A ROGUE builder who conned a Kenilworth pensioner out of his life savings has been jailed for five years.
Adam Jones, age 50 of Grange Road, Coventry, offered roofing, gardening and general building work and targeted residents living in Warwickshire, Coventry and further afield.
He traded under several names including Global Roofing, Rainbow Roofing and Drives and Landscape Gardening.
At the sentence hearing, His Honour Judge Potter said that Jones was a fraudster who had ‘cynically exploited’ and ‘intimidated’ his victims, many of whom were very elderly and vulnerable, demanding they pay extortionate amounts of cash for poor quality work that was sometimes not even needed.
Jones attempted to charge his victims around £50,000, before eventually taking almost £30,000.
The investigation was launched after Jones door-knocked an elderly Kenilworth resident, offering to jet wash the moss off his roof. However, over the next few weeks. Jones discovered further ‘problems’ with the roof including roof tiles, underfelt and guttering that needed to be removed and replaced and what he claimed was storm damage to tiles caused by a large branch.
In a few short weeks, the resident had paid Jones over £26,000, his life savings, more than double the cost of a brand new roof. Jones then falsely claimed he was moving to Australia to dissuade the resident from chasing him to try and get his money back.
A Chartered Surveyor, employed by Warwickshire Trading Standards examined the roof and concluded that work to remove the moss and replace the felt was unnecessary, the jet washing had in fact damaged the tiles, and that the costs far outweighed the value of the work undertaken.
Jones also targeted other elderly people charging one couple £3,000 for four hours work, cutting down some trees in their garden. He later returned £1500 after they complained.
Jones also tried to charge another elderly person £3,430 for cutting back some trees and shrubs and replacing two fence panels, work that took only an hour and half. However, he left empty handed after relatives complained.
Finally, he charged two more people hundreds of pounds each to pressure wash their driveways.
Despite being charged with fraud, Jones continued to offend.
Jones pleaded guilty to two offences under the Fraud Act 2006 and at Warwick Crown Court on Tuesday January 16, Jones was sentenced to five years imprisonment and handed a 20-year Criminal Behaviour Order.
The order prohibits Jones from visiting the homes of consumers to tout for business or take money for goods or services.
Jones had 17 previous convictions from courts across the country stretching back almost 20 years, including burglary and obtaining money by deception. He was also prosecuted by Leicestershire Trading Standards in 2017.
In mitigation Hannah Williams, representing Jones said that her client had pleaded guilty before the trial, that he had some health problems, and that he was tackling his alcohol problem.
