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David Gogo worked for Contemporary Home Improvements (CHI) which was set up by Brian Tutton. Tutton, 62, ran the con with the help of “principle salesman” Scott Baker, 50.

Customers across London and the Home Counties handed over deposits to CHI for renovation work in 2017 but no work was ever done.

By the autumn of 2017, when none of the promised work had begun, panicked households tried to get in touch with CHI and discovered it was being liquidated.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard a total of 61 households were duped by the company.

The court heard CHI used sales techniques including offering early bookings for the proposed work if early and large deposits were made and suggesting a customer’s house could be used as a marketing model after work was done.

It was said masters student David Gogo, 29, reassured customers and gave an impression of “quality and seriousness” to the venture by pretending to be a fully qualified architect.

But the bumbling conman, who carried a business card falsely stating he was a chartered member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, could not even use a tape measure, the court heard.

He went on to fail the architecture masters degree at the University of East London, it was said.

Alistair Richardson, prosecuting, said: “A colourful picture is painted of Mr Gogo turning up and not being able to use a tape measure.

“People were chasing Mr Gogo and, when plans were being submitted, eventually people were looking at them and going ‘These are obviously wrong, what on earth is this? they obviously need correcting’.

“There was plainly an effort to do something but, as ever with Mr Gogo, he was utterly misguided as to his own ability.

“I think it’s right to say Mr Gogo’s offending is characterised by not only gross dishonesty but also by gross stupidity.”

Gogo, of Tooting, south London, was acquitted of conspiracy to defraud but convicted of fraud by false representation and he is believed to have earned just over £38,000.

His 14-month prison sentence was suspended for two years. Tutton, of Brighton, East Sussex, and Baker, of Portsmouth, Hampshire, were convicted of conspiracy to defraud after a trial last year.

Tutton was jailed for seven years and Baker for four years.

The court heard would-be clients were also duped by visit to a “show home” with a kitchen allegedly renovated by CHI.

No work at the house was carried out by CHI and the homeowner, Louise Shiangwang, 49, admitted fraud and will be sentenced later this month.

Fake photos of renovations were posted on the CHI website and fake reviews left.

Mr Richardson said others are involved in the fraud but investigators have not been able to identify them.

The court heard excerpts from victim statements, which described how they felt humiliated, gullible and ashamed for falling for the scam.

Some of the victims were left out of pocket as they were unable to recoup their losses from banks or credit card companies.

Others described a “battle” to be reimbursed involving the financial ombudsman.

One victim, a disabled man, said he parted with his “hard-earned funds” on the promise CHI would install a downstairs bathroom in his home.

It was said he had to move as he could not recoup the money from the bank and could not afford to pay out for the renovations, which he needed due to his mobility issues.

Speaking after the sentencing, Jan Wright, from Northwood, northwest London, said he was “relieved” the trial was over and “satisfied” with the verdict.

He and his wife Diana paid CHI £13,000 to build a kitchen extension and to turn the existing kitchen into a sitting room.

They did not use a credit card to pay any of the money and so were not able to ask their bank to take on the loss, he said.

Jan said: “We could have still done the kitchen extension but my wife felt so depressed about having been scammed. We had put a lot of planning into how it would look, choosing tiles and everything. We were really looking forward to it.”

Angie Brigden gave CHI nearly £30,000 for a single storey extension to the rear of her property in Beckenham, Kent, after making various checks including whether the company had liability insurance.

“I got copies of his insurance documents, everything was covered so I really felt we would be safe,” she said.

She was able to recoup the money from her credit card company but said it was “absolutely disgusting” that the three did not have to pay back any money to those out of pocket.

Angie said: “There are still so many people out of pocket. There is no compensation for them.

“The four year wait was worth it. The verdict was good but I don’t feel like justice has been done. We need to get some of these credit card companies to start taking note and hold them accountable so the victims can get their money back.”

Sentencing the trio, Judge Noel Casey said: “It was a fraudulent operation from the outset designed to take the maximum deposits possible.

“You, Brian Tutton, set up the company doing so following a meeting on the Algarve. You withdrew large sums of cash from it and drew a directors salary.

“Scott Baker was one of two principal salesmen, the other being one of those not brought to book. You deployed your skills as a salesman, which seemed considerable, and expertise in the industry. You persuaded households to enter contracts and part with money.

“A man of your experience and expertise would have realised from the outset it was fraudulent and there was no infrastructure to carry out work proposed.

“David Gogo you did not enter into conspiracy to defraud but you did hold yourself out as a qualified architect, a chartered member of RIBA, and having a Masters in architecture.

“The quality of architectural design work provided by you seems to have been far less than satisfactory but I note some service was provided for the households for the fees you charged.

“As to households the victim impact statements summarised by the Crown today demonstrates stress, upset anger and suffering caused. Some households as a result had their health and mental wellbeing affected alongside the plain obvious effects of financial loss.

“There has been a serious detrimental effect on victims financially, psychologically and in some cases physically.”

The judge said he was unable to order the three to pay anything towards prosecution costs or compensation to the victims as there was no evidence the defendants had the means. Tutton was disqualified from being a company director for ten years and Baker for five years.

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