A rogue trader who took tens of thousands of pounds from customers for work he never completed has been prosecuted for fraud.
Matthew Cole, of Chesterfield Road, Plymouth, appeared at Truro Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday, August 26) for sentencing.
At an earlier hearing, the 44-year-old admitted dishonestly making false representations and misusing client deposits. He also admitted to diverting funds between jobs while continuing to accept payments despite knowing he could not fulfil his commitments.
Cole took large sums of money from several people in Cornwall for building projects he did not complete. He also charged VAT to customers despite not being registered for VAT.
Cornwall Council said one of Cole's victims paid £39,000 for a garage conversion. Cole fitted the wrong support beams and built a wall of such poor standard that it had to be demolished. He did not finish the job, and because of the costs involved, the victim could not afford to get the work redone correctly.
Another victim paid £18,000 towards a £25,000 property renovation, but Cole only completed 20 per cent of the work before giving a string of excuses and abandoning the job, the council said. Building Control said the work Cole did carry out was "so poor" that it would need to be completely removed.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said Cole started out as a genuine builder running a legitimate company, but started taking on work that he "couldn't possibly complete".
Cole was sentenced to 15 months in prison for each of the five charges, to run concurrently, suspended for two years.
Gary Webster, Trading Standards Group Leader at Cornwall Council, said: “Cole overextended the business, taking on more work than he could manage, and relied on subcontractors whose work quality he could not guarantee.
“The quality of the work deteriorated as workloads increased. He continued to take payments for work he knew he would be unable to complete. Despite assurances to customers that their money was being spent on specific materials, he misused the funds for other purposes.”
Councillor Thalia Marrington, cabinet member with responsibility for
Rogue Builder Sentenced For Taking Thousands For Work That Was Demolished