Builder’s £21k con on widow

A ROGUE builder conned an elderly widow into paying almost £21,000 for a new roof she did not need.

Alan Lee, 46, made repeated visits to the vulnerable pensioner’s home to warn that her home was at risk.

A court heard the woman felt pressured into agreeing to the work – and paid Lee £20,950.

But Cardiff Crown Court heard experts later valued his efforts at between £1,500 and £2,000.

Prosecutor Lee Reynolds said the woman thought he had her best interests at heart but she called in trading standards after becoming “sick with worry” over the deception.

Father-of-six Lee, of Rumney, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to a single charge of fraud at an earlier hearing.

He was handed a two-year suspended sentence and ordered to complete 300 hours community service.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is set to take place on October 16.