Conman builder who scammed pensioners out of £129,000 savings is jailed

One woman in her 80s had her life savings wiped out by Simon Doherty.

The 29-year-old cold called the women to offer his services for small, cheap jobs he persuaded them needed doing.

But once he had earned their trust, the conman convinced them more extensive work needed to be done and ratcheted up the price.

He cleaned out the life savings of a woman in her 80s in Halesowen and targeted two other households in Sutton Coldfield between 2017 and 2019, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

He had more than £100,000 in his personal bank account on more than one occasion during that period – and investigators discovered he had enjoyed a lavish trip to America while submitting sick notes in 2019 to say he could not attend court.

Doherty, of Hodgkinson Road, Kirkby in Ashfield, pleaded guilty to fraud following an investigation by Dudley Council’s trading standards team.

He appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday, where he was sentenced to 56 months in prison.

The court heard the rogue builder traded for the most part during the period under the business name Distinctive Paving Building Solutions Ltd.

Doherty charged a woman in her 80s from Halesowen £26,500 for six days work in 2017.

It included cleaning and sealing her drive, installing a step and a shed, and block paving work.

But an independent surveyor ruled the work should have only cost £6,228.75 – an overcharge of £20,271.25.

In 2019 he targeted other women in Sutton Coldfield.

A 91-year-old was overcharged nearly £15,000 according to the surveyor after handing over £23,500 for repairs to her roof, porch and patio.

Doherty had initially knocked on her door offering to cement down two roof tiles he said were loose, quoting just £25.

He charged two other women more than £79,000 for work the surveyor said should have only cost them £24,910 – an overcharge of £54,590.

In total, the court heard, the conman pocketed at least £129,500 for the work at the three homes – a sum which the surveyor said was an overcharge of nearly £90,000.

Doherty was also disqualified from being a director of a company for seven years and a criminal behaviour order was put in place.

It prevents him from cold calling, carrying out any work without providing a written quote, carrying out any work before 14 days after providing a written quote and instructing others to do any of these specified acts until a further court order is made.

Councillor Nicolas Barlow, Dudley Council's cabinet member responsible for trading standards, said: "This was despicable behaviour by someone who should have known better, and we welcome the sentence of the court.

"Doherty targeted vulnerable, elderly, women, convincing them he was their friend and was offering them a great deal. In reality he was ripping them off to the tune of several thousand pounds.

"This case shows our trading standards team will work tirelessly to bring these sorts of conmen to justice, and in this case they also managed to ensure Doherty paid every penny back he overcharged his victims before his sentence."