after Kitson was handed a custodial sentence

The family returned it to the company immediately and they informed Mr Anyan that they were going to charge them 10% of the deposit cost, £600.

They were then charged an additional £6,000 for "administrative purposes".

Mr Anyan said: "The bed had only been sat on for about a minute.

"His company pried on the vulnerable and elderly.

"Yes the man (Kitson) has been given a prison sentence but he was living high on the proceeds for years. That makes my blood boil."

Julie Richardson has been a trading standards officer for 20 years and said it's the "biggest case" she's worked on

Julie Richardson, investigating officer from the South West trading standards unit, said she spent ten years looking into this case.

She said: "This is the biggest case I've ever been involved in.

"There are victims in every corner of the UK. Elderly, vulnerable, disabled victims, and this company has had a major impact on these people.

"Some of the presentations lasted around four hours, meaning victims just signed under duress as they wanted to get rid of them.

"It's heartbreaking to hear all these stories, especially with several victims now that have passed away, but I'm pleased that justice has been served."