Fraudster 'preyed' on elderly residents in £1.5 million renewable energy scam

A man "preyed" on and conned elderly people out of £1.5 million in a fraudulent renewable energy scam. Leicestershire residents were among hundreds to be caught up in Robin MacDonald’s long-running fraud.

MacDonald’s scamming took place between 2014 and 2015, and saw him repeatedly mis-sell renewable energy products including solar panels from Sunpower Renewables Ltd. Emergency medical buttons were also sold from his other business, Stirling Technologies Ltd, which traded as Proshield Alarms.

Representatives from Sunpower Renewables often bullied victims into signing contracts for the products and even lingered in the homes of vulnerable elderly people to ensure the deal was signed. Some of those who had work done by the firm were even left with structural instabilities on their homes, while others received no products at all.

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Proshield Alarms promised customers round-the-clock safety through products which would supposedly alert emergency services in the event that their alarm system was triggered, but that was not the case. It was found that sales representatives and the company’s brochures had deliberately misled them through a series of false statements.

Investigations into MacDonald’s actions and his companies were launched by the National Trading Standards Regional Investigations Team East Midlands. They found hundreds of victims from both companies, with 32 coming from Leicestershire.

Between them, the Leicestershire victims lost more than £285,000 to the fraud. In total, 45-year-old MacDonald had scammed elderly residents across the East Midlands out of £1.5 million.

The trial of MacDonald, of Park Row, Bretby, lasted five months and heard from more than 200 of his victims. He was found guilty by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, along with charges of fraudulent trading and handed a seven-year jail sentence. MacDonald was also banned from being a company director for 10 years.

MacDonald was prosecuted alongside two associates, Roy Hancher and Nicola Mather. They pleaded guilty to respective charges of fraudulent trading and money laundering prior to the trial. Hancher, 54, was given a one-year and eight month jail term, suspended for 18 months, while Mather, 44, was handed a one-year sentence suspended for 12 months.

Speaking after sentencing, Louise Boyall, from Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards, said: “Following an exhaustive investigation involving Trading Standards Officers from across the East Midlands authorities, this investigation concluded in a prosecution which will prevent many more vulnerable people falling victim to these fraudulent companies and their promoters.

“This was a complex investigation and involved many witnesses, without whose evidence, the convictions would not have been possible. The scale and diligence of the investigation reflects Trading Standards’ continued commitment to tackling rogue traders affecting our residents, and the sentencing imposed properly reflects the seriousness with which the courts will treat such offending.”

Lord Michael Bichard, chairman of National Trading Standards, added: “MacDonald and his associates preyed on and took advantage of vulnerable people – stopping at nothing to get what they wanted. Lingering in the homes of their victims for hours, they bullied customers – many of them elderly – into signing contracts at vastly inflated prices for products they didn’t want or need. I hope that the sentences handed down will provide some solace to the victims and serve as a powerful deterrent to anyone hoping to make money from fraudulently selling renewable energy and home safety products.”

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