Rogue trader from Aylesbury village jailed after conning vulnerable victims out of £94k

A rogue trader has been jailed after conning his elderly victims from Buckinghamshire out of some £94,000.

Thomas Patrick Sweeney, from Marsh Lane in Bishopstone, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to home improvement fraud at Aylesbury Crown Court in March. The judge said the unnecessary work was not only overcharged, but ‘abysmal’.

The 43-year-old, who initially cold called at his victims’ property, conned them out of large amounts of money by targeting them and making them believe – wrongly – that they needed extensive roof and chimney improvement works to their High Wycombe home.

The defendant was sentenced for fraud, including by grossly overcharging for work.

The victims, who reported ‘severe stress and worry’ caused by the work, paid £93,500 in cheque payments towards the amounts sought by the defendant, which totalled £110,600.

Following a complaint by the victims’ family, an expert was sent by Trading Standards to inspect the works at the property. They confirmed that, while there was a need for some repairs to the property, there were many other works that were unnecessary and other works that hadn’t even been completed. The expert considered the standard of work abysmal and to such an extremely poor standard that extensive repairs are now required to rectify this.

Mark Winn, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Homelessness & Regulatory Services, called the case ‘shocking’.

He said: “This is a shocking case, with vulnerable, elderly residents ruthlessly targeted as easy prey by this fraudster. It’s not a case of a genuine builder making a few mistakes, but of a criminal who deliberately defrauded vulnerable residents out of significant sums of money. My thoughts are with the residents and the council will be pressing to ensure money is recovered from Proceeds Of Crime Act proceedings and that compensation is paid to the victims.

“I would like to thank our trading standards officers, legal teams and the courts for bringing this individual to justice for these appalling crimes. I hope that this case acts as a deterrent to any other builder who targets and defrauds residents in this way. The council will pursue you through the courts and ensure that you are prosecuted and that victims receive compensation.”

He is urging people not to be afraid or embarrassed to report suspected scams.

To avoid scams, Trading Standards advises people to be sceptical of cold calls, not to rush decisions and to research companies and get at least three quotes in writing.

A Stop Cold Calling pack, including no cold calling stickers, has been designed to notify traders that cold callers are not welcome. Legitimate traders will abide by your wishes. Email trading standards for a pack.

Cold calling can be reported to Trading Standards via the Citizens’ Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133.

How to spot a rogue trader

Always ask for identification.

Ask to see a business card or letterhead for full contact details for the company. Call the business to check it exists and that the contractor does work for them.

Request to see proof of qualifications in their trade.

Check to see if the contractor is a member of a trade association by searching the trade association websites.