A Shropshire firm faced bankruptcy after falling victim to a serial fraudster who conned companies across three counties, a judge was told.

Failed businessman Richard Martin duped plant hire firms and suppliers out of £200,000 worth of property using dud cheques and failing to bring back hired equipment, Stafford Crown Court heard. The victims were spread across Staffordshire, Shropshire and Derbyshire.

Some of them were small firms left in financial difficulties.

Mr Pat Sullivan, prosecuting, said the victims included Lineal Construction, of Newport, Shropshire. Martin hired a JCB and a Volvo industrial unit worth a total of £57,000 and never returned them.

“The company’s owner has explained the insurance company would not pay out for the loss. His company would be unlikely to survive a financial loss of that magnitude,” said Mr Sullivan.

Martin’s trail of deception began in Derbyshire in 2007, continued in Stoke the following year, followed by Stafford, Shropshire, Lichfield and Chesterfield. Police repeatedly bailed him after each set of offences and Martin carried on conning.

When officers went to arrest him in Stoke on Trent, he had skipped from the address to avoid creditors.

Martin, 33, formerly of Bull Lane, Stoke on Trent admitted 26 charges of either fraud or theft.

He was jailed for a total of three years.

Recorder Mr Benjamin Nicholls said victims were taken in by Martin’s knowledge of plant hire and agricultural equipment.

“Some companies can sustain a loss of £3,000 or so, but at least two companies have had their very existence put at risk,” he told Martin. “Some companies are struggling to survive in the current climate and can’t take a hit of £57,000 as in Lineal’s case.

“When companies like that go under, it has dreadful consequences for the owners and employees, they are thrown out of work and some lose their homes.”

Mr Edward Coke, defending, said Martin had an inability to distinguish between right and wrong.