Rogue trader jailed for conning elderly victims out of cash

COURT: Duncan McPhee used false names and carried out sub-standard work as he stole more than £6,000

A rogue trader conned two elderly victims out of more than £6,000 and left them with leaking roofs.

Duncan McPhee gave a false name while carrying out the sub-standard work at addresses in Perth and Scone.

He also vastly overcharged the pensioners, who were aged 73 and 81, for the work carried out.

Perth Sheriff Court heard that in one case the victim had to pay more money to fix McPhee’s “repairs”.

Depute fiscal John Malpass told the court: “The accused attended at the door of the complainer sometime in January and offered to fix her roof tile.

“He gave the name Duncan Davidson and said it would cost £200, which she gave him.”

McPhee then offered to fix the garage roof, quoting her £3,000.

Mr Malpass continued: “The complainer obtained a bank loan in order to pay the accused before work was carried out.”

He asked for further sums of cash – including a £200 “administration fee” for claiming compensation for previous works on her behalf – and was eventually paid a total of more than £5,000.

McPhee told the woman a female would phone her in relation to the compensation claim, but the woman was only prevented from handing her bank details over to the caller by a family member who happened to be with her at the time.

An expert stated that the garage roof was in as poor a condition as before “if not worse” and estimated it should only have cost £1,000 to rectify.

The second victim had to spend £200 to repair McPhee’s work, as his roof was no longer watertight.

Solicitor Billy Somerville, representing McPhee, said the 30-yearold had been influenced by others and had not taken all the cash for himself.

“He was part of a gang and must accept the consequences,” he said. “He regrets this and will not repeat it.” McPhee admitted that while acting with others at an address in Scone between January 26 and August 8 2015 he pretended to a woman that she needed garage roof repairs and could receive compensation for previous work carried out, obtaining £5,370 by fraud.

He further admitted that while acting with others on December 11 and 12 2015 at an address in Perth he obtained £700 by quoting an unreasonable price and carrying out work to a poor standard.

McPhee, of R av e n Grove, Auchterarder, had a further 26 months added to his current prison sentence.

An expert stated that the garage roof was in as poor a condition as before “if not worse” and estimated it should only have cost £1,000 to rectify