A MAN who conned 12 people, including six elderly residents, over building work across Wokingham and Reading has been jailed for more than three years.
Neil Harvey Jackson, 49, formerly of Swallowfield, was charged on February 18 and convicted at Reading Crown Court on March 22 when he pleaded guilty to the offences. He was sentenced to a total of three years eight months’ imprisonment for the following offences:
- One count of fraud by false representation for which he received a 12 month sentence
- One count of a trader knowingly/recklessly engage in a commercial practice – against the Unfair Trading Regulations for which he received a 12 month sentence to be served concurrently
- One count of a trader engaged in acommercial practice which was aggressive – against the Unfair Trading Regulations) for which he received an eight month sentence to be served consecutively.
- One count of dishonestly failing to disclose information to make a gain for self/another or cause/expose other to loss (namely consumers’ cancellation rights) for which he received a 12 month sentence to be served consecutively
- Eleven counts of a trader knowingly/recklessly engage in a commercial practice – against the Unfair Trading Regulations for which he received a 12 month sentence for each count – concurrent to each other but consecutive to the other counts.
The first three offences relate to an incident on February 26 2015 over building work on a porch at a property in Spencers Wood.
One count of dishonestly failing to disclose information to make a gain for self/another or cause/expose other to loss (namely consumers’ cancellation rights) and eight counts of a trader knowingly/recklessly engage in a commercial practice – against the Unfair Trading Regulations – relate to incidents between November 17 2015 and January 18 2016 over proposed building work at a number of properties in Wokingham and Reading.
The offences involved 12 victims, including six people in their sixties, seventies and nineties.
Each of the offences involved the victims being cold-called by Jackson offering to undertake simple work such as gutter cleaning. When he had started the work, Jackson would falsely increase the scale of work needed and the price, leaving the victims feeling that they had no choice but to pay the money. No paperwork or cancellation rights were given to the victims.
A building surveyor considered the work alleged to have been done at each property and concluded that much had not been done and when it had, it was of little or no value in each case.
In sentencing, Mr Recorder Hislop said: “The Court and public have heard the nature of the offences. They amount to a deliberate, dishonest course of conduct over two years. They are mean and nasty offences against vulnerable and elderly people.
“You pretended to carry out maintenance work and failed to give them notice of their cancellation rights. On occasion some of the work was of little value and you still took the money.“
Investigating officer, PC Rob Maw of Loddon Valley Police Station, said: “This was a great example of joint working with the West Berkshire and Wokingham Trading Standards service to bring to justice an individual who had defrauded elderly and vulnerable people over building work.”
Cllr Marcus Franks, West Berkshire’s Executive Member for Trading Standards said: “This is another strong example of Trading Standards working with other agencies to protect residents, detect offences, and in this case, prosecute offenders.”
