Rip-off roofer's delaying tactics finally catches up with him at Proceeds of Crime Act hearing
A rogue trader jailed for swindling a vulnerable customer out of £30,000 has been told to "stop using the same old excuses" to keep his ill gotten gains.
Nathan Lee, 34, appeared before Wolverhampton Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing yesterday (Monday).
Last year Lee, New Cross Street, Tipton, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and two counts of unfair trading, after defrauding a vulnerable man on his own of £30,000. In April, 2023 he was jailed for 32 months, and for unfair trading 12 months to run concurrently.
However, due to Lee's forgetfulness concerning big ticket purchases, including cars, led to the prosecutor warning him justice will not be disappear due to his delaying tactics.
Mark Jackson, prosecuting for Dudley Council, said: "Every time we come to court, and today this is the third time, the defendant uses the same old excuses that he has lost paperwork.
"He has sold a car for cash and claims he has no records of this. Then he says he has no solicitor and we go round in circles. This POCA hearing should have been finished months ago and at the latest today but I fear the judge might have to adjourn the hearing again."
Describing Lee's dishonest dealings with his victim, Mr Jackson said: "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."
Lee previously was warned about his trading practices after an incident at a property, in Broadway, Walsall, in 2014. Mr Jackson pointed out previous cases had taken years to conclude due to Lee's delaying tactics when it came to handing informaiton over the police.
Recorder Christopher Millington told Lee his delaying tactics would not work in the long run.
He said: "This pattern of not having a solicitor for your POCA hearing will not alter the course of proceedings. The next hearing will be on October 10. This POCA proceeding is not going away, if you have not arranged for representation by then it will be nobody's fault but your own."
