Fraudster builder from Cornwall who conned home owners out of £100,000 is jailed
Victims say they have been left 'devastated' after losing so much money
Last updated 24th Mar 2021
A fraudster builder who conned home owners across Cornwall out of thousands of pounds has been jailed.
James Lee Knight, aged 44, and previously of Reawla Lane, Reawla, Hayle, advertised his building services on Facebook under the names of Jay Knight or Jay Knight Masonry.
But between January 2017 and September 2020 he persuaded at least eight homeowners to pay for repairs or extension works that he failed to finish. Most of the work he did undertake was of such a poor standard that it needed to be re-done by other firms. In total his victims lost over £100,000.
On 3rd February 2021 Knight appeared at Truro Crown Court where he admitted nine offences of fraud, one offence of theft and one of criminal damage following an investigation by Cornwall Council Trading Standards.
Appearing at Truro Crown Court on Wednesday, 24th March, he was sentenced to two years and three months in jail.
He was also ordered to pay a combined £86,900 in compensation to his victims and over £23,500 in costs.
'I was devastated... it felt like I'd been assaulted'
One of his victims was Maxine Corbett, from Pool, who had hired Knight to carry out an extension. She lost over £7,000.
She told us it meant she had to take out a second job to pay for the costs.
"I was devastated, absolutely devastated. It's the feeling that somebody has abused you, they've assaulted you, that's how I felt. I couldn't believe that I had been taken in.
"I think it's probably made me a stronger person but I was just devastated. It was money I just couldn't afford to keep paying, I had to get another builder in and I actually had to get a second job."
Maxine Corbett, victim
Christine Carr from Camborne lost over £28,000 to Knight and in the cost of putting right his work.
She says they feel 'so foolish' having fallen for his lies.
"The sob stories were coming in 'I haven't got enough money to pay my rent, I haven't got enough money for my dog's food', he said he didn't have enough money to pay his girlfriend who was doing the labouring, and we were falling for it, we were just trying to help him.
"Now we think, were they laughing at us? You know, 'I'm going to ask her for some more money I bet she'll give it to us'. And we just feel so foolish, because you see this on TV so many times and you think 'we wouldn't fall for that', but we did"
Christine Carr, victim