Landscaper Peter Hynes jailed over charging $140k for work he never did

Tradesman Peter Hynes will spend at least six months behind bars after he trousered $140,000 in upfront payments for building work he never did.

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A dodgy landscaper who never held a contractor’s licence has been jailed for charging unsuspecting clients more than $140,000 for work he did not do.

Repeat offender Peter Todd Hynes, who also goes by Peter Todd Garay, has been sentenced to a maximum of 18 months jail and will spend at least six months behind bars.

The landscaper was unlicensed and uninsured when he knocked on the doors of homeowners to drum up business and in some cases, falsely claimed he had 40 people working for him.

As the sole director of Captain Trade Group Pty Ltd, Mr Hynes accepted payments totalling $141,500 from five homeowners in 2017 for landscaping work he did not do.

Mr Hynes took $60,000 from one job at Harrington Park he never worked on, Parramatta Local Court was told this week.

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“Hynes, who also went by the name Peter Todd Garay, has previous convictions for dishonesty and repeated building compliance offences,” NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rose Webb said.

Mr Hynes first came to Fair Trading’s attention in 2003 after dozens of consumer complaints about incomplete or unsatisfactory residential building work, including landscaping, driveways, fencing and retaining walls.

Previous complaints to NSW Fair Trading suggested Mr Hynes’ modus operandi was to request a significant cash sum as a deposit and, once payment is received, promptly abandon the work.

Mr Hynes was handed seven enforcement actions between 2003 and 2015.

The dodgy landscaper (not pictured) will spend a minimum of six months behind bars after charging clients more than $140,000 for work he did not do. Picture: Generic / iStock / Getty Images

Neither Mr Hynes nor his company held a contractor licence or insurance under the Home Building Act.

As a result, his victims were unable to claim from the Home Building Insurance Fund, leaving them with no protection or recourse when the work was abandoned.

When complaints about Mr Hynes reached Fair Trading last year, then-Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean said: “I’m appalled to hear this trader is out targeting consumers again, especially given his track record.”

Fair Trading has reminded consumers who are considering using a building contractor or tradesperson for services such as landscaping to check that the trader holds a valid license before engaging their services.

Originally published as Landscaper Peter Hynes jailed over charging $140k for work he never did