Conmen in 'frenzy' of 'greed' jailed for one of largest ever fraud cases
Two roofing firm directors were today jailed after they conned customers out of millions of pounds to buy a roof paint.
The pair initiated a 'frenzy of commission-led greed' in one of the largest ever fraud cases brought before the courts.
Alan Wilson, aged 54 and Christopher Wilkes, aged 45, the directors of Therma Seal (Thermal Coatings) UK, were running a company that had an £8.5m turnover and 2,700 customers during the period of the fraud between 2010 and 2012.
Judge Martin Walsh told Wolverhampton Crown Court the duo made a number of bogus claims about the product in leaflets, including that it could make a heat saving of between 15 per cent and 40 per cent and reduce heat loss by 25 per cent and knew that the information was false.
He said: "I am satisfield that both of you knew the claims made could not be substantiated. You embarked on a frenzy of commission-led greed and the imposition of the intended sentence will not only be a punishment, but deter any other perpetrators who might seek to con the public."
While he said the defendants, who were found guilty of fraud by a jury on Friday, did not deliberately target the elderly, a "consequence of the recruitment process" to get new customers was that many of them were elderly, retired and vulnerable.
The pair were jailed for five years and disqualified from being company directors for eight years.
