Rogue landscape gardener jailed for fraudulent trading across three counties

A man who promised to do landscaping work on 18 resident’s homes across Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire has been jailed for running a fraudulent business.

On Friday 10 July 2026 James Knight, also known as Jimmy, (aged 34) of Verne Road, Verwood in Dorset was sentenced to 5 years and 8 months at Bournemouth Crown Court in a prosecution brought by Dorset Council Trading Standards.

After previously pleading not guilty to all charges, Mr. Knight changed his plea to guilty to all but seven charges on the first day of the trial. He maintained he did not act dishonestly towards the other seven victims. After a two-week hearing when all seven victims gave evidence, the judge found that Mr. Knight was dishonest from the start.

Mr. Knight advertised as a landscape gardener on social media. He visited potential customers to discuss the work they wanted and usually suggested extra work at a competitive price. Once the work was agreed he would take a large deposit for materials and then only deliver a small quantity of materials or do only a small amount of work.

In some cases, he just disappeared without doing any work at all. One customer who wanted his lawn re-turfing was left with only soil in his front garden and another who wanted a new drive was left with what was described as bomb site at the front of her house. Any work that was done was sub-standard. The total value of the fraud was around £42,000.

On many occasions Mr. Knight would claim that he had underquoted and ask for additional payments. Once it became clear to him that a customer was not prepared to pay any more money, he would stop work and make excuses as to why he couldn’t continue. These included deaths in the family, his vehicles breaking down or being stolen, illness, staff problems, and last-minute child-minding responsibilities. On more than two occasions, Mr. Knight claimed his grandfather died.

Mr. Knight had previously been convicted of 77 charges of fraud between 2012 and 2020, most recently, he was sentenced to 32 months imprisonment.

When sentencing, Judge Mousley said, "You have an appalling criminal record. You claim that you that you feel remorse, but the only remorse you feel is that you have been caught and brought before the court. You exploited the trust of hard-working people and had no hesitation in extracting as much money from them as possible."

In recognition of his actions, the Judge also granted an eight year Criminal Behaviour Order. This order prevents Mr. Knight from approaching or entering any address in the UK for the purpose of offering his own or others' services for work. It also further prevents him from advertising for work, online or elsewhere, or instructing others to do any of the above on his behalf. A breach of the order will constitute a criminal offence.

Cllr. Matt Bell, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Prevention & Communities, said: “This case shows the real impact rogue traders can have on local people - leaving them out of pocket and with work that’s nowhere near complete.

“Our Trading Standards team works hard to protect residents and take action where people try to take advantage. This outcome sends a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

“I want to thank everyone who came forward to help bring this case to court. If something doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and report it - that information helps us protect others in our communities.”

When selecting a trader to do work for you Trading Standards advise to always consider the Buy With Confidence approved trader scheme.

Details are also available by calling the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.