Camelford solar trader Jonathan Vidler sentenced over £180,000 fraud

Imagine paying thousands of pounds for solar panels, then watching the weeks slip by with no installers, half a job on your roof, or equipment that simply never turns up.

That was the experience behind a fraud case involving a man from Camelford who ran a string of renewable energy businesses. Customers, a charitable trust and the contractors he hired were left with losses of £180,000.

Sentenced at Truro Crown Court

Jonathan Alan Vidler, of Tor View, Camelford, pleaded guilty to four counts of fraudulent trading under section 993 of the Companies Act and one offence under the Fraud Act 2006.

At Truro Crown Court last Friday (6 November), the 61-year-old was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, suspended for three years due to his poor health.

The businesses involved

Jonathan traded through a number of companies, including Jonathan Alan Vidler (Consulting) Limited, Net Zero (Energy) 2050 Limited and Energy Consulting & Contracting Limited.

How it worked

Cornwall Council’s Trading Standards team spotted a pattern in the complaints coming in. Customers had paid large sums for solar-panel installations and associated equipment, only for the work to be delayed, left incomplete or never carried out at all.

The investigation also identified allegations involving:

• payments taken for equipment that was never supplied
• misleading information about materials and delays
• failures to give refunds
• contractors not being paid for work they had done

The evidence covered 23 consumers, one charitable trust and four contractors.

An investigation that began in 2023

Trading Standards started looking into Jonathan’s businesses in October 2023, and the case took a lot of building.

Gary Webster, Trading Standards Group Leader at Cornwall Council, said: “This was a significant and lengthy investigation involving a large number of victims and a substantial body of evidence.

“Vidler used his experience in the industry to gain the trust of his customers. He then left them, and the subcontractors he employed, facing significant financial losses.

“His dishonesty has had a significant and lasting impact on his victims.”

“A strong deterrent”

Councillor Thalia Marrington, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Community Safety and Public Health at Cornwall Council, said: “Our Trading Standards team works hard to protect consumers across Cornwall.

“When traders fall short of the law, we will take action, and I hope this case acts as a strong deterrent to others.

“I would also like to thank the victims in this case who supported our Trading Standards team in securing this prosecution.”