Rogue builder fleeced woman of £29k for work he never did Crook then left family with £20,000 repair bill
AWOLVERHAMPTON mother has spoken of the devastation a cowboy builder caused after he fleeced her out of almost £30,000 and left her family home at risk of crumbling.
Andrew Tedstill took £29,000 of Affy Paul’s money after threatening to knock her walls down unless she kept paying up.
After bleeding her dry, he then walked away from the job, leaving her family with a leaking roof and no heating or washing facilities.
Ms Paul said she had trusted the builder to complete the work on her home, but instead was left facing a further £20,000 bill to put the botched job right.
“I trusted Andrew to come and do the work in my house and as it unfolded he was a rogue trader,” she said.
“And it’s actually had an emotional, physical and financial impact on my life and my children’s life.”
Ms Paul had given Tedstill several payments and questioned him when she realised he was not actually completing each stage before mov- ing onto the next. She said: “It was all about the money, that’s all it was, it was about the financial gain for him. But it was life-changing for myself and my children – that I wasn’t expecting.”
Ms Paul said rogue traders like Tedstill should be made an example of and prevented from targeting residents, especially “vulnerable women”.
During the works, Tedstill cut through cables, leaving the property in Penn, Wolverhampton, with no internet for 18 months and a house alarm that did not work.
Wolverhampton Trading Standards took the case up and Tedstill, of Green Oak Road, Codsall, was jailed for seven months at the city’s crown court this week.
He previously admitted a charge of unfair trading by breaching professional diligence.
Ms Paul said: “I chose to trust this man and allow him into the privacy of our home, to renovate an extension I’ve wanted for so long.
“It soon dawned on me that my home had been invaded by a rogue builder, who had no intentions of completing the job and every intention to take all of my money.
“I feared not being able to afford my mortgage payments and often laid awake at night, scared my house would cave in.
“I do not want anyone to go through the trauma I have experienced both financially and emotionally – caused by the mindless criminal behaviour of Andrew Tedstill.
“I am so grateful to Wolverhampton Trading Standards who have enabled me to pursue this matter and get this cowboy builder prosecuted and today, brought to justice.”
Lee Jenks, senior trading standards officer at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “I’m pleased justice has been served.
“Cowboy builders cause a huge amount of stress to the victims who have worked hard and saved to pay for improvements to their home only to be badly let down.
“It’s vital that we bring cases like this to the public’s attention – to ensure they avoid becoming victims of reckless cowboy builders.
“As a council, we have a duty to protect consumers from rogue traders who break the law and carry out sub-standard work and will continue to work to bring rogue traders to justice.”