A cowboy builder who conned a 61-year-old widower into handing over £31,000 has been jailed for three years and nine months.
At a hearing in Cardiff Crown Court last month, Jordan Louis Hare, 31, of Foxberry Close, Pontprennau, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to fraud following a Trading Standards investigation by Caerphilly County Borough Council.
The court was told how Hare’s victim, 61-year-old widower Anthony Miles, from Crosskeys, gave the rogue builder his lifesavings to modify his home to cater to his mobility issues and that of his son, who was being cared for in hospital at the time.
Trading Standards investigated after the work was left incomplete.
Findings of an independent Chartered Surveyor found the work was not only incomplete but “potentially unsafe” and didn’t even meet the standards expected of a “competent DIY person”.
The report said it would cost in the region of £21,603 to fix.
Upon further investigation Trading Standards uncovered that Hare had no connection with the Midlands based company Platinum Installs Limited who he was claiming to be a part of and that the reviews on the website were false, as this was his first job he had procured as Platinum Installs.
A victim impact statement read to the court said:“He has devastated my life in so many ways. It has made me lose trust in everyone. I feel foolish for letting him deceive me.
“He was callous and heartless after he had befriended my son and I, I am totally destroyed.
“I have no money left. The work is so poor that most of it will have to be replaced. My relationship with my son has suffered as a result. It has honestly broken my heart.”
Cllr Eluned Stenner, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Public Protection said: “This sentence is a fantastic result for the victim who has suffered greatly at the hands of this fraudster. The team have once again taken swift action to protect the interests of our residents and I must commend them for another successful case.”