Rogue builder jailed for £500k con

The poor quality work often caused new damage to the property, the court heard

A "professional conman" stole more than £500,000 from elderly and vulnerable people who needed help to maintain their homes.

Joseph Anthony Oliver, from Lytham St Annes, “rinsed” 39 victims between the ages of 53 and 93, taking them for sums between £60 and £120,000.

Caernarfon Crown Court heard Oliver – also known as Miller – convinced them to have work that did not need doing, and then did a shoddy job of it.

The 34-year-old, who described his crimes as “hideous and disgusting” was jailed for four years and nine months.

Oliver pleaded guilty to participating in a fraudulent business, at Caernarfon Crown Court

The court heard between January 2017 and May 2020, when trading as LJ Property Solutions Ltd, Oliver targeted mainly older homeowners who had money but could no longer keep up the maintenance of the property themselves.

Many of his victims were widowed, struggling with mobility or limited vision.

Between August 2020 and June 2023, trading as Windowseal Ltd, he used the same trade practices targeting vulnerable residents in Lancashire.

Once identified, victims were repeatedly targeted and exploited by the “calculating, manipulative, ruthless and professional conman”, the court heard.

Oliver was investigated by Lancashire County Council Trading Standards and Trading Standards Wales’ regional investigators.

In May, he pleaded guilty to two counts of participating in a fraudulent business.

In a letter to Judge Timothy Petts expressing his remorse, he described his actions as "hideous, disgusting crimes that make you feel sick".

The judge, who also disqualified him from being a director for 10 years, said that Oliver "rinsed his elderly and vulnerable victims for as much as possible" with "appalling dishonesty and exploitation".