Shocked victims tell of death traps

Mother-of-four Sharon Robinson will never forgive rogue electrician Lee Naughton for leaving her home a potential death trap.

She said angrily today: "He had seen my 22-month-old son Kian and knew the toddler messed with everything. Yet he left parts of the house in such a state that they could have killed the little boy.

"He must have known the danger we were living with and realised that we were completely oblivious to it. I do not know how he was able to sleep at night."

Prosecutor Richard Dewsbery told Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday that the home of Miss Robinson in Hales Road, Wednesbury, where she lives with her three youngest children, Kian, Aaron, aged eight, and 14-year-old Aimie, was in the worst state of any worked on by Naughton. Astonishingly he did the job two weeks after swearing to investigators that he was quitting.

Mr Dewsbery confirmed: "The mains board had no blanking over the live copper busbar and terminals and the risk of severe electric shock was high."

Single mother Miss Robinson added today: "The work Naughton did has cost me almost £2,000 and almost as much again to put right. It has left my life in a mess.

"I thought it was a good idea to rewire the house when we moved in but an electrician friend of my father took one look at the work Naughton had done and warned me that it was very dangerous. I immediately rang the authorities."

A fortnight earlier Naughton had told Trading Standards officers investigating his business: "I will no longer be carrying out any electrical work. I will be making a new career for myself in another field totally different to electrical contracting. I realise now that my best work is not up to other peoples' standards and this is the reason I wish to quit."

It was the third time he had lied about changing his dangerous ways. He vowed to go straight after serving a 12-month sentence for an identical offence in 2004 but quickly returned to life as a rogue electrician.

He was warned that he was not allowed to use British Standard guarantees for his work in November 2006 and promised to quit and emigrate but carried on regardless.

Another of his victims, Mrs Suka Bains, a 44-year-old mother-of-two from Wolverhampton confessed today: "We are lucky to be alive. Our home could have burst into flames at any moment because of the way he left it.

"Fortunately we heard a buzzing noise from a power socket and called another electrician. I dread to think what might have happened if we had not heeded that warning.

"Naughton gave us certificates for his work and you automatically assume he was qualified to do the job. Now we hear that the paperwork was worthless.

"Ordinary people book an electrician and presume the person knows what they are doing but we have discovered that assumption can be dangerously wrong. Let that be a warning to others.

"It is frightening to think that he got away with it for so long, especially after he had been jailed before. He must have no shame and have learned nothing while he was in prison the last time."

Councillor Barry Findlay, Wolverhampton Cabinet member for environment said today: "Naughton has put householders and families throughout the Black Country at risk of potentially serious injury by his repeated disregard for the law."