A Shropshire man, who tried to scam an elderly victim out of thousands of pounds for home maintenance works, has received a suspended custodial sentence after being successfully prosecuted by Powys County Council.
Leo Warner of Hamlet Close, Ludlow, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 for aggressive commercial practices and the contravention of the requirements of professional diligence in a prosecution led by the council's Trading Standards Service.
The hearing took place at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Tuesday, May 18.
The court heard that Warner had contacted an 84-year-old Llandrindod Wells resident at his home address for building works.
Warner provided the victim with a verbal quote for the works to be carried out, namely soffits, guttering, painting of the house and garage. No paperwork was provided at that time. The price given was £3,500 but Warner told the victim that they would need to save some money.
Work started on 22 July 2019 and, that morning, Warner told the victim that they would need a cherry picker to reach about the conservatory. Warner presented the victim with a costing from a local plant hire business that was not dated. The price went up to £5,500 but Warner agreed to do everything for £5,000.
The victim explained that they didn't keep any cash in the house and his nearest bank was Hereford. Warner said he would follow him to collect materials. Warner gave the victim directions to the car park and paid for his ticket. Warner told the victim that he might as well withdrawn the full £5,000.
The victim went into NatWest Bank in Hereford, where staff initiated the Banking Protocol after their suspicions were raised that the victim was going to withdraw such a large sum of money and they could see they were uncomfortable.
The police were called and the victim was taken to a safe place while the bank branch manager and a colleague searched for the vehicle described to them by the victim. The vehicle, which had been seen passing the bank driving very closely, was located near the bank.
Warner was later arrested by West Mercia Police.
Warner received a 20-week custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £150 at £20 per month.
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