Rogue builders jailed for fraud

Two men handed an eight-month sentence after charging a Newbury man £10,000 for roof work that was not needed

TWO rogue builders have been jailed for fraud after charging a Newbury man £10,000 for work that was not needed.

Ryan Crocker, aged 20, from Kemsley Chase, Farnham Royal and Alex Holloway, aged 22 from Walpole Road, Slough, were both jailed for eight months at Reading Crown Court on Friday (25).

Four builders called at the home of a 67-year-old man in Kings Road, Newbury on June 3 last year and told him that work needed to be done on his roof.

A few days later two different men turned up at the property and got the victim to speak to someone on the phone, who stated that additional work was needed on the roof which would need access from the inside.

The price gradually rose over three days while Mr Holloway and Mr Crocker sat in the victim's loft and pretended to work.

They painted internal roof rafters with external wood stain, which made the victim believe that genuine work was being carried out.

The victim was in the process of releasing equity from his home in order to pay the increasing bills, until the price reached £10,000 on the third day and at that point the he reported the matter to police.

The work was assessed by Trading Standards officials who said that it was of poor quality and was not needed.

Mr Crocker and Mr Holloway denied the offence in interview but later pleaded guilty at Reading Crown Court.

Det Con Paula Morgan, who led the investigation, said afterwards: “These types of crimes are abhorrent. “The offenders pick on the elderly and vulnerable by lying and relying on their trusting nature.

“They give no thought to the consequences their actions have on the victim, leaving them feeling scared, vulnerable and in some cases deprived of their retirement fund or life savings.

“The victim in this case was close to releasing equity from his house in order to pay Crocker and Holloway and if he had done that he would have been left without any means of obtaining money in the future.

“I am pleased with the outcome of this case and hope that the sentence acts as a deterrent to other people involved in this type of crime.”