by Myron Jobson
A caravanning firm boss who cheated customers and an insurance provider, gaining tens of thousands of pounds in the process, has been ordered to pay a measly sum of £2,000.
Plymouth Crown Court concluded that the culprit, Shaun Cole, 46, pocketed £72,740 by fraudulent trading, according to thisisplymouth.com.
The 46-year-old sold caravans and kept the money himself, without informing the owners, and gaining a staggering sum before going bust.
However, the total of his “realisable” assets only amounted to a small percentage of the amount he swindled , at just £2,000.
The boss of the now defunct Plymouth Caravan Centre lied to clients, informing them that their caravan had been sold for a cheaper price, while pocketing the difference himself, the court heard.
He was also found guilty of overcharging customers for vehicle servicing and inflated an insurance claim following damage to 14 caravans.
Last year, Shaun pleaded guilty to 13 charges of fraud between January and October 2007.
He returned to court having recently finished serving a 31-month term in jail.
The court heard last year that vendors and the insurance company lost sums ranging from £561 to almost £11,000.
Cole has been given six months pay the £2,000 sum.
