A traveller gardener was jailed today for three and a half years for scamming elderly and vulnerable victims, some of them in their nineties, out of thousands of pounds by offering sham services.

Benjamin Brown, 61, of Cox Lane, Epsom, pleaded guilty in July to eight counts of fraud and four of money-laundering.

From July: VIDEO: 'Born-again Christian' traveller admits scamming elderly victims out of up to £665,000 with his gardening business

Guildford Crown Court heard he declared only £82,672 of £747,590 earnings from 2006 to 2012 to the authorities, meaning £664,918 was undeclared. How much of that was from illegitimate business is unknown.

The court also heard Brown preyed on people unable to look after their gardens themselves, who mainly lived in Surrey, but also in Sutton, Wallington, Richmond and Twickenham.

The court previously heard he responded to any challenge over this with threats and aggression.

Judge Recorder Christopher Critchlow sentenced Brown to 42 months behind bars.

Brown targeted his victims between 2006 and 2012, trading under the names Greenfingers Gardening and Homecare Property Maintenance, which offered services including landscape gardening, paving and fencing.

From April 2014: Gardener accused of blackmailing customers and money laundering 'has psychiatric problems', court hears

Surrey Comet:

One of the company's adverts 

He advertised in local newspapers including the Epsom Guardian and its sister paper the Sutton Guardian, in parish magazines, and by posting adverts through doors but would charge people excessively for poor quality work.

Judge Critchlow said: "What you were doing to some customers was grossly overcharging for doing gardening work for vulnerable people.

"There was also a degree of targeting these elderly and vulnerable people.

"It has also been said you did not have a charging policy, but rather you were looking for whatever you could get.

"I will also bear in mind what I have read about you from the several long-standing customers who said you did good work.

"But a lot of your elderly and vulnerable victims said they felt intimidated, and that you were aggressive.

"I will bear in mind this is your first conviction and various health issues.

"You have shown some regret, although the probation officer said you still see yourself as a victim, to an extent."

He was jointly prosecuted by Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Sutton trading standards.

Brown, who was the chairman of the Surrey Travellers Forum, has previosuly spoken about the impact of a blanket ban on cold-calling on people's homes were having on the Gypsy and Traveller community.

In a video interview in 2009, above, Brown said: "What do we do? Don’t go out and try to knock doors to get a living? Go and sign on the dole and then live off the state. We don’t do that.

"We like to go to work and earn a living."

He added: "If you do a job and it goes wrong, they’re not giving you a chance to rectify it, they’re coming straight along and nicking you for it."

He also said: "I just think we’re being targeted, we’re being persecuted. I’m not prejudiced by any way, I like everybody and I try to get along with everybody.

"And being a born-again Christian you know God says we’ve got to love everybody and get along with everybody, we’ve got to love our enemies.

"Sometimes you might think it’s hard to do but that’s what we do. They couldn’t do to blacks, Chinese, or anything what they do to us."

His leaflets spoke of an "experienced, hard working husband and wife team", how "gardening is our passion", "no job is too small".

Customers said their questions about the price and standard of work led to Brown threatening them and being aggressive.

In February 2013, a retired woman saw Brown's advert in the local newspaper and phoned him to carry out some landscape gardening.

Brown charged her £12,000, later reduced to £11,000, for work that he had been verbally quoted would cost between £4,000 and £6,000.

In a second case Brown was contacted by an elderly woman to carry out fence repairs in her garden after seeing his advert in the local paper.

She was charged £10,500 for a short run of fence and a gate.

When Brown completed the fence he proceeded to lift the garden patio slabs, despite being told to stop by the pensioner. Brown re-laid the path and charged her a further £1,500 which she paid.

A total of £120 victim surcharge will be paid and no court costs were ordered.