Crook to pay just 10% of his ill gotten gains
AROGUE trader who fleeced vulnerable and elderly people out of more than £30,000 after offering bogus roof and guttering repair work but was snared following an incident in Runcorn will pay back only a fraction of his ill gotten gains.
Dolphus Gaskin was sent down for four years last December at Chester Crown Court.
The 25-year-old con man travelled across England for more than a year where he targeted vulnerable and elderly residents, a Cheshire police spokesman said.
Between January 2017 and March 2018, Gaskin, of Tanhouse Lane in Widnes, cold called at homes and told people he had noticed damage on their roof or that their gutters required cleaning.
Gaskin would agree a small fee before later inflating the it to hundreds, thousands and even tens of thousands of pounds – but in many cases the work he was paid for was either never required or not completed.
Overall, police estimate he made at least £33,000.
But his spree came to an end in March 2018 when he targeted an elderly woman in Norton View, Runcorn.
Gaskin told the victim her gutters needed cleaning and originally stated it would cost £40, but this was later increased to £400 – even though no work was ever completed.
The incident was reported to Cheshire police and an investigation opened, which led to CCTV footage showing a white van registered to Gaskin in the Norton View area at the time.
ANPR and mobile phone evidence also showed he had been in the area, while a description made by the victim matched the Widnes man.
Following the investigation, cases against Gaskin as far afield as Avon and Somerset were re-opened after previously being discontinued due to a lack of evidence, as well as fresh ones in Southampton and Nantwich.
A picture found on his mobile phone featured a bag of cash.
And though no money was ever discovered, a full case file of evidence was presented to the Crown Prosecution Service and Gaskin was subsequently charged with seven counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft.
Gaskin pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft. He was found not guilty of the other two counts of fraud by false representation.
A Proceeds Of Crime Act (POCA) hearing has ● now taken place at Chester Crown Court to recover the ill gotten gains Gaskin made.
And a confiscation order to the value of £3,770 has now been made against the defendant – meaning Gaskin will only have to pay back around 10% of the estimated more than £33,000 he made from the bogus work.