Builder jailed for defrauding the elderly

A builder who ‘plundered the savings’ of elderly and vulnerable people for work he failed to complete has been jailed for eight years.

Carl Davies, 41, of Trowes Lane, Swallowfield, was found guilty of five counts of fraud and four counts of theft and jailed at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday (June 27).

He was convicted of offences in Ascot, Iver, Sutton, Twickenham and Richmond between 2008 and 2010, and stole up to £115,000.

His scam involved cold calling elderly residents and offering them landscaping and building works for which he took money up front, but completed the job to a poor standard or left it unfinished. On one occasion he was paid but failed to complete any work at all.

Davies was arrested in 2010 following a two-year enquiry by police and Trading Standards.

Judge Ross described him as a ‘professional criminal’ who made a living from defrauding other people.

He said: “You were prepared to plunder all the savings of the elderly and the vulnerable.”

Investigating officer Det Con Sarah Manning, said: “Carl Davies had no consideration for his victims and would steal money from them without conscience. On one occasion he stole money from a woman whose husband had recently died.”