Hefty fine for builder who misled

A ROGUE builder has been ordered to pay nearly £10,000 compensation after being convicted of overcharging clients and placing misleading adverts.

Gary Anthony Young, who was trading as Marley Roof Care Ltd, was convicted of five charges of knowingly or recklessly engaging in a commercial practice and one of placing a misleading advert, at Sunderland Magistrates’ Court.

The case was sent to Newcastle Crown Court (NCC) for sentencing as it has greater sentencing powers. Young was ordered to pay £9,938 in compensation to his victim, £2,000 in prosecution costs, and was given a three-month suspended prison sentence.

Speaking at NCC on April 6, Prosecutor Tony Cornberg told the court Young, 54, had charged his victims for a range of jobs, which included roof and chimney repairs, but had either not finished the work or needed to carry it out.

He said one of his victims was having work done to replace the front roof and was told by Young it would cost £1,300 but would drop the charge to £1,100 if he paid immediately.

During the works the victim was told the chimney would need replac- Dodgy builder Gary Young was tried at Newcastle Crown Court ing or it was at risk of falling down, but would cost £1,650.

Mr Cornberg said an inspection at a later date revealed the work to the chimney did not need to be done.

His victim told the court: “We had to pay extra to have extra work done.

“My wife and I had to ask to borrow money which is something we have never had to do before.”

When he contacted Young, the vic- tim said he was verbally abusive. “My wife and I are both in our 70s and never had to experience anything like this,” he said.

“It frightened us so much that we were frightened to answer the door.”

Mr Cornberg said Sunderland City Council’s Trading Standards team launched an investigation after receiving numerous complaints about Young. Defending himself, Young, whose address was given as Havelock Court, Sunderland, admitted he’d made “mistakes” on some of the jobs but said there was paper work from victims signing off on some of the work.

Recorder John Aitken said Young had breached his relationship with his victims. He said: “Homeowners have to trust tradesmen and give them money to do it in advance.”