Handyman Accused of Stealing $135K from Clients to Pay Gambling Debts and Porn Addiction

A crafty tradesman, Lewis Blake, has been sentenced to jail after duping 89 individuals out of their hard-earned money, totaling more than $135,000, to feed his gambling and adult website habits.

Specializing in installing window shutters, Blake shamelessly pocketed deposits amounting to nearly $80,000 from unsuspecting clients but failed to fulfill his end of the bargain by completing the work.

The 43-year-old culprit hailing from Whitstable, Kent, squandered over $125,000 on gambling activities and a further $17,000 on explicit online content, as confirmed by law enforcement.

Blake's illicit activities transpired between August 2020 and May 2021, prompting multiple victims to band together on social media to expose his deceitful practices, leading to his eventual arrest.

Upon interrogation, Blake confessed that he had underestimated his pricing and resorted to gambling with the funds from his customers to cover the costs of the orders.

During the court proceedings at Canterbury Crown Court, it was revealed that Blake, despite being described as "polite and well-dressed" by his victims, managed to swindle deposits totaling close to $80,000 from 89 different individuals.

Initially, clients were content to pay half the amount upfront for the window shutters, trusting Blake to deliver on his promises. However, he absconded without completing any of the contracted work.

Blake concocted various excuses to evade his responsibilities, blaming issues such as the pandemic and shipping delays for his failure to return to finish the installations.

Further investigations uncovered that Blake had only ordered 14 shutters between 2019 and 2022, diverting the bulk of the funds to his vices of online gambling and adult entertainment.

Following his admission of guilt for fraud, Blake was sentenced to 18 months in prison and prohibited from holding any directorial positions for seven years.

Detective Constable Beth Brimmicombe-Wood from Kent Police expressed disdain for Blake's actions, highlighting how his actions tarnished the reputation of honest tradespeople by exploiting the trust of his clients for personal gain.

She remarked, "Criminals like Lewis Blake give reputable tradespeople a bad name when they betray the trust of their customers for their own personal benefit."

Addressing Blake's feeble justification of gambling with clients' money to complete the orders, Brimmicombe-Wood emphasized that regardless of his intentions, the funds were not his to gamble with, leaving many victims financially stranded.

She concluded, "It is entirely fitting that he faces incarceration for the crimes he has committed, holding him accountable for his deceitful actions."