Pangbourne businessman Richard Best charged with fraud

A BUSINESSMAN has been sent to the crown court charged with cheating customers.

Richard Best appeared in the dock at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Friday, May 23.

The 43-year-old, of Reading Road, Pangbourne, is accused of being a party to defrauding customers of Rolls Royce Maintenance Ltd by taking cash for goods and services which weren’t subsequently supplied; failing to provide refunds, using false aliases, providing fraudulent photos of work supposedly carried out and misrepresenting that the business was VAT registered.

Mr Best is further charged with trading as BS Construction and T&M Solutions while intending to defraud creditors by taking money for goods and services which were not subsequently supplied, failing to provide refunds and using false aliases when dealing with customers.

All the offences were said to have happened in the Reading postal area on various dates in 2023.

The case was brought by Reading Borough Council.

Magistrates declined further jurisdiction and sent the matter to be dealt with by a judge and, in the event of a trial, by a jury sitting at Reading Crown Court on a date to be fixed.

Mr Best, who was legally represented by Michael Phillips, was meanwhile released on bail with conditions.