Sheriff ‘not impressed’ by tears of £22k bogus tradesman

A ROGUE builder who conned four pensioners out of more than £22,000 was told off by a judge yesterday for weeping as he was jailed.

Charles O’Brien, 38, was told by Sheriff Alistair Watson that ‘crying doesn’t impress me’.

He added: ‘You are feeling sorry for yourself when what you should have been doing is thinking about those unfortunate people who have lost money.’

O’Brien, a father of six, told a 76-year-old man and his 74-yearold wife their home in Ayr needed a new roof and other repairs.

He claimed he was a qualified tradesman and made them hand over £15,780 to buy materials.

He then asked for another £4,800 but they did not pay up.

Only weeks after approaching the couple in February this year, he tried to dupe another couple in Drybridge, Ayrshire, out of

‘Stole life savings of pensioners’

£18,000 to replace guttering. He told the 79-year-old man and 80year-old woman he needed £2,000 for materials then secured another £5,000 before they refused to hand over any more.

Yesterday, Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard that O’Brien – who is originally from Ireland but now lives in Irvine, Ayrshire – was not a qualified tradesman and repairs were not necessary.

He started crying as the details of his deception were read out.

O’Brien’s solicitor asked that his client be spared jail for the sake of his family, saying one of his six children had ‘learning and physical difficulties’.

But Sheriff Watson told the fraudster: ‘You selected victims who were elderly and who were fooled by you and you stole their life savings.’

As he was jailed for 28 months, O’Brien shouted: ‘There’s no justice in Scotland.’