Rogue builder conned homeowners out of £130k

James Bell was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court

A rogue builder who conned dozens of homeowners out of more than £130,000 and left many needing to pay others to repair his shoddy work has been jailed for five years.

James Bell from Darlington took thousands of pounds in deposits for 29 building projects across Redcar and Northumberland over a six-year period, then gave a "litany of excuses" for not turning up to do the jobs, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

As well as being prosecuted by trading standards, Bell was taken to court by a woman from Cumbria who he stole £10,000 from for a kitchen which he never ordered.

Bell, 51, admitted five counts of fraud and one of theft.

Between 2017 and 2023, Bell was paid despoits for materials for a variety of work, from paving driveways to converting lofts and extending homes, prosecutor John Crawford said.

For many he would simply fail to turn up, while for others he would do some work before never returning, the court heard.

Cancer claims

Many of Bell's victims, the eldest of whom were in their 90s, then spent months pursuing him to return or requesting refunds to no avail, Mr Crawford said.

The court heard his excuses included claims that:

• He had testicular cancer

• His sister had cancer

• He was ill or had Covid 19

• He had broken his leg

• His van had broken down

• His van had caught fire on the way to a job

• He was stuck on other jobs that were overrunning

Bell told one woman he could not turn up as his van had failed its MOT, but she immediately found he was lying after doing a quick check on the DVLA website, the court heard.

He told another couple he could not continue working in their attic as he had found bats which were protected, Mr Crawford said.

The couple contacted bat experts who told them the work could continue, but Bell then failed to return, the court was told.

Among his victims was a woman undergoing chemotherapy who needed her parents' home altering so she could live with them, but after taking £4,700 from them Bell failed to turn up for months before eventually cancelling the job, Mr Crawford said.

Another couple paid him almost £16,000 to install a downstairs bedroom and toilet but, after starting the work, he stopped attending, the court heard.

Eventually, after weeks of putting up with his excuses, the couple paid an expert to asses Bell's problematic work, which had included leaving a sewage pipe exposed.

The expert concluded the value of his efforts was only £875 and it would cost £1,300 to rip out and start again.

'Violated and foolish'

Another woman paid Bell about £10,000 to repair her roof but his initial work was so poor she was left with water "pouring" down her walls while Bell spent months failing to make good on his promise to return.

The woman ending up having to pay someone else £30,000 to fix what Bell had done, Mr Crawford said.

Many of his victims spoke of the great emotional impact as well as the financial effect of the fraud, with further stress caused by his refusal to respond to their messages as they pursued him.

Several said they found him through registers and now distrusted tradesmen, while others said they had been planning to retire but would now have to keep working to pay off the money they had lost.

Others said they felt "foolish" and "violated", "helpless" and "ashamed".

The offences were committed in the Redcar and Northumberland Council areas with Bell refusing to respond to the relevant trading standards investigators' demands for an interview, the court heard.

He was eventually prosecuted for fraud by Northumberland County Council, but at the same time a woman who had paid him to renovate her home in the Appleby area pursued a private prosecution against him.

The woman, in her 70s, had paid him £10,000 for a kitchen which Bell then failed to deliver, Mr Crawford said.

In mitigation, the court heard Bell was overwhelmed by his situation and his work began to suffer after the breakdown of a relationship and a leg injury caused in a mountain bike accident.

Judge Edward Bindloss said Bell, who had previous convictions for fraud, had continued to take deposits and agree to work over a six-year period and even after he knew trading standards investigators were pursuing him.

He said Bell gave a "litany of excuses" and showed a "high degree" of "evasion, dishonesty and false representations".

Judge Bindloss said he would like to order Bell pay compensation to his victims but the builder had no money or assets.

An order was made allowing the woman who brought the private prosecution to recoup some of her legal costs.