Two jailed for £100,000 fraud

OPERATION Emotion – a nationwide anti-fraud campaign supported by Warrington and Halton Trading Standards – has resulted in two men being jailed for a total of nine years.
The men from Newark, Nottinghamshire had defrauded a Warrington man of £6,500 as part of a crime spree spanning nine English counties during which they conned 48 elderly victims out of a total of some £100,000.
At York Crown Court William King, 35, and Gavin James Findley, 30, were sentenced respectively to six and three years’ imprisonment on charges of fraud by false representation and conspiracy to defraud.
The court heard that the two men had targeted elderly people living in park mobile home sites, claiming that work needed to be done to their property.
The pair – using the trade names of Quality Park Homes and Modern Park Homes – then went on to quote excessive amounts for the work.
Their victim in Warrington was told the floor of his home was so rotten that his bath was in danger of falling through the floor if expensive repairs were not undertaken urgently.
Warrington trading standards officers heard that the men even planted a piece of rotten wood under their victim’s home, which the fraudsters then showed to their victim as “evidence”.
Warrington Borough Council’s assistant director of public protection, Peter Astley said: “On behalf of the council I’d like to commend Warrington’s trading standards officers for their vigilance and dedication. They and their colleagues in other boroughs around the country played a valuable role in helping the police bring these fraudsters to justice.
“I would also like to thank the residents who reported the matter to the police or trading standards. We can all help tackle this kind of crime by reporting suspicious activity.
Mr Astley added: “Our advice to anyone who is approached by cold-callers is simply not to buy anything from them, nor to hand over any money or commission them to do any work, however charming they may appear.
“If you need some work done, it’s always best to use recommended tradesmen. You can speak to trusted friends, neighbours or family and you can research a reputable firm’s background.”