We've lost all trust, say victims of jailed builder

"I no longer trust my judgement on anyone or anything anymore," Jill Thompson says

A couple who lost thousands of pounds after a builder disappeared leaving them with a hole in their floor said they would never be able to trust anyone again.

Jill Thompson, 79, said she paid £12,500 to James Morgan in 2021 to build a wet room in their home in Lowestoft, Suffolk, for her husband who had mobility issues.

She said she booked him through his firm Prestige Home Improvement (East Anglia), but soon after he began the work he vanished.

On 3 November, Morgan, 39, of Market Place, Harleston, Norfolk, was sentenced to 52 months in prison at Norwich Crown Court.

He had admitted taking £200,000 for work he did not complete and pled guilty to 10 counts of theft in September.

Ms Thompson was not part of the case, which was brought by Norfolk Trading Standards after receiving complaints from other customers between 2021 and 2024.

James Morgan was sentenced to 52 months in jail at Norwich Crown Court for taking money for work he did not do

Jill and Jerry Thompson had lived in their property for three decades and wanted to convert their conservatory into a wet room to be able to continue living in the home they loved.

Their son-in-law lent them the money they needed to have the work done, and they said they found Morgan's company online and asked him to quote for the job.

"He was a lovely man... He was like another son. And I trusted him completely," Ms Thompson said.

As the construction work started, Ms Thompson said Morgan took the conservatory's roof off, lifted the floor and dug a large hole in the ground - then he "disappeared".

Ms Thompson said she felt "stupid, angry" and "very disappointed" by Morgan's actions, and now felt unable to trust "anybody really ever again".

She also claimed Morgan knew how ill her husband was, as the builder had witnessed Mr Thompson collapse and be taken by ambulance to hospital.

"I'm sad for [Morgan] as a human being because it's difficult to see him as a man with a heart," she said.

The wall of their conservatory was removed and left exposed by Morgan, the couple said

One couple in Dereham, Norfolk, lost £179,996 to Morgan for a house extension that was never built, Norfolk Trading Standards said.

Ms Thompson said it was a good that Morgan had been sent to prison and urged other people who may have been affected by his work to report their issues to Norfolk Trading Standards.

Morgan has also been disqualified as a company director for 10 years and has been given a criminal behaviour order for an indefinite period.