Family catch conmen red-handed as they try to fleece a vulnerable man near Warwick out of thousands of pounds

Two cousins who fleeced a vulnerable man out of thousands of pounds by carrying out unnecessary and damaging work to the roof of his home near Warwick have been jailed.

One of the pair had already carried out a similar con on a woman who was left with a repair bill of £8,500 - on top of the money she was conned out of, Warwick Crown Court has heard.

Francis Ward (19) of Chester Road, Oakenholt, North Wales, was jailed for 27 months after he had pleading guilty to two charges of fraud.

And his cousin Jimmy Connors (21) of Park Lane, Southam, who admitted one of those charges, was jailed for 20 months.

Prosecutor Naomi Nelson-Cofie said that in September last year a vulnerable man in his 60s, who had suffered a brain injury, was at home near Warwick when Ward turned up.

He was wearing a high-vis jacket and claimed he had been carrying out work on a nearby property and had noticed that the man’s chimney had a loose brick.

Ward offered to go back later to repair it for £10, and the man agreed – but within minutes of returning he said the chimney stack needed more work, and quoted a price of £3,000.

His victim withdrew £250 and then a further £2,750 which he handed to Ward who came back a few days later with Connors, and they both went up onto the roof.

Ward then came down claiming the main beam had water damage and needed to be replaced at a cost of £10,500.

The man said he did not have that much, but gave him a cheque for £7,200 which Ward had asked to be made out to J Gavin, who Miss Nelson-Cofie said was his grandmother.

The next day Ward claimed even more work was necessary and asked for another £4,000 – but was told by his victim that he did not have any more money.

The following day the man was visited by his brother-in-law who saw the state of the roof – and the cheque was stopped before it could be honoured, and the police were contacted.

The brother-in-law was waiting at the house when Ward and Connors returned on October 5, and while they were on the roof he called the police who arrived and arrested them.

Miss Nelson-Cofie pointed out that a surveyor’s report indicated that none of the work had been necessary, and even if it had, it should not have cost more than £1,900.

But as a result, the man had lost £3,000 and had to pay a further £1,000 to put right the damage the pair had caused – and as well as affecting his self-confidence, the financial effect has meant he has had to move in with his sister and brother-in-law.

Following their arrest, the police searched Ward’s van and found documents including an invoice from ‘Platinum Roofing’ to a woman living in Coventry.

She had been visited by Ward, calling himself Paul, and another man who told her they had seen that her guttering needed cleaning and offered to do it for £30, which she agreed to pay.

But they then called her outside and told her they had seen a missing tile, which they said they could replace for £230.

When they returned the next day, they asserted that more extensive work needed doing, for which she paid £1,000 before they then claimed it needed re-roofing and asked for another £2,000.

After that had been paid, scaffolding was erected – but when Ward and the other man began working they told her she would need to pay a further £12,000 for the work to be completed.

Becoming worried about the ever-increasing cost, the woman did her own research which showed the work, if it was necessary, should not cost more than £5,000.

She phoned the number on a Platinum Roofing business card and spoke to someone calling himself Steve, but who sounded very much like the person she knew as Paul, and was told she would owe another £2,000 even if she wanted them to stop work.

She refused to pay them any more, but because of the damage they had caused, her roof was leaking and she had to pay a legitimate firm £8,500 to replace the roof.

Miss Nelson-Cofie said Ward had previous convictions for burglary and harassment, but Connors had no previous convictions.

Ward’s barrister asserted: “Mr Ward is deeply remorseful for his actions. He does have £6,000 available for payment. That shows the court genuine remorse.

“He says it was his intention to complete the work, albeit for a higher amount.

“He says the pressures got to him. He had the cost of a wedding and the pressures of purchasing a caravan, and things got on top of him,” she added, arguing that he could be dealt with by a suspended sentence.

Also asking for a suspended sentence, Ian Speed, for Connors, said: “He is 21, with no previous convictions, which is remarkable, given the people he grew up with.

“He entered into this scam willingly, knowing it was a scam. But there is a very good report on him. He was frank and did not seek to hide his culpability.”

Jailing the two, Judge Andrew Lockhart QC also ordered Ward to pay £3,000 compensation to each of the victims.

Observing that the first victim had had to move out of his home because of what they did, he told them: “Any suggestion that is not high impact is wildly misguided. Both of you did this.

“You Mr Ward had done more. This was your business in September 2020, fraudulently going to people’s houses. This was planned. Platinum Roofing was on the internet and there were business cards.

“I am absolutely clear this is high culpability. Only immediate custody is appropriate for this type of fraud. It is completely inappropriate to suspend the sentences.”