Serious Fraud Office
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Solar panel fraudsters ordered to pay £413,206.10 compensation to victims
Two men who scammed millions of pounds from 760 vulnerable victims in a fraudulent solar panel scheme were yesterday ordered to pay confiscation totalling £413,206.10.
Stephen Wilson and Robert Ross were two of six men convicted for their part in the Solar Energy Savings Ltd scam, which manipulated victims with deceitful sales techniques and false guarantees of reimbursement to sell and install solar panels. Ultimately, this led to each victim losing substantial sums including some of their hard-earned savings or pensions.
Mr Wilson will pay £220,000 and Mr Ross will pay £193,206.10, the full amount of which will go towards compensating victims of their fraud.
Liz Baker, Head of Proceeds of Crime and International Assistance at the Serious Fraud Office yesterday said:
“These men preyed upon vulnerable people and lied to them to line their own pockets. I’m delighted that we will be able to return some of the proceeds of their crime to victims.”
The two men were found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation alongside David Diaz, Ludovic Black, Niall Hastie and Kenneth Reid in August 2018. Mr Wilson and Mr Ross were each sentenced to 4 years and 6 months’ imprisonment in October 2018, sentences they are currently serving.
Mr Wilson and Mr Ross must pay the full amounts within three months or face a default prison sentence of two years.
The SFO continues to pursue the proceeds of crime in relation to the other individuals convicted. A confiscation hearing for Kenneth Reid and Niall Hastie is set for January 2020.
Notes to editors:
- Stephen Wilson (06.08.62) and Robert Ross (12.12.65) were each former directors of Solar Energy Savings Ltd.
- Robert Ross, David Diaz, Ludovic Black, Stephen Wilson, Niall Hastie and Kenneth Reid were found by a jury to be guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, contrary to s1(2) of the Criminal Law Act 1977 and s1(2)(a) of the Fraud Act 2006. Another individual, Gary McVey, was acquitted of the same charges. More information can be found on the SFO website here.
- The confiscation hearing took place at Liverpool Crown Court.
- Kenneth Reid and Niall Hastie are due to appear at Liverpool Crown Court for a confiscation hearing on 20 January 2020.
- By recovering the proceeds of crime and securing fines from companies, the SFO has delivered a net financial impact of +£450m from 2015 to 2019 (SFO Annual Report 2018/19).
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Original article link: https://www.sfo.gov.uk/2019/11/27/solar-panel-fraudsters-ordered-to-pay-413206-10-compensation-to-victims/
