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A builder, William Smith, has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after defrauding elderly and vulnerable individuals out of £86,000. This scam involved overcharging customers for roofing work in the Surrey and Sussex regions, with Smith often deliberately causing additional damage to properties to justify inflated bills. The 35-year-old, from Old Woking, admitted to conspiracy to defraud at Croydon Crown Court on November 3.
Smith’s criminal activities came to wider attention when he was mistakenly released from prison on the same day as his sentencing. Following a brief manhunt, he voluntarily surrendered to authorities. His fraudulent operations were conducted under multiple fake business names, with the involvement of his 18-year-old son, Joseph Smith. Joseph also pleaded guilty and received a 20-month custodial sentence suspended for 23 months, while a 16-year-old male accomplice from Pulborough is scheduled for sentencing in December.
The fraudsters exploited vulnerable victims, including a man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, whom they pressured into withdrawing over £1,250 at a cashpoint. Police investigations uncovered mobile phone messages from Joseph Smith, revealing plans to extort up to £20,000 from this individual. Sergeant Ben Marshall commented that the Smiths spent the stolen money on lavish holidays, Rolex watches, and designer clothing. He described the duo as “purely driven by greed, without morals and demonstrating no regard for the harm they had caused.”
Among their victims was Carol, an 82-year-old woman from Surrey, who was approached by the Smiths under the pretense of fixing a missing roof tile. After agreeing to unnecessary additional work, she paid a deposit of £1,800. Carol recounted how her son warned her it was a scam, prompting her to contact her credit card company. She shared her feelings of betrayal, stating, “I was shattered by it and felt absolutely sick and stupid to have been caught out. People like that are just predators, absolute scum.” Fortunately, Carol was eventually refunded and has since urged others to stay vigilant against rogue traders
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