A man has been ordered to pay £800 compensation to a Huddersfield pensioner after she gave it to him for building work which was either not done or was of poor standard.
Leeds Crown Court heard the 71-year-old victim was approached by Craddock James Morrison in July 2014 who told her she needed work done to the ridge tiles on her home in Oaklands Drive, Dalton.
He offered to do the work. She had no idea if anything was wrong and an architect who later looked at her home said in fact she had not needed any repairs to the ridge tiles and if it had it would have needed scaffolding.
Chloe Hudson prosecuting said Morrison also told the pensioner he could do some rendering filling in cracks to the front of the house, would do her guttering and some work on the patio.
He named a price of £850 “all in”, giving her a leaflet purporting to come from a roofing company with that total written on it. She went to the bank and got £800 in cash which she gave to him.
Morrison and two men went to the house the next day and he did go on the roof without using any scaffolding but a neighbour could see he was just putting drops of cement over the existing tiles and was not removing them.
She shouted him “You’re pointing them not resetting them” and asked him if he knew about cowboy builders. The neighbour said Morrison assured her he would be doing a good job.
However two men who did gardening for the pensioner also told her the work done on the patio was not up to standard with “random patches of mortar” having been applied.
After she rang and complained Morrison returned and told her the patio had been re-laid. When she asked for her money back he refused and one of the men with him put his hands in his pockets and showed her they were empty and said none of the £800 was left.
The pensioner said she felt stupid for being taken in by him but had been charmed when he had spoken to her about his four children.
Derek Duffy representing Morrison said he had done work but accepted it “was not the required standard.” Recently he had been doing gardening work and was in a position to repay the pensioner.
Morrison, 32, of Smithies Lane, Hollywell, Barnsley admitted fraud and was given a 12 month community order with 180 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £400 costs in addition to the compensation.
Recorder Ray Singh said the evidence from the architect was that work was not needed. “You clearly preyed on an elderly lady” but because he was of previous good character and the money was being repaid a jail term could be avoided.
