Rogue trader who conned vulnerable Bucks resident out of £200k jailed
The victim died a number of years ago, but evidence was presented in court using information from his diaries
A rogue trader who helped con an elderly man out of £210,000 has been jailed.
Patrick Ward was sentenced to three years and one month behind bars at Aylesbury Crown Court for playing a 'significant role' in defrauding an 81-year-old man.
The court heard how the deception began in 2014 when two men made an initial cold call to the victim, convincing him there were issues with his roof that they could fix.
The property, in High Wycombe, needed some work and the resident agreed to repairs being carried out.
The initial work to replace a few slates escalated and soon payment of £12,500 was requested and further work carried out. In February 2015 the resident requested another quote for works to a drainpipe. Patrick Ward attended in March and said it would cost thousands.
Over the course of the next two years, Ward and a variety of other workers attended the property to carry out work after identifying a range of issues including leaks and cracks in masonry, damp proofing works and chimney repairs. As soon as one job was completed, the resident was advised that further works should be carried out with cash payment demanded each time. Threats were made to remove work carried out if payments were not made.
On several occasions workers would accompany the resident to the bank to get the cash. Staff at one branch attempted to intervene, questioning the need for the ongoing large cash withdrawals but the resident dismissed their concerns.
The resident was asked to deposit money into a third-party bank account. A total of £57,800 was received into the account which belonged to Ward's partner.
An independent expert concluded the work should have cost no more than £11,000 in total and judged the work carried out by Ward and his associates was so poor in quality, it was worth no more than £2,500.
The case was brought to court following investigations by Buckinghamshire & Surrey Trading Standards Team
The victim died several years ago but evidence was presented in court using information from his diaries.
Proceedings have also started to claim back the money lost by the victim.