A fraudster salesman swindled dozens of customers out of tens of thousands of pounds – only to blow his ill-gotten gains on porn and gambling.

Lewis Blake, of Whitstable, was a window shutter installer who often took deposits from clients before disappearing without completing the work while offering made-up excuses.

Between August 2020 and May 2021, the 43-year-old crime spree saw him take funds worth £64,774 from 89 victims across the county.

Those affected by Blake came from a range of places such as Canterbury, Herne Bay, Romney Marsh, Thanet, Medway, Deal, Faversham, Tunbridge Wells and Sandwich.

Presenting as a polite and well-presented tradesman, customers told police they were happy to pay him half the cost of the window shutters in advance.

However, Blake never returned to carry out the work and gave various excuses including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and problems with the shipping of the products from overseas.

Between 2019 and 2022, it was found Blake had ordered just 14 shutters while splashing out more than £100,000 gambling and £14,000 on adult websites.

Those affected later joined together to create a social media group to share their experiences.

He pleaded guilty to fraud and was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on January 16 to 18 months’ imprisonment.

Blake, of Gladstone Road, was also banned from being a company director for seven years.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Beth Brimmicombe-Wood said: “Criminals like Lewis Blake give reputable tradespeople a bad name when they betray the trust of their customers for their own personal benefit.

“Following his arrest he told us he had mistakenly priced himself too low and had attempted to gamble his customers’ money in order to complete the orders. But even if that were true, it was not his money to gamble with and many victims were left out of pocket as a result.

“It is entirely appropriate that he should be sent to prison for the crimes he has committed.”