Home improvement conmen jailed for £10.5m 'cynical' fraud

Six defendants were jailed at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday

Fraudsters who conned dozens of elderly and vulnerable people into buying over-priced and unnecessary home renovations have been jailed for a £10.5m scam.

The six men "cynically and repeatedly" targeted victims in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, South Yorkshire, West Midlands, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, officers said.

They denied conspiracy to commit fraud but were convicted in June.

They were sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday.

Grossly-inflated prices

The men were prosecuted following a joint investigation by council trading standards officers in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, National Trading Standards' East Midlands investigation team and Derbyshire Constabulary.

The investigation found the defendants used multiple companies, with a turnover of £10.5m, to sell exterior wall and roof-coating products that they falsely claimed were guaranteed to cure damp and significantly reduce heating bills.

Nottinghamshire Trading Standards said the men used "scare tactics" and pressure-selling on their victims, many aged in their 80s and 90s.

Officials identified 62 victims who were cold-called then visited at home and told there was a risk to their properties if they did not buy products.

Trading standards said victims were pressured into making instant decisions for a "today only" so-called bargain price, whereas, in reality, prices had been grossly inflated.

Customers who changed their minds during cancellation periods were refused refunds, investigators said.

The defendants were:

• Jason Rowan, 51, of Hassocks Close, Beeston, Nottinghamshire, jailed for seven years for conspiracy to commit fraud and three counts of fraudulent trading

• Stephen Tomlinson, 55, of Dorchester Avenue, Derby, jailed for four years and eight months for conspiracy to commit fraud and three counts of fraudulent trading

• David Beeson, 53, of Bracknell Drive, Alvaston, Derby, jailed for three years for conspiracy to commit fraud

• Christopher Simpson, 59, of Erdington Hall Road, Birmingham, jailed for three years in jail for conspiracy to commit fraud

• Bohdan Zacharko, 69, of Harrington Drive, Nottingham, jailed for two years and six months after being convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud and one count of fraudulent trading

• Philip Emerenko, 54, of Thistledown Road, Clifton, Nottingham, jailed for two years and six months for conspiracy to commit fraud

They will serve half their terms in prison and the rest on licence.

Rowan was also disqualified from being a company director for 10 years, and Tomlinson and Zacharko for five years each.

After the sentencing hearing, Nottinghamshire County Council's John Cottee said: "We would like to thank all the victims who came forward and worked with our investigators to help bring these unscrupulous conmen to trial.

"These sentences send a strong message to fraudsters that this type of activity will not be tolerated."