Roofer coerced customers into unnecessary repairs

Patrick Rory Cawley "harassed, misled, and coerced" his victims, Sheffield City Council said

A roofer who took more than £28,000 after convincing customers to pay for "unnecessary and poor standard work" has been jailed.

Patrick Rory Cawley, 33, "harassed, misled, and coerced" three people in Sheffield into having poor quality home improvements carried out by his company Royal Roofing Ltd.

Cawley, from Knowle, in Bristol was jailed for three years and three months at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday after he admitted participating in a fraudulent business carried on by sole trader.

He was also given a Criminal Behaviour Order barring him from carrying out similar work for at least the next five years.

Cawley was prosecuted following an investigation by Sheffield City Council's Trading Standards team.

Joe Otten, chair of the environmental services and regulation policy committee, said: "The work traders like this carry out can be left unfinished or sometimes they can take money and not carry out the work at all or it can be of a very poor standard and not meet building regulations.

"Often these traders will have no formal training or insurance to carry out work and they can leave people having to pay out more money for the work to be re-done, repaired or completed."

Following the sentencing the council has warned people about traders who may have professional-looking websites which look genuine, but might not be credible.

Otten said people should research anyone they find online, adding "if what they are offered seems too good to be true, it generally is".

"If you do find that you have been lied to, let down or misled by a rogue trader, remember that it can happen to pretty much anyone, so don't be embarrassed," he added.

"Report it and remember that our trading standards enforcement officers are there to help keep you safe from this kind of operation.

"They might also find that other people have reported the same person or company, which all helps when our enforcement officers put cases together for court."

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