Andrew Wilson, 43, of Stockbridge Lane, Bentley, Doncaster, was sentenced at York Crown Court to nine months imprisonment suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work, following an investigation by trading standards officers into his business, Weatherguard.
Wilson had pleaded guilty to offences against to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. All the offences arose from complaints made to Trading Standards by consumers, after Wilson cold-called them offering to carry out roofing work to their properties in the Selby area between July 2011 and January 2012.
Wilson's victims included a 78-year-old man living alone, who paid £2,940 after repeated visits by Wilson over two months. Wilson told the victim each time he visited that further work was needed. A chartered surveyor who later examined the work estimated its value at £875.
In a second case, a 78-year-old widow paid £500 for a job which began with an estimate of £100. The chartered surveyor said some of the work carried out was not required, some wasn't done, and some was sub-standard. He said: "It is my opinion that none of the work carried out to the roof of this property is fit for purpose and effectively has no value whatsoever, since the householder will now be faced with having this work correctly undertaken by an alternative contractor, likely at a similar or greater cost."
A third case involved a woman in her sixties who paid £4,050 following repeat visits by Wilson over five weeks to claim further work was needed. The chartered surveyor's opinion was that some work was not required, some was not done and some was sub-standard, to the extent that it would cause a significant risk of water penetrating the inside of the property. He valued the work at £1,495.
Recorder Attwooll told Wilson: "You are a cowboy builder who bullied your customers into allowing you to do their work."
A Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation hearing will now follow to recover assets gained by Wilson from his criminal activity and to compensate the victims.
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