Cowboy builders who conned elderly victims jailed

Lawrence Newbury Jr was described in court as the gang's "ringleader"

A gang of cowboy builders who preyed on more than 20 homeowners across England and Wales, defrauding them out of a collective £1.2m, have been jailed.

The victims, most of them elderly, were deceived into allowing the gang to carry out unnecessary and overpriced work on their properties.

The group's crimes were carried out across North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Manchester, North Wales, London and the West Midlands.

The son of one of their victims branded the offenders "predators". Four of the 10-strong gang were jailed on Friday and the other six will be sentenced later this month.

One case involved an elderly couple who were approached by several of the gang in 2020 and told they needed a new roof and rendering, for which they eventually handed over £365,000 after several months' work.

Having examined the work, investigators estimated the value of the work at just £18,000.

John Mealin, of Hartlepool, was jailed for five years and three months

One victim in his nineties, who has since died, was initially asked for £1,400 for building work to be carried out on his home in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, before later being told to pay a further £400.

After handing over the cash, he was then asked for another £12,000 and was only prevented from writing out a cheque when a neighbour intervened.

According to a surveyor who inspected the property, the work carried out had no value at all.

In a victim impact statement, the man’s son said he believed his father "continued to dwell on the incident".

"He told me he wasn’t sleeping too well afterwards and it’s likely he became more prone to anxiety living on his own," he said.

“These people are predators and should be ashamed. They are preying on vulnerable people and must be stopped and made to face the consequences of their actions.”

'Wholly dishonest'

Prosecution of the 10 offenders was led by North Yorkshire trading standards officers, working alongside councils and police forces across the country.

Four of the gang were sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on Friday.

Lawrence Newbury Junior, 33, of Northwich in Cheshire was described in court as the ringleader of what Judge Howard Crowson called a "wholly dishonest business".

He was jailed for seven years having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to convert criminal property and to being a member of an organised crime group.

John Mealin, 39, of Staindrop Street, Hartlepool was jailed for five years and three months, having earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and other unrelated offences.

Aonghus O’Reilly, 49, of no fixed abode, was convicted at trial of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to launder and was sentenced to three years.

Stephen Cantello, 59, of Manchester, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder during his trial last year and received 18 months, suspended for two years.

A further six defendants are set to be sentenced at the end of the month.

Financial investigations are under way to recover some of the cash that was fraudulently gained in an effort to compensate the victims.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]