A ROGUE roofer who ripped off Leamington residents has been ordered to pay over £103,000 in compensation.
Darren Bullaman Lee was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years imprisonment in 2024 for overcharging residents for work to their roofs that was largely unnecessary.
Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards Service, who investigated and prosecuted Lee, applied to Warwick Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime Act Confiscation Order last month.
Lee has agreed to pay the £103,000 in compensation to his victims who live in both Leamington and Nuneaton.
If he does not, he will face another 18 months in prison, and he’ll still owe the money when he comes out.
WCC’s customer and localities spokesperson Coun Michael Bannister said: “I’m delighted with the action our trading standards service has taken in seeking to recover money lost by the victims of rogue traders, so that they can be compensated.
“Warwickshire Trading Standards will continue to investigate and prosecute rogue traders and protect and support Warwickshire residents, especially our most elderly and vulnerable.”
Three of the victims found 29 year-old Lee of Windmill Road, Towerey, Oxfordshire on trustatrader.com where he was advertising as Your Choice Roofing.
His M.O. was to start with a lower quote before finding more and largely fictitious ‘problems’ with the roofs he was working on. Costs then soared.
At Warwick Crown Court on Wednesday June 12 2024, Lee was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years imprisonment and handed an eight-year Criminal Behaviour Order and an eight-year Director Disqualification Order. Lee had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud contrary to sections 1 and 2 of the Fraud Act 2006.
