Rogue trader pays back cash to avoid jail

A ROGUE trader who tried to con a 90-yearold woman near Hinckley after already ripping off an elderly man avoided prison after repaying the cash while still in court.

Adam Jones, 44, from Coventry, working under the banner of AJ Home Improvements, tried to convince a woman in Dadlington that white salt marks on her bungalow would corrode her brick work.

He offered to carry out repairs for a large sum of cash.

However she changed her mind and with the help of a neighbour rejected Jones’ claims that she owed him a cancellation fee.

Two months earlier, in July 2016, Jones had successfully conned another pensioner, an 80-year-old man in Ashby.

The fraudster, who has previous convictions for blackmail and fraud relating to similar doorstep cons, charged £2,650 for work worth no more than £300, according to Trading Standards officers.

The sealant he applied to “repair” the whitened bricks actually caused damage to the structure and he also made attempts to overcharge for a sealant he put on the roof of the bungalow.

Jones, of Grange Road, Coventry, pleaded guilty in September to four breaches of the Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and he appeared at Leicester Crown Court last week for sentencing.

Describing the first incident, prosecutor Nadia Silver said: “The defendant pointed out some white salt marks on bricks that he said would take the front off the bricks within 18 months.

“The salt stains were harmless and could have been brushed off and the sealant the defendant used has damaged the bricks.

“He also offered to undertake further maintenance on the bungalow roof for £1,600 to remove moss and marks.”

She said the defendant then offered to put a coat of sealant on the roof for £5,000.

When the pensioner refused, Jones dropped the price to £3,000 and eventually offered to do it for just £50.

Ms Silver said: “That rapid reduction in the quoted prices demonstrates the quote bore little relation to the proper costs of materials and labour required to do that job.”

She said the pensioner went to the bank to withdraw the £2,650 for all the work and Jones was paid and then left.

She said: “The victim described how the rear of the property was left in a very poor state with mud and water.”

She added: “It’s no coincidence both victims were very elderly.”

Ray Singh, representing Jones, asked for his client to be punished with unpaid work and offered to fully repay the first victim.

He said: “Mr Jones pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. He is a man of means who can make the repayment within 28 days.”

Recorder Geoffrey Solomons told Mr Singh he would adjourn the sentencing hearing for Jones to transfer the compensation for the pensioner to Leicestershire Trading Standards, which was done over the lunch break.

After returning to court in the afternoon, Recorder Solomons – having heard the £2,650 compensation had been paid - sentenced Jones to do 200 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months, pay £2,000 in costs to the county council and a £500 fine for the incident in Dadlington.

In total, Jones has to pay £5,150 in fines, costs and compensation.

Recorder Solomons said: “You took advantage of their age and their vulnerability and you extracted a very large amount of money from one of them for work that was worth a tiny fraction of the sum you asked for.

“The seriousness of these offences has led me to consider whether or not to impose a custodial sentence in this case.

“I’ve decided that today it is not necessary to do so.”