Fraudster builders who left properties in danger pay back £220,000

Victims were targeted with misleading and dishonest sales tactics, charged for work that was never carried out, and often met with threatening responses when they asked for a refund.

The Warrington pair were sentenced – together with a third man – at Chester Crown Court after pleading guilty to charges under the Fraud Act 2006.

Alex Easdon, aged 53 and of Lymm, was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years.

He was also disqualified from being a company director for 10 years and ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work.

Also sentenced was Ludovic Black, aged 43 and of Birchwood, who was handed a custodial term of 20 months, again suspended for two years.

In addition, Black was disqualified from being a company director for eight years and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

The third man, Nicholas Rothe, aged 59 and of Manchester, was given 20 months imprisonment, suspended for two years and disqualified as a company director for seven years.

Between March 2016 and October 2018, the defendants ran four construction businesses – Cheshire Master Builders, Master Builders Group, Buckinghamshire Master Builders and Cheshire Architects and Construction.

They duped customers online into thinking that they were engaging with long-established, reputable companies.

Wren Kitchen and ITV logos appeared on their websites, suggesting they had worked in partnership, despite never doing so.

The defendants pressured victims into paying as much as 60 per cent upfront for work that was either never completed or built poorly or dangerously, conning victims out of a combined total of £710,216.

Cheshire Master Builders quoted one couple £150,000 for an extension to help them care for their disabled son.

They were sentenced at Chester Crown Court

After paying £115,000, the couple experienced repeated delays from the company, which also lied about planning applications that were made on the couple’s behalf.

The couple ended up terminating the contract and an independent expert valued the work at just £18,449.81.

The couple face additional costs to rectify parts of the work undertaken.

Another victim paid £40,692 to Cheshire Architects and Construction for an extension designed to give her disabled son more independence.

After paying an initial deposit, the victim grew concerned when they noticed the company were planning to describe the extension as a ‘hobby room’ in a planning permission application, when in fact it was to be used as living accommodation for her son.

When the victim expressed concern, she was assured the local authority would give permission regardless and was persuaded to pay a further £23,936.

A planning application was never submitted, and when the victim tried to contact the company, she was either ignored or met with abusive responses.

This left her with an extension that could not be used as it did not comply with building regulations.

Wendy Martin, director of National Trading Standards, said: “Shamelessly preying on people seeking to make their homes accessible for their loved ones shows that the defendants were driven by insatiable greed.

“They had no regard for the emotional distress they caused their victims.

“This has been a complex case, and I congratulate all those involved in securing a significant amount of money back for victims, and demonstrating that this type of criminality will be investigated.”

If you or someone you know has fallen victim to a fraud like this, you should report it to the Citizens Advice consumer service helpline by calling 0808 223 1133.