Lancashire builders jailed after charging £37,000 for £3,000 worth of roof repairs
The pair have been jailed for fraud by false representation
Two builders have been jailed after charging a householder £37,000 for roof repairs that were valued at £3,000.
Tom Lee and Freddy Young appeared at Preston Crown Court Sessions House after asking the property owner, a man in his 60s, for continuous amounts of money. It wasn't until the victim's bank contacted the police for the fraud to end.
Voice notes from Lee recorded him talking about the victim: "“This job, love it Tom, absolutely love it. There’s loads of lemons about.”
The fraud began after knocking on the victim's door stating that roof work was needed, to which he gave a verbal quote of £12,000.
Payments were later paid upon request, until the bank contacted the police.
Police later arrived at the house to find three men working there, including Freddy Young.
After an expert examiner spectated the work, the job was found to be valued at £3,000, even though the victim had paid out £37,000 in both cash and card payments. This was to pay for roof repairs, new PVC facia’s, soffits and gutters.
Young and Lee's work was described as 'shockingly poor,' and to repair the work it would cost the victim another £15,000.
In a statement in court, the victim read:
“All the work done by Tom Lee and Freddy Young was shoddy and had to be removed before the new roofer could start. Some of the roof batons were not nailed down and none of the roof tiles were nailed down.
“The edge tiles were not trimmed down properly and there were no ridge tiles. If there had been high winds, the roof would probably have blown off.”
Lee, 39, of Lower Eccleshill Road, Darwen, and Young, 27, of Heys Lane, Oswaldtwistle, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation. Lee was jailed for two years and nine months, and Young for two years and five months.