Home improvement fraudster jailed for five years

A rogue trader estimated to have conned victims out of more than £120,000 for home improvements has been jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Daniel Footman's business Opulent Lifestyle Ltd was investigated by Worcestershire Trading Standards after scores of local residents complained.

The former director, from Evesham Road, Redditch, admitted two counts of fraudulent trading and was jailed at Hereford Crown Court on 13 February.

On sentencing, the judge said Footman had "lied and lied and lied", was "thoroughly manipulative" and "nothing but a dishonest crook".

Footman was also disqualified from being a company director for 10 years.

The court heard that, between October 2016 and December 2020, the fraudster took money for home improvements which were either not started, only partially completed, or completed to a poor standard.

He lied to 31 victims, the judge said, swindling them out of their money.

Several provided statements about the financial and emotional harm of his actions, with some stating they had been left physically ill.

In addition, the court heard Footman had failed to pay a number of tradesmen and small businesses who had worked for him, with further substantial sums also owed to suppliers.

Trading Standards said it had previously prosecuted Footman for "identical conduct" a decade ago.

The judge said he thought it clear Footman "had waited for the expiry of the suspended prison sentence previously imposed before embarking again on a virtually identical course of conduct and offending", the service said.

Simon Wilkes, head of Worcestershire's Trading Standards team, said it would not hesitate to take action against other "unscrupulous and dishonest traders".

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