Rogue trader jailed for fleecing man out of £30,000 for shoddy roof repairs

The work carried out to the semi-detached house, in Dumbleberry Avenue, in Sedgley, was so poor the botched roof will need to be replaced at an estimated cost of £10,500.

Tipton builder Nathan Lee, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and two counts of unfair trading, and co-defendant Tarn Price, 34, from Wolverhampton, to one count of unfair trading between July and August 2018 at an earlier hearing.

Sentencing Lee at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday Judge John Edwards said: "A gentleman living alone had the singular misfortune to cross your path when you cold called him. It is a stark imbalance of power in the commercial relationship with all the power resting in you. What you did to him was despicable.

"You are the very definition of rogue trader. You used him as a cash cow and fleeced him for almost £30,000.

"It was utterly cynical, it was persistent and doubtlessly had a profound effect on him. Such behaviour erodes confidence in elderly people in knowing who to trust. In my judgement, this is so serious it has to be marked by custody.

"In the sentencing guidelines this is category three loss, high culpability and abuse of trust. Had you been convicted after a trial the sentence would have been at least three years."

Mark Jackson, prosecuting on behalf of Dudley Council, said the householder had previously been a victim of conmen and the trading standards officers suspected that Lee had been given the address to target by others. He told the court that Price's role in the con had been minimal as he had been employed by Lee to jet wash the roof tiles, resulting in damage.

"Lee targeted and threatened a pensioner, aged 67, conning him out of about £30,000 for roof work that was not necessary and left the roof in such a state that it will require repairs at the further cost of over £10,000," Mr Jackson said.

He said the victim had described how Lee repeatedly returned to his house insisting on carrying out further work to the roof, chimney, loft, gutters and downpipes demanding sums of money ranging from £300 to £14,800 in cash for the 'repairs'. In total £29,850 was handed over before the victim plucked up the courage to turn down the defendant and report him.

Mr Jackson also said Lee had previously been warned about trading practice after an incident at a property, in Broadway, Walsall, in 2014. And that the latest case had taken four years to resolve due to delays caused by the defendant and no-one else.

Mitigating for Lee, barrister Graham Blower said he had repaid £5,000 to the council and had expressed "remorse and sorrow" over his actions.

For fraud, Lee, of New Cross Street, Tipton, was jailed for 32 months, and for unfair trading 12 months to run concurrently. He must serve half of the term before being released on licence and a confiscation hearing will be held at a later date.

For unfair trading, Price, of Showell Road, Bushbury, Wolverhampton, was jailed for 10 months suspended for 18 months. He must pay £3,000 compensation, £2,500 costs to be paid within six months and carry out 180 hours unpaid work.

Four further charges were ordered to lie on file.