Builder jailed for conning £85,000 from customers to fund gambling habit

Cash-strapped Simon Lewis turned to crime while blowing up to £10,000-a-night on roulette, it was revealed.

The 40-year-old advertised his building business on eBay and travelled throughout the country collecting deposits from people who wanted a conservatory constructed, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

The Wolverhampton builder ripped off customers from Southampton to Manchester and in eight months pocketed a total of £84,354 from 21 of them in down payments for work he did not finish or, in most cases, did not even start, explained Mr Mark Rees, prosecuting.

The lawyer explained: "He had developed a gambling habit that became very expensive. He borrowed from family and friends and when that facility came to an end he took money from customers.

"He maintained that it was always his intention to do the work or repay the money but his losses from gambling escalated to such an extent that he could not achieve that."

The conned customers paid up to £8,600-a-time between February and September 2013 and the defendant - who traded under Simon Lewis Build and S.L. Builders - was arrested the following month after police were alerted.

He still owes more than £67,000 of the money he pocketed during the scam and had been losing up to £10,000-a-night at casinos in and around Wolverhampton, it was disclosed after the case.

Mr Patrick Currie, defending, told the court: "He is a good builder and set up this business with good intentions. He has been in the trade most of his life and the venture began successfully but a chance visit to a casino with a cousin changed all that as events mushroomed out of control. A negative comment on the internet about his work led to lots of his customers asking for their deposit back and he could not refund them all at once. He made the mistake of trying to gamble his way out of the situation but just put himself in an even worse position as everything collapsed around him."

Lewis, a builder with 20 years experience in the trade and no previous convictions, has had his home sold to pay off creditors and business debt as bankruptcy proceedings started against him, it was said. His partner has left him taking her three children.

Mr Currie concluded: "His family are all very ashamed of him but are also supporting him because this was out of character and did not reflect the man he really is.He could not get any lower."

Lewis, formerly of Castlebridge Road but now of Bealeys Avenue, both Wednesfield, admitted 21 charges of fraud and was sent to prison by Judge Martin Walsh who told him:

"You descended into fraud to fund your gambling addiction. It is a tragedy for you and your family but you defrauded innocent members of the public out of their hard earned money. This was not a victimless crime."

A statement from one of his victims which was read out in court told how they felt sick at the loss of the money and had sleepless nights over it.