Shed conman jailed over scams worth £110,000

Alistair Baxter failed to construct sheds and cabins despite taking large deposits

A man has been jailed after he scammed nearly 70 people across Scotland out of a total of £110,000 by falsely promising to build garden sheds and summerhouses.

Alistair Baxter advertised on social media, took orders and pocketed deposits from victims in Dunbartonshire, Stirlingshire, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

The 36-year-old made over £30,000 a year from the scheme and a sheriff told Baxter: "Your greed was quite remarkable."

He pleaded guilty to fraud at Stirling Sheriff Court and has been jailed for three years and four months.

The court heard how people who paid thousands of pounds in deposits received calls from Baxter asking for more money before their garden buildings were put up.

But despite paying the extra sums, the buildings were not erected.

One victim paid a £1,000 deposit, then Baxter asked for two further payments totalling £1,650 over five months.

When the customer contacted him, Baxter blocked him on Facebook and messaged him: "You're not getting your shed ha ha ha."

Sheriff Derek Hamilton told Baxter, who appeared for sentencing via a video link from Low Moss Prison: "You were literally laughing at him."

Alistair Baxter was sentenced after admitting fraud at Stirling Sherriff Court

The court heard that other people who complained and asked for their money back got only partial refunds or, in most cases, no refund at all.

Some customers received deliveries of materials, but no construction took place.

Others who previously had summerhouses erected by Baxter's company, AB Garden Building Ltd, went on to pay extra for improvements.

But these were never carried out and they lost their money.

Prosecutor Jamie Hillend said Baxter defrauded 67 customers of a total of £110,000 between September 2020 and March 2024.

The court heard they were unlikely ever to get their money back.

Significant sums lost

Solicitor Alison Miller, defending, said that when Baxter, who is a joiner, started his business in 2017, it was not with the intention of fraud.

The lawyer said he was under stress due to garden improvements booming during the Covid pandemic.

Baxter had a gambling problem, she added, and an employee had taken money from him.

Ms Miller said: "Money was coming in from various customers and he started to re-purpose it in different ways.

"He became in debt, and was unable to pay the large majority of the victims back."

Sheriff Hamilton told Baxter: "I accept you paid back some money to some customers, but it was very little in the scheme of things.

"Significantly, it wasn't a scheme designed to dupe for example large business or government.

"Many private individuals... lost significant sums. No doubt all of your victims felt financial pain from your dishonesty."

He added: "There's no appropriate alternative to custody in this case – the public is fed up with bogus workmen."

Helen Nisbet, procurator fiscal for Tayside, Central and Fife, said it was a "clear case of deception and an egregious breach of trust".

She added: "Alistair Baxter 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."