How the cynical greed of cowboy builders wrecks homes and ruins lives
He might look like a nightclub bouncer but salesman David Mayhew could be charming when it came to beguiling victims.
The 52-year-old from Chelmsford, Essex, was part of a gang that made £6.5million by selling overpriced and unnecessary equipment to homeowners with solar energy systems.
One couple described how he first came across as “very friendly” and showed photographs of his family before going on to convince them to buy a £2,995 “Optimiser” by claiming that without it their electric appliances would burn out.
Another victim described how he thought Mayhew was “genuine” when urging him to buy a £3,495 “Fire Raptor” after spinning a lie about the fire brigade being unable to put out a blaze at his home if he did not have one.
Mayhew was convicted at Southwark crown court of fraud and money laundering charges following an Essex Trading Standards investigation and was last week given an 18-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.
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The court heard how he was paid £67,000 for getting 116 victims to agree to deals with scam companies including Green Power Solutions Ltd and Green Planet Advisory Ltd.
Five accomplices have already been sentenced and another leading figure in the gang is due to be sentenced next month.
This dreadful case and others like it are proof that while many modern frauds use sophisticated online tactics, bad old scammers like cowboy builders are still widespread.
In another shocking example, Nottingham crown court heard this month how a gang made £10.5million by flogging exterior wall and roof coatings, lying about how this would stop damp and cut heating bills.
Their companies, including Energysave Central Ltd and Envirotherm Group (UK) Ltd, “repeatedly and cynically” targeted many victims in their 80s and 90s over a period of four years.
Victims were first targeted by a call centre and then visited by sales reps who used what Trading Standards called “scare tactics and pressure selling”, including claiming that savings were only available if a customer signed up that day.
Refunds were refused even if requested during the cancellation period and customers who sued in the County Court found that the judgments were simply ignored by the scam companies.
The gang was nailed by the National Trading Standards Regional Investigation Team East Midlands and prosecuted by Nottinghamshire County Council.
Jailed: Jason Rowan (Rebecca Sherdley/Nottinghamshire Live)Ringleader Jason Rowan, 52, from Draycott, Derbyshire, was jailed for seven years after being convicted of fraud, and five accomplices were jailed for between two-and-a-half years and four-and-a-half years: Stephen Tomlinson, 55, of Derby, David Beeson, 53, also Derby, Christopher Simpson, 58, Birmingham, Bohdan Zacharko, 69, from London, and Philip Eremenko, 54, of Clifton.
After the trial Councillor John Cottee, Cabinet Member for Communities at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We would like to thank all the victims who came forward and worked with our investigators to help bring these unscrupulous conmen to trial. These sentences send a strong message to fraudsters that this type of activity will not be tolerated.
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“We always advise residents to be alert to cold calling, never to trade or buy at the door and to always report any concerns. If something doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t and you should never be afraid to close the door on scammers and those who turn up out of the blue offering to provide services that you do not need.”
Nottinghamshire County Council this month also prosecuted Simon Horsfield, a builder who used aggressive sales tactics to get customers to pay for work while it was still unfinished.
Customers who paid for home extensions and conservatories lost at least £414,000 and were fobbed off after demanding refunds.
One victim, a full-time carer to his disabled wife, paid £13,500 for home improvements and said Horsfield and an associate had “completely deceived us, stolen our money, damaged our house and destroyed our garden.”
The 47-year-old from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was jailed for five years for fraudulent trading.
Fraud: Escrader (Facebook)In another of this month’s cases, Christopher Escrader, 35, from Little Melton, Norwich, swindled families wanting luxury garden rooms, taking deposits of up to 90% of the full cost after creating impressive 3D images of the dream builds.
Chelmsford crown court heard how he then abandoned jobs, leaving customers with half-finished shells.
One of his nasty tricks was to charge up to £7,500 for planning permission and building control approval, despite no applications being made.
Six victims paid £278,000 and had to find another £150,000 to pay for remedial work.
Escrader continued to trade, even after his company, Hudson Garden Rooms Limited, went into liquidation, paying customers’ money into different business accounts.
He was jailed for three years for fraudulent trading following an investigation by Essex Trading Standards.
After the Horsfield case, Lord Michael Bichard, chair of National Trading Standards, said: “Simon Horsfield’s greed damaged lives, caused great emotional distress, and even cost people their homes. I am delighted that justice has been served today, thanks to the hard work and determination of the Trading Standards teams involved.
"We want to put a stop to this malicious targeting of people simply wanting to improve their homes. If you, or someone you know may have fallen victim to a fraud like this, you should report it to the Citizens Advice consumer service helpline by calling 0808 223 1133.”
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