Builders jailed for conning homeowner out of £93k

A pair of "rogue" builders who swindled a homeowner out of almost £93,000 have been jailed.

Patrick Joseph Connors and John Joseph McEvoy carried out costly roof repairs on a house near York and "uncovered" other issues at the property despite the owner, a man who lived alone, telling them he was not interested.

The "intimidated" victim made 24 payments to the pair between October and December 2021 before they were arrested by North Yorkshire Police for conspiring to commit fraud by false representation.

After pleading guilty to the charges Connors, 44, of Bristol, was jailed for five years and McEvoy, 34, of Cardiff, was jailed for three at York Crown Court on Thursday.

The victim, who was aged in his early 60s at the time, was first targeted in October 2021.

Connors and McEvoy knocked on his door and informed him that he needed fascias and soffits fixing on his house's roof, the court was told.

Even though the victim initially told them he did not want any work done, they insisted and started carrying out the "repairs".

Concerned by what was happening, their activities were reported to police in January 2022 and Connors and McEvoy were subsequently arrested.

Det Con Nick Lane, of the Economic Crime Unit, said: "The victim paid a total of £92,930 for very little building work done to his house, and even that was to a very poor standard as confirmed by an expert witness surveyor who assessed it and produced a report on his findings.

"Connors and McEvoy intimidated the victim to pay a large amount of money for repairs that were not asked for and not needed by the homeowner.

"This clearly demonstrates a callous criminal tactic that is often used by rogue builders."

The court heard the victim has had around half the money refunded by his bank, but he has still suffered substantial financial losses.

Police said other suspects have been identified and arrested as part of the investigation and will be dealt with in due course.

Det Con Nick Lane added: "Trust your instincts regarding suspicious activity and keep a lookout for your relatives and neighbours who may be more vulnerable to such cold-call approaches."

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