A Newcastle man has been jailed for two years after fraudulently taking more than £70,000 in payments for work he never carried out. Kye Ranson, 43, of Meadow Road, Lemington, took deposits from eight customers, leading Durham County Council to bring a prosecution against him.
How the fraud was carried out
Durham Crown Court heard that Ranson would visit customers' properties and provide quotes for work. He then requested a deposit, usually 50 per cent of the quoted price. Customers paid, but Ranson failed to complete the work, offering excuses such as bad weather, car or supply problems, family emergencies and unavailable fitters.
Ranson pleaded guilty under the Fraud Act 2006 to one offence of knowingly participating in a fraudulent business, said to have taken place between May 2024 and June 2025. He operated as the sole trader of KR Creative Design Solutions.
Council action and customer impact
From August 2025, the council became aware of reports of unfair business practices involving Ranson and his firm. The court was told that when Ranson did return to customers' homes, he would delay matters further. When customers requested refunds, he would not return the money, claiming he had already paid for bespoke materials that could not be refunded.
Customers lost a total of £70,202, with the highest single loss being £24,525. Some customers recovered money through their banks.
Owen Cleugh, the council's acting head of community protection, said: “Mr Ranson took thousands of pounds from people who trusted him to carry out work which they had agreed with him. However, none of the work was ever undertaken, with a number of reasons being given by the defendant as to why.”
He added: “The customers we spoke to suffered great emotional distress as a result of Mr Ranson’s actions. We hope the two-year prison sentence handed out by the court will serve as a warning to anyone thinking they can take money from people for work they don’t deliver.”
Victim statements and sentencing
Victim impact statements read in court described the emotional toll. One said: “This has had an adverse effect on my mental health. We had saved so hard to get the money together and I felt so low… I was on long term sick for over three months. Luckily, I have a supportive workplace.”
Another stated: “The situation turned our world upside down and it was difficult living in the environment and waiting for deliveries to come which didn't arrive. It has made me feel sad, depressed and angry. He made us feel sorry for him and we trusted him, we saw no red flags.”
A third said: “It has been a bad experience, I feel a lack of trust in tradesmen, and I feel we’ve been living a substandard way of life due to this matter.”
In defence, the court heard Ranson was suffering with his mental health at the time of the offence following separation from his wife. The judge was also asked to consider his good character and genuine remorse.
Sentencing Ranson to two years in prison, the judge said he had “strung them along with excuse after excuse with no intention of doing the work.”
