Conman who terrified pensioner locked up for roof VAT scam

Terry Collins wore a hard hat and carried a building DIY brochure to give himself an air of authenticity when he called at the Halesowen home of Brian Jordan, who had recently undergone major heart surgery, a court heard.

The 22-year-old, who called himself Bill Smith, asked about roofing work that the pensioner had just had done, telling him the workmen had not been VAT-registered and that he owed £480 in unpaid tax, said Mr Rupert Jones, prosecuting.

Mr Jordan queried the amount, pointing out the entire bill for the roofing work had only been £650, prompting Collins to reduce the outstanding ‘debt’ to £280.

The pensioner refused to pay him and Collins left, but said he would return in a few days, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Mr Jordan, who had just had a blood transfusion following a triple-bypass operation, had been targeted several times by fraudsters, said Mr Jones, and as a result his daughter had had CCTV cameras installed.

Police identified father-of-three Collins from the images and he was arrested.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Jordan said he had been left shocked and angry by the incident, and ‘terrified’ that the fraudster would return.

Defending, Ms Naomi Nelson-Cofie said Collins was motivated by money worries and regretted his actions. He was working but not being paid on time, she said.

At the time of the offence, on November 8 last year, his brother was in hospital after a serious accident that had left him tetraplegic, and Collins’ frequent visits to him had added to the financial strain.

Collins admitted it was a ‘stupid and irresponsible’ way to make money.

“He is a young man with a lot of responsibilities,” said Ms Nelson-Cofie. “He had a change of heart and decided not to go back.”

She said the defendant had not forced his way into the property and claimed he had not targeted Mr Jordan because he was a vulnerable pensioner, but because he had clearly had roof work done.

He had now found honest employment and since December had been working in Sheffield.

Collins, of Foster Way, Sheffield and formerly of Birmingham, admitted fraud and was jailed for 12 months.

Sentencing him, Recorder Geoffrey Kelly highlighted Collins' wearing of a disguise, adding he did not accept that Mr Jordan had not been targeted.

He said: "You could have turned away when he answered the door but instead you took advantage of the fact he was 82 years old.

"When people target vulnerable, elderly people, I have no alternative but to send them to prison."