Six locked up forselling 'rubbish' kitchens to public

VANCE MILLER: disappeared overseas

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SIX people have been jailed for selling "rubbish" kitchens on behalf of Oldham businessman Vance Miller ­- while he remains a free man in the Far East.

Customers lured by a massive online and print advertising campaign forked out thousands of pounds believing they would get a kitchen "good enough for Wayne and Coleen Rooney", Manchester Crown Court heard.

But instead they got unusable kitchen units in mismatched shades which Miller himself described as "s***". And, when they tried to complain, they were abused and called "liars" by Miller's staff.

A variety of business names were used to conceal the fact that it was Miller's business, based at Maple Mill, Oldham , that was selling the cheaply-made Chinese kitchens, which were falsely described to customers as "last year's B&Q".

But the enterprise was brought down by a trading standards investigation which gathered complaints from 300 customers from across the country.

Sentencing Miller's cohorts at Manchester Crown Court, Judge Michael Leeming said the operation had brought "misery" to consumers ­- and "given B&Q a bad name".

David Hourigan (41), of Ramsey Drive, Bacup, described as Vance Miller's "right-hand man", has been jailed for 18 months.

Martin Sersen (24) of Jacob Bright Mews, Rochdale , who acted as an official front for Miller, has been jailed for 15 months.

The former girlfriend of Miller, Nicola Brodie (39), of Churchill Street, Rochdale, was responsible for placing adverts and has been jailed for a year.

Kitchen salesman Richard Brundrett (41), of Peel Drive, Bacup, has been jailed for nine months.

Miller's PA, Karen Stocks (43), has been jailed for nine months, and Miller's online marketing man, Matthew Leak (23) who flooded the web with fake reviews, has been jailed for four months.

All of them worked under Miller's direction between 2010 and 2015, while he was abroad. Each appeared stunned to be locked up.

Miller (51) is believed to be in China or South-East Asia, and is wanted by the authorities here.

Hourigan, Sersen and Leak were each found guilty of two charges of engaging in a misleading commercial practice. Karen Stocks pleaded guilty to two counts of the same charge, plus unauthorised use of a trademark. Brundrett was found guilty of a single charge of engaging in a misleading commercial practice, and Brodie was found guilty of a single charge of the same offence, and unauthorised use of a trademark.

Sentencing, Judge Leeming said the defendants in the case had described Miller as a "dictatorial personality, a man who could not be questioned ­- only obeyed".

"(That) can't be used as an excuse for turning a blind eye as to what was going on," the judge added.

"You could have distanced yourself from Maple Mill and Vance Miller but apart from minor fallings out and disagreements you failed to do so."

The judge said he had heard "weeks and weeks" of evidence about the quality of the kitchens sold by Maple Mill, adding, "they were effectively rubbish".

He told the defendants in the dock: "Many were looking forward to receiving their immaculate, dream kitchens - the reality was far removed.

"Miller was abroad, the parts each of you played in this jurisdiction were indispensable as far as he was concerned.

"If anyone made a significant profit out of the misery caused to consumers it was Vance Miller, and he's outside the jurisdiction. He was the directing mind in all this ­- but each of you had a role to play."