Alleged mis-selling and bullying

A CARAVAN park owner allegedly bullied pensioners into buying mobile homes and conned one alleged victim out of £79,500.

Cresswell Welch is accused of lying about the age of the second-hand mobile homes he sold and annual site fee costs.

Welch, 57, Seaton View, Arbroath, allegedly used similar sales tactics against victims in their 70s over a period of more than two years.

He allegedly defrauded Johan Dorothy Bruce, 74, of £79,500 by inducing her to pay that for a fixed mobile home by claiming it was 10-months old. The charge alleges it was already three years old when he sold it at Seaton View on May 29 2016.

It is alleged between September 1-December 23 2016 he misled John Robertson, 74, about the age and warranty of a mobile home at Marlee Loch Residential Park in Blairgowrie. He allegedly withheld material information and falsely said it was two years old, duping Mr Robertson into buying a vehicle.

Between August 31 2017-May 31 2018, Welch allegedly adopted aggressive sales practices to coerce and unduly influence Anthony Steven, 72, until he bought a mobile home “other than of a type he wished to purchase” at Marlee Gardens. Welch allegedly threatened the pensioner with eviction and to destroy work already carried out if he did not pay.

The fourth charge claims that between December 19 2017 and June 1 2018, at both sites, he misled James Wadman, who bought a mobile home he would not otherwise have done by withholding information and lying about its age.

In the same time frame, Welch allegedly acted in a threatening and abusive manner towards Mr Wadman, coercing him into buying a type of mobile home he didn’t want.

The final charge alleges that between December 19 2017 and December 1 2018 he misled Martin and Senga Burke about the age of a fixed caravan at the Arbroath site that they bought.

He allegedly stated falsely it was a year old and annual site fees were £2,000.

Welch, who was not present when the case called at Dundee Sheriff Court, denies the charges.