Shocking photographs of Stourbridge home that jailed Bilston builder wrecked
Pictures of the squalid dangerous mess jailed builder Lee Millard left a Stourbridge family's home in after "bullying" £80,000 from them, have been released by Dudley Council.
Millard was jailed for three and a half years for fraud on Wednesday after destroying the family's disabled daughter's washroom and adapted living quarters leaving the majority of the home uninhabitable.
Aftab and Shazia Alimahomed hired Millard in 2019 and have had to spend a further £30,000 to put right the damage caused at their Wynall Lane home.
However, they told Wolverhampton Crown Court no amount of money could make up for the loss of dignity of their daughter, who died last year, in the two years of her life.
Millard, whose business address was in Hollywell Street, Bilston, agreed to build a new kitchen, downstairs bedroom and wet room, as well as a new ramp and patio area to allow the couple’s wheelchair-bound daughter better access around the home and garden.
Five months later, at the end of March 2020, Millard cut off all contact with the family and stopped replying to messages after the couple refused demands to make further payments.
The court heard during the period of work the new kitchen was flooded as rain water seeped into the house through the ceiling due to the roof being left exposed. Workers cut through television cables, bricks fell in and cement was left everywhere.
Millard, 37, “bullied” the couple into making payment after payment with the threat that if they didn’t he would not have the funds to continue with the work.
Christopher King, head of trading standards at Dudley Council, said: "We welcome the decision of the court to impose a lengthy jail term – this is a very serious case of rogue trading against a family who needed and deserved far better.
"The family were left with their home decimated and in a dangerous, hazardous state. Millard pocketed more than £80,000 and left the home looking like a building site, failing to deliver the new facilities the family’s daughter desperately needed."
He added: "Not only that, he and his workers also managed to destroy the existing facilities, leaving her with nowhere to wash or suitable toilet facilities and cooped up in a small room for four months.
"The fact she died last year, having never benefitted from the work, makes this case all the more tragic and serious.”
"Millard did an appalling job. The family could see things were going wrong but he strung them along, ruining their home and leaving them unable to properly care for their vulnerable daughter.
"I hope this case serves as a warning that we will not hesitate to investigate and prosecute rogue traders – and that seriously shoddy work could land them in jail."
Dudley Council will now start proceedings through the courts in an attempt to recoup money for the family.
In mitigation after pleading guilty to fraud, Millard said he was remorseful and wanted to pay the family back money as soon as he could. However, the court also heard he suffers from anxiety and has few assets.
