Halesowen builder jailed for two years over £99,000 fraud

Gary Powis took money from his victims across Sandwell and Birmingham over a three-year period between April 2007 and October 2010.

In one case the 49-year-old pocketed the cash and never even started the work.

Powis, from Iverley Road, Halesowen, who operated under the name Pro Build, was yesterday sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court for defrauding his seven victims out of a total of £99,265.

He had pleaded guilty to 11 counts of fraud at a previous hearing.

The court heard that in the majority of cases Powis agreed staged payments with the homeowners, and took money up front for building materials and labour costs.

In some instances he started the work, but would then ask for more money for materials, which would not appear.

In one case he took £4,000 from one customer and never carried out any work. Once he had pocketed cash from his victims, projects he had started would then slow, and he made a multitude of excuses to try to cover his tracks.

One victim told of feeling so threatened by his demands for more money that she changed all the locks in her house, the court heard. Mr Mark Jackson, prosecuting, said: "This was a man who systematically abused the trust of his customers.

"He effectively manipulated and/or coerced them into handing over more and more cash, on the basis that if they didn't he wouldn't do any more work."

Properties that fell victim to Powis included homes in Oak Road, Oldbury, Durham Road, Blackheath, Crendon Road, Rowley Regis, and Beacon Close in Smethwick. Mr Jackson said independent surveyors were called in to some of the properties to assess Powis's work. Some homeowners were told he had not done work to match what they had paid, while others had to pay extra to rectify his mistakes.

Ms Sophie Murray, defending, said Powis's actions had not been dishonest from the outset, and his business model was to take on jobs to pay for other work already started, but he got out of his depth.

She said: "He previously had only taken on small jobs he could do himself or with the assistance of contractors. But he took on a job that started very small and got bigger and bigger, so wasn't able to complete his work in other places. He is deeply, deeply sorry for what he has done."

After the sentencing, Sandwell trading standards manager Bob Charnley said: "This is an excellent result and sends out a strong message to those disreputable individuals who prey on people in their homes."