A rogue builder pressured a Brighton couple into handing over thousands of pounds after he ripped up their garden then doubled his bill, a court heard.
Myley Connors, 19, pleaded guilty to defrauding Dr Arsinah Boles and Dr Ambrose Boles at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (19 October).
The couple were left more than £20,000 out of pocket – by handing over £10,000 for worthless work, and for the cost of putting right the damage Connors and his crew wreaked.
On Monday, the court heard Connors had came round within minutes of being called by Dr Arsinah Boles after she was given a leaflet advertising his company, Fine and County Paving.
Prosecuting, Wesley Potterton said Connors verbally quoted £10,000 for a wide range of work, which Dr Boles and her husband Dr Ambrose Boles agreed to, and said work could start the following Monday.
She asked for a written quote, but none appeared – and when the workmen turned up on Monday, Connors told her there would be significant delays if they didn’t start work straight away.
The written quote eventually arrived the day after – but was for £19,500, and less work than agreed the previous week.
By this point, the couple’s garden had been ripped up “with no rhyme or reason”, with earth taken away at an “alarming rate”.
Dr Boles was then pressured by the workmen to sign the written quote – and when she called Connors, he told her: “No love, you just need to sign it right now.”
Mr Potterton said: “Within minutes of her signing, the defendant is knocking on the door demanding immediate payment of £5,000 which is something they had not agreed to pay in advance.
“They’re told if you don’t pay up, we will smash everything up and take back all of the rubble and dump it.
“She called 999 but were told it was a civil matter, but to call back if it escalated. So they made the transfer to Myley Connors.
“The defendant then returned later that day saying they wanted a further £5,000 in two days.”
By this point, fewer people were on site, and Arsinah was reluctant to hand over any more money, but her husband felt they had no choice. After the second payment, work all but ground to a halt.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s trading standards then became involved, and Connors eventually left the site on Monday 3 May.
A trading standards inspector visited and estimated it would cost £11,500 just to repair the damage so the work the Boleses originally wanted could begin.
Connors, of Peeks Brook Lane, in Horley, Surrey, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation after charges of blackmail, aggressive trading, misleading trading and racially aggravated harassment were withdrawn.
Charges of aiding and abetting the fraud against his father Edward, 53, also of Peeks Brook Lane, and brother Michael, 21, of Brookwood Lye Road, Woking, Surrey, were also withdrawn.
The court heard Connors has offered to repay the money through his solicitors and has agreed with the council he will not work in Brighton and Hove for five years.
Defending, Paul Turnbull said: “A number of traders appear in this court and show no remorse. This defendant is in a completely different category.
Adjourning the case for a probation report, presiding magistrate Alison Musker told Connors that he would be wise to start paying back the money before he was sentenced.
She said: “Any steps that will be taken will be seen more favourably by the sentencing court.
“You have said fine words and there’s fine intentions, but I think that next court will want to see evidence that it’s happening.”
The case was adjourned until Wednesday 8 December at Brighton Magistrates’ Court.
It might be useful for people to know that these fraudsters run a company called Fine & Country Paving – best to steer clear I’d say
Yep that’s definitely them. Had a mate they tried to rip off in Patcham. Lucky for him he told them to sod off before it was too late
I had a firm called Trademark which, after quoting for a modest job, tried to make me pay £35,000 for a new roof. I went to Trading Standards who immediately said, “don’t pay them any money and do not allow them back.” Evidently this firm has previous. What’s more, this firm was part of Check-a-Trade: one of those bodies to which firms pay to belong, and so its leaflets are worthless to residents.
“They’re told if you don’t pay up, we will smash everything up and take back all of the rubble and dump it.
“She called 999 but were told it was a civil matter, but to call back if it escalated. So they made the transfer to Myley Connors.
After such threats as these, how on earth can it be regarded as a civil matter?
Someone I know was similarly ripped off earlier this year by a company trading from what appears to be a residential bungalow in Swanborough Drive.
It was obvious that these cowboys had no idea what they were doing or how to do it, and they too were recommended by Checkatrade, who advised the customer to allow them to rectify the work, something they were clearly incapable of doing.
This particular “company” isn’t even registered with Companies House, suggesting it has no legal existence, something Checkatrade (which doesn’t seem to check anthing as far as I can tell) should have verified right from the start.
In my opinion, it’s long past time Checkatrade started checking up on people rather than recommending firms purely on the basis of receiving a membership fee.