Fraudulent carpenter ordered to pay victims £15,000

Michael Kempson leaves Luton Crown Court after being given a suspended jail term

A carpenter who pocketed thousands of pounds for work he did not do has been given a suspended jail sentence and ordered to compensate 10 victims.

Michael Kempson, whose TwistedKnott firm operated in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, was sentenced by a judge at Luton Crown Court after admitting fraud by false representation.

Recorder Kate Aubrey-Johnson told 39-year-old Kempson, of High Road, Beeston, Bedfordshire, that his victims were "vulnerable" and had been "left violated".

However, she stated that there was a "really big prospect" of "rehabilitation" and ordered him to pay the victims £15,000.

'Excuses'

The judge heard how Kempson had been prosecuted following an investigation by trading standards officers at Central Bedfordshire Council.

A council member said after the hearing that what Kempson had done was "calculated and heartless".

Barrister Victory Abang, who prosecuted on behalf of the council, told the judge on Tuesday that 10 victims lost about £15,000 in total.

He said Kempson had admitted 10 offences, during a two-year period between 2022 and 2024, and each fraud followed a "similar pattern".

Kempson had taken money for jobs including window glazing, fitting a door, building a pagoda, and renovating rooms, he said.

Mr Abang said Kempson advertised TwistedKnott's services on social media, visited victims, gave quotes on letter-headed paper, and asked for half his payment up-front.

Once money had been transferred, he would fail to complete work and make a "range of excuses" - which included being in hospital and a "poorly" child.

Mr Abang said Kempson had once cited the death of his father as an excuse - when his father was alive.

The majority of his victims were "elderly", Mr Abang told the judge.

Michael Kempson was sentenced at a hearing in Luton Crown Court on Tuesday

Barrister Victoria Gainza, for Kempson, said "particularly vulnerable" people had not been targeted.

Ms Gainza told the judge that the victims' average age was 56.

She said Kempson had made "full admissions", was of previous good character, was remorseful, and keen to make "restitution".

Ms Gainza said Kempson was now training to be a driving instructor.

'Violated'

The judge imposed an 18-month jail term, suspended for two years, and said Kempson must carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

She also ordered him to pay the compensation to the victims within three years and said part of the sentence would be a mental health treatment requirement.

"He has gone into their own homes," she said.

"He has told everyone lies in order to win their trust and get them to part with money. They are left violated."

She said Kempson's victims were all "vulnerable" in "their own way", and he had got himself into the "habit of telling lies".

But she also told him: "There is a really big prospect of rehabilitation."

John Baker, a Central Bedfordshire Council member responsible for public protection, said Kempson's conviction sent a "strong message".

"This was a calculated and heartless fraud carried out against vulnerable people who placed their trust in him," he said.

"Kempson instead took their money and exploited their goodwill.

"Our trading standards team worked tirelessly to bring him to justice and this conviction sends a strong message that we will not tolerate anyone preying on vulnerable residents."