Jail for developer who left flood-hit homes uninhabitable

A PROPERTY developer who left flood victims’ homes uninhabitable after charging them thousands of pounds for repairs has been jailed.

Owen Danter, 40, was sentenced to 24 months at York Crown Court over his involvement with building work on properties in York hit by floods in December 2015.

Danter, of Munstead Way, Welton Brough, East Yorkshire, was the sole director of OTD Development Ltd, a company he voluntarily liquidated in April 2017.

In June 2016, he was employed to carry out repairs at two addresses on Huntington Road. At both properties goods were paid for but not supplied.

For one of the homes, Danter issued nine invoices with a total value of £35,063.82 and to the other, four invoices for a total of £14,483.

By late February 2017, the work was not finished, despite completion dates of November 2016 and December 2016 being given, leaving both properties uninhabitable. Danter told trading standards officers he had taken on too much work, had been suffering from depression and was dependent on medication.

He faced 12 charges of unfair trading, to which he had previously pleaded guilty on June 19.

York Council’s executive member for trading standards, Coun Nigel Ayre, said: “This prosecution shows that we will do our utmost to protect residents from unscrupulous traders.”