Chimney sweep Adam Reid stole customers' money to feed drugs and gambling habit
A chimney sweep stole almost £30,000 from his customers to feed his gambling and drug habits.
Adam Reid, 40, owns SCS Installations (Safe Chimney Sweep). The first time his wrongdoing came to light was in December 2023, and eventually police found there had been 25 victims, who he had taken almost £30,000 from.
Police say Reid had previously been a reputable tradesperson, accredited to a number of trade bodies until his memberships lapsed. Despite this, he continued to claim he was fully accredited.
He would arrange work with customers and take a deposit, with the remainder to be paid on completion. Reid would then become evasive and never carry out the work, using excuses such as illness, family illness and his van being broken.
Police say some of his victims were long-standing customers who trusted Reid, and all were initially understanding of his excuses.
He was arrested on October 16 last year and released on bail - but was soon up to his old tricks. He was arrested again on April 4, charged, and remanded in custody. Police enquiries found Reid was in financial trouble, believed to be linked to excessive gambling and drug use.
He was charged with 19 counts of fraud by false representation and one count of fraudulent trading by a sole trader, and admitted all the charges in May, before being sentenced this week.
PC Holly Elliott of Sussex Police said: “Adam Reid betrayed the trust of his victims, using their money to try and fix his own financial issues. What started with one report uncovered the true scale of Reid’s offending, showing a committed offender with no regard for his victims.
“This has been a complex investigation and I would like to thank all involved for helping to bring him to justice.”