Builder used squirrel to trick householders

A builder who used a dead squirrel to trick householders into thinking they needed anti-infestation repair work has been jailed for a year.

George Johnston, 34, of Sandhurst Road, Tunbridge Wells, pleaded guilty at Sevenoaks magistrates’ court in Kent to four counts of fraud.

He was arrested after householders complained of a man knocking on doors in Tunbridge Wells offering unnecessary roof repairs, producing a dead squirrel and demanding money to clear a pest infestation, police said.