Cowboy builders who conned elderly branded ‘scum’ by victim

A builder who conned £86,000 from elderly and vulnerable people has been described as “absolute scum” by one of his victims.

William Smith scammed unsuspecting residents in Surrey and Sussex by overcharging them for roofing jobs, often causing further damage to their properties to bolster his original quote.

The 35-year-old, from Old Woking, was ordered to serve nearly four years in jail at Croydon Crown Court on 3 November after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud.

He also hit the headlines when he was mistakenly released from prison the same day, only to eventually hand himself back in after a short manhunt.

Smith operated under several fake company names, alongside his son Joseph, 18, who also pleaded guilty and was given a 20-month custodial sentence in a young offender institution, suspended for 23 months.

Also working with the pair was a 16-year-old boy, from Pulborough, who cannot be named for legal reasons. He is to be sentenced on 17 December.

The group took advantage of a man with Alzheimer’s, driving him to a cashpoint and pressuring him into withdrawing more than £1,250.

Police said that mobile phone voice messages left by Joseph Smith indicated that the group had planned to con him for up to £20,000.

Sgt Ben Marshall said Smith used the money he had scammed to go on holidays and buy Rolex watches and designer clothes.

Sgt Marshall added the father and son were “purely driven by greed, without morals and demonstrating no regard for the harm they had caused”.

One of the Smiths’ victims, Carol, from Surrey, said they had initially knocked on her door claiming to have spotted a missing roof tile.

The pair took a £1,800 deposit from her after adding unnecessary extra jobs to their list.

The 82-year-old said: “I rang my son who told me it was a scam and that I should call my credit card company immediately.

“I was shattered by it and felt absolutely sick and stupid to have been caught out.

“People like that are just predators, absolute scum.”

Carol, who eventually got her money refunded, has called for others to be more aware in order to protect themselves from rogue traders.