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Cowboy builder jailed for defrauding homeowners of £14,000
The UK announced plans for a voluntary database of trusted traders to improve protections for homeowners after repeated convictions for similar offenses.
A rogue builder, Lee Slocombe, was jailed for six years after defrauding nine homeowners of a total of £400,000, with one victim saying he tore apart her home and then disappeared with £14,000.
BBC Business reports that the judge tied the case to wrongdoing spanning 11 years, including targeting nine people while he was on bail under a false name, and that Slocombe carried out dangerous work on properties across Cardiff, Bridgend, and Swansea.
The BBC reports that the wider fraud involved more than the initial payments, with the cost to victims rising to more than £547,000 when adding the expense of rectifying dangerous work, according to Cardiff council.
Separately, the UK government announced plans in August to create a database of trusted traders, intended to give people greater protections against cowboy builders, and victims said the move could increase confidence even as one questioned incentives for tradespeople to join the voluntary scheme.