Man jailed for £100,000 building fraud in the Midlands
Steven Fidler, 39, was sentenced to six years in prison
Last updated 3rd Nov 2025
Two men have been convicted for conning multiple victims out of £100,000 through unfinished building work.
Steven Fidler, 39, from Hockley Heath, and Kristien Hunt, 47, from Studley, were convicted at Warwick Crown Court after an investigation into multiple incidents of fraudulent building work carried out between November 2019 and December 2021.
Fraudulent building work across the Midlands
During a two-year period, 11 reports were made across the Midlands from customers who had been quoted for building or decorating work by Fidler and Hunt.
In each case, large down payments had been made by the victims, for work which was then either not completed or finished to an unsatisfactory standard.
When customers complained, the defendants disappeared.
Evidence revealed that Fidler and Hunt often took on multiple projects at once and made excuses for being unable to work, citing reasons such as the Covid lockdown, vehicle breakdowns, or the (false) death of a family member.
Despite these excuses, they continued accepting new work.
Romance fraud
In addition to the building work scheme, Steven Fidler was also convicted separately of 'romance fraud', where he conned a woman out of nearly £30,000.
Using a false name, Fidler contacted the woman on a dating app in January 2021.
He lied about his background and claimed that his wife and daughter had died.
After meeting a few times, the victim agreed to lend him money to repay loans but then Fidler disappeared and ended all communication.
Outcomes
Steven Fidler was arrested on 1st April of this year. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation (relating to the offences with Hunt) and fraud by false representation in relation to the romance scam
On Monday 13th October, he was sentenced to six years in prison.
Kristien Hunt was arrested in December 2021 and charged in April 2023. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
He will appear at the same court on 12 November for sentencing.
Detective Constable Alison Roberts, Specialist Fraud Investigator for Warwickshire Police, said: “Both men conned their victims out of tens of thousands of pounds, and in many cases, left their houses in serious states of disrepair.
“Thankfully, both have now been convicted and admitted their wrongdoings.
“We are continuing to try and locate Hunt to ensure he also faces justice for his actions. We ask anyone with information on his whereabouts to call 101.”