Kidderminster plumber stole £4,000 from pensioners

Steven Greenaway faces sentencing and a possible antisocial behaviour order after admitting to 13 counts of fraud at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The 41-year-old overcharged the five customers by £3,835 over a three year period from 2010 - despite being convicted for similar offences in 2012.

At a hearing yesterday, prosecutor Mark Jackson said: "He is a convicted confidence trickster who uses his status as a self-employed plumber responding to emergency call-outs to defraud customers in their own homes by grossly overcharging them for work."

He added: "He is a menace to the community. The fact he has been sentenced has made no difference at all to going and duping members of the community in their own homes.

"There can be no doubt his activities have caused harassment, alarm and distress."

Greenaway's victims included Lynne Watkins, of Cradley Heath, who was billed £1,527 to stop leaks from burst pipes and supply and install a new toilet system.

But her insurance company only gave her £200 after inspecting the work, carried out in December in 2010.

In the same month, he charged June Gilliam, of Halesowen, £787 to repair a leak to a downstairs toilet.

He continued the following the month when he billed Irene and Raymond Perry £817 to repair a leak in their kitchen.

Last year, in January, he targeted a mother and daughter suffering learning difficulties, charging £1,000 for work in their kitchen. The money they handed over was saved up for a holiday.

Finally, in the following month, he billed Raymond and Julie Vivian, of Worcester, £1,200 to repair a leak in their central heating system.

Mr Jackson said: "Everyone of the complainants were elderly and all targeted in their own home and all targeted when they are in a desperate situation when they put their trust in someone they believed to be a professional."

Mr Jackson also applied for an antisocial behaviour order preventing Greenaway from providing quotes for plumbing to householders.

Mr Christopher O'Gorman, defending, said Greenaway was no longer working in the plumbing business, instead working as a dispatch driver.

However, Mr O'Gorman said: "He would like to continue in his profession as a plumber, but in an employed basis."

Judge Michael Challinor adjourned the case for today to deliver his sentence and decide on the antisocial behaviour application.

Greenaway, of Marlpool Lane, Kidderminster, was convicted in 2010 for two counts of fraud relating to work for a 78-year-old man.

He received a 12-month supervision order and was told to carry out 200 hours unpaid work in the community. He was also told to £500 in compensation.