JUSTICE caught up with a council tax conman.

Jack Darrell Henry ran companies in Huddersfield, offering to chase up council tax cuts for many hundreds of people

But now the 45-year-old man has been warned he could be jailed for a series of fraud offences.

Henry admitted a series of allegations arising out of claims he misled elderly householders about a council tax re-evaluation scheme.

Henry appeared before a judge at Bradford Crown Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to 15 charges brought under the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

The charges cover a period between September 2009 and September 2010 and involve complainants living in various locations including Lepton, and Gildersome and Morley near Leeds.

Henry is said to have engaged in a misleading commercial practice which included sending out flyers and letters containing false information.

One Huddersfield company operated by Henry was called Council Tax Review and touted for business in the town.

The firm claimed many Kirklees Council tax valuations were wrong and people could be owed up to thousands of pounds.

The court was told that in one incident a Gildersome woman received a flyer stating: “Contact us today and stop paying more Council Tax than your neighbours”.

The charge stated that there were no grounds to assert that the householder's council tax liability could be lowered.

In relation to another allegation Henry admitted engaging in a commercial practice which contravened the requirements of professional diligence.

On that occasion he told a Lepton woman that her council tax was wrong and she was entitled to a rebate, but he did not make any representations for her property to be revalued.

Henry, of Huddersfield Road, Dewsbury, is also said to have misled complainants by failing to terminate contracts and refund fees of up to £155 to three other householders after receiving written notice within seven days.

Judge Peter Benson agreed to an adjournment of the case until January 6 next year so that a pre-sentence report could be prepared on Henry.

But the judge told him the offences were serious matters and all options including custody remained open.

Henry was granted bail with a condition that he must not contact any of the civilian witnesses directly or indirectly.

Andrew Bibby, of West Yorkshire Trading Standards, was delighted with the verdict. The consumer watchdog had been expecting Henry to stand trial in January.

He said the service had been investigating Henry’s activities for more than 12 months and in that time had received more than 400 complaints – many of them from pensioners in the Huddersfield area.

“We know that there were a lot of people in Huddersfield who were contacted by Henry but he also operated in East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire.

“Some people have been in touch with us to claim that they handed over money but got nothing back.

“We are delighted with the verdict.

“The alternative could have been a lengthy trial and many of those who would have been witnesses are elderly people.

“He denied he targeted the elderly, but certainly many of the complaints came from them.”