Dorset Police news site

Detectives safeguarded vulnerable victims and carried out an extensive investigation into fraudulent insulation companies that saw the director put behind bars.

John Christian Beckett, 41 and of Canford Magna in Poole, was found guilty of two counts of fraudulent trading following a five-week trial between July and August 2024 at Bournemouth Crown Court.

The investigation focussed on the trading of NRG Installs Ltd and The Insulate Group Ltd between January 2017 and September 2018. Beckett became the sole director of both companies in November 2017 and February 2018 respectively. The turnover for both these companies over the time period was in excess of £8 million.

These companies sold spray foam loft insulation, as well as roof and wall coatings. They mainly operated outside of Dorset, in areas such as Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Bedfordshire and Kent.

It was found that the companies used unfair commercial practices, which are prohibited by the relevant consumer protection regulations.

The banned practices were deliberately used with the knowledge and approval of Beckett. This included the use of aggressive sales tactics, putting customers under pressure and misleading them about the product that was being sold to them. In addition to this, the customers were made to believe they were getting a special price by having an immediate fitting and therefore signed away their right to a 14-day cooling-off period.

Throughout the course of the investigation there were 28 victims of both NRG and the Insulate Group and numerous witnesses interviewed. Some of the victims had been targeted twice by Beckett’s companies for different products.

In some cases, due to the victim themselves not having capacity to provide a statement, family members or neighbours had to provide one on their behalf. The family members had reported that their loved one had been sold products by the companies despite their vulnerabilities being evident to a salesperson.

The call centre for the companies was operated from a building in Hinton Road in Bournemouth. Warrants were carried out at this premises, which uncovered scripts utilised by the call centre staff containing unsubstantiated and misleading statements. For example, that insulation by NRG Installs Ltd could reduce a customer’s heating bill by 40 per cent, as well as falsely stating that the price could be reduced via discount codes that they were told they were entitled to on the basis of their age.

Documents were recovered detailing numerous customer complaints, many of which were relating to breaches of the companies’ vulnerable customer policy. On reviewing these complaints, it was clear that the companies followed no set pricing structure. People had been charged widely varying prices for the same product with the prices ranging from £54.17 to £171 per square metre.

Unbeknown to police at the time, the BBC also carried out an investigation into Beckett’s companies for their programme Rip Off Britain and they contacted him in June 2018 to notify him of this. He was captured discussing changing the company’s corporate identity or feigning a mental illness to stop the programme being aired.

At the sentencing hearing, the judge said that Beckett played a lead role in a well organised and sophisticated fraud and that it was a clear case of targeting victims based on age, presumed savings and vulnerability.

Beckett was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Wednesday 18 June 2025 to six years and six months in prison.

Detective Inspector Jamie Halford, of Dorset Police, said: “Our investigation found that Beckett was operating two corrupt and fraudulent businesses. He encouraged his sales staff to persistently and systematically lie in order to deceive, mislead and bully customers who were known to be vulnerable in order to make as much money as possible.

“This was a lengthy investigation, which saw us work with various Trading Standards teams across the country and expert chartered surveyors in order to build a strong case against Beckett.

“The work of Beckett’s companies had a lasting effect on some victims, who encountered difficulties when trying to sell their properties due to the spray foam that was installed when it was not required.

“I would like to use this opportunity to highlight how important it is to check on vulnerable friends and family members who may be targeted by fraudulent companies. Always encourage them to speak to you before agreeing to any work being carried out and to get a second opinion – never be pressured to agreeing to work on the same day and be wary of a large initial reduction in price in these circumstances.

“It is also extremely important to get expert advice when having work done to your property, including getting spray foam insulation. It must be used in the right circumstances and environment and a specialist will be able to provide you with the right help and information.”