Rogue trader jailed for fraud scheme

A rogue trader has been jailed defrauding elderly homeowners out of thousands of pounds in Hampshire.

Henry Smith, 36, of Southampton Road, Titchfield, turned up at the homes of two elderly men between October 2022 and February 2023 before entrapping them in his scam.

On the first occasion, Smith knocked the door of a 78-year-old man living alone, claiming he could repair some slipped roof tiles and quoted a price of £2,800.

Three men then attended the property, purporting to work for ‘Supreme Roofing’ and told the victim his loft had rot and mould. They produced a contract valuing the work at £21,000, which the victim paid into Smith’s bank account.

Although the victim heard sawing and hammering, no substantial work appeared to be carried out.

The men then claimed additional roof joists were rotten and demanded a further £26,000, which the victim also paid into Smith’s account.

Having doubts about the work, the victim called an independent company to consult on the work, and they advised to stop all payments.

On the second occasion, Smith targeted an 80-year-old man and offered to carry out work on his tree’s, fence and roof tiling and quoted £18,500. The victim withdrew the money in cash and handed this to Smith.

Another man then arrived at the victim’s property, behaving aggressively and demanding an additional £7,500. The victim paid a further £30,500 to Smith, yet none of the men returned to complete the work.

Today, Smith was sentenced to three years and seven months imprisonment at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Benjamin May, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Henry Smith intentionally targeted and exploited elderly individuals in our community, using deception and coercion to defraud them of substantial amounts of money.

“Rogue traders have no place in our community, and the Crown Prosecution Service is dedicated to ensuring perpetrators are brought to justice.”