A teenager pleaded guilty today at Whitehaven Magistrates Court for charging a 79-year old pensioner £1,100 for a simple roof job.
18-year-old Rico Charles Henry Evans from Beaufort Street, St Helens pleaded guilty to two offences under the Fraud Act 2006 and two offences of Consumer Protection Regulations. He was committed to Carlisle Crown Court for sentencing.
The court heard that on Saturday 5 July 2008, Evans knocked on the pensioner’s door in Kells, Whitehaven and told her that her roof needed fixing.
He arrived in a van with the name Weatherseal written on it, and his clothing displayed the Weatherseal logo. Neither Evans nor his gang are associated with Weatherseal, a local company.
The pensioner was unsure whether to employ him and Evans agreed to return on the Monday. Over the weekend she decided that she did not want the work doing, but was awoken on Monday morning to the sound of men clambering on her roof.
Despite telling Evans that she did not want the work doing, Evans and his gang continued to work on the roof.
After they had finished, Evans demanded £1,100 and drove the pensioner to her local bank to withdraw the money.
The court heard that after police and trading standards were alerted a local surveyor, Ian Haymes, carried out an inspection of the work. He concluded that the pensioner had been ‘grossly overcharged’ and valued the work done at £100.
Phil Ashcroft, Head of Cumbria Trading Standards, said, "I’d like to thank the police for their involvement and for arresting Evans. Bogus tradesmen must realise that when they target the elderly in Cumbria they will be pursued by police and trading standards. The manner in which Evans falsely portrayed himself as being from Weatherseal shows the extent of the deception."
Notes
For more information on this press release contact Mr Pat Thomas at Trading Standards on 01539 713574.
ENDS
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