A victim of convicted fraudster David Waters has described how she paid Anchor Mobility nearly £3,500 for a specialised bed she never received.

East Anglian Daily Times: Ipswich Crown Court Picture: ARCHANTIpswich Crown Court Picture: ARCHANT

Patricia Cherrington, from Gosport, Hampshire, agreed to buy the product to help her 76-year-old husband David who, following two strokes, has great difficulty getting in and out of bed.

Waters, 71, of Manwick Road, Felixstowe, was the sole director of Anchor Mobility, which specialised in mobility furniture, which left more than 20 elderly and disabled customers £80,000 out of pocket.

He was found guilty by a jury at Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday.

In June, 2017, Mrs Cherrington, 75, paid £3,495 to Anchor Mobility up front in order to receive a five-year warranty on the bed, which had "all the bells and whistles".

The couple were told they would receive the product in six to eight weeks but after the time elapsed, Mrs Cherrington began to make enquiries.

She said: "I rang the number but it said the messages were full. My son got me another number but I still couldn't get an answer.

"I wrote to them at an address we had, but we still never got a response, nothing at all.

"It was then that I contacted Citizens Advice and it ended up with Suffolk Trading Standards."

Mrs Cherrington said the whole affair has had a lasting impact on the couple.

"We've got absolutely nothing, and we're still in our old bed.

"It's heartbreaking really, it wasn't a fashionable bed but it was something we needed. I'm still struggling to get my husband into bed.

"I didn't think I was that gullible, but I obviously am. It's put me off buying anything, I always speak to my son now.

"I'm not sure if we'll get any money back, I have my doubts. I've written that money off."

Asked about how she felt about Waters' guilty verdict, Mrs Cherrington added: "I hope he can't do it to anybody else.

"You wouldn't think someone would do something like this, especially when it was for a medical need.

"You save for years and then someone does this to you. But he's been found guilty and that's the main thing."