A MAN has been convicted of fraud following a Thames Valley Police and Reading Council Trading standards investigation.
Levi Davies, 24, of Kidlington, pleaded guilty on behalf of his companies to attempting to scam six elderly people out of more than £200,000.
On Thursday, October 13, Davies was sentenced to a total of two years’ imprisonment, which has been wholly suspended for 18 months.
He has been ordered to undertake 250 hours of unpaid work, as well as paying £2,000 in costs, plus a victim surcharge.
He was also ordered to pay £66,560 in compensation to four of the victims he targeted, to be paid within 28 days.
The charges against Mr Davies included participation in fraudulent business perpetrated by a sole trader and engaging in misleading commercial practices.
He pleaded guilty on behalf of his companies, LJ Building Services and latterly Manor Property Services after an investigation was launched in 2019 by Reading Council Trading Standards.
Thames Valley Police officers identified six elderly and vulnerable residents from across southern England, including Reading, who were targeted by Mr Davies.
He targeted the six residents over a three-year period between 2016 and 2019, persuading vulnerable and elderly people to employ him for building and maintenance work.
He would then charge highly-inflated prices for substandard or unnecessary works, with one resident being charged more than £196,900.
Sheila Cooper, a 78-year-old, was cold-called at her park home in June 2019 by Mr Davies, who quoted her £2,000 to repaint her home with weatherproof paint.
Mr Davies went on to charge a total of £7,250 for structural works which were later assessed to be worth only £480.
Ms Cooper said: “I was very pleased with Trading Standards they were excellent – I would not have given a statement and be willing to attend court without them.
“Trading Standards were there for me when I worried, and when I thought Levi was going to return, they put me at ease.
“I am thankful to the Judge for ordering the compensation of £4,000.”
In July 2019, 87-year-old Margaret Hunt and her now-late husband were targeted by Mr Davies when they contacted him with regards to having a cowl fitted to their chimney.
They were then told that extensive works to their property would need to be undertaken, for which they would pay a total of £1,100.
These works would also be assessed to be worth less, and should have cost only £555 according to the prosecution expert.
Ms Hunt said: “It was good to know that trading standards were on the case. I had wanted to put the incident behind me, but I found it very reassuring that it was being followed up.
“It was all done sensitively and looking at it from my perspective.
“It was my opportunity to give my side of what had happened– it was also nice to know that I was not the only one.”
Cllr Karen Rowland, lead councillor for environmental services and community safety, said that the result from last week’s sentencing is “thanks to an excellent joint investigation and decisive action by the Council’s Trading Standards officers and Thames Valley Police.
“These cases highlight the very serious problem with rogue traders targeting elderly and vulnerable residents and defrauding them into parting with thousands of pounds by making false and misleading claims.”
She continued, explaining that the investigation “goes beyond just those in Reading.
“I would like to sincerely thank officers and our partners, whose meticulous investigations spanning a number of months have ensured recourse for our vulnerable residents.
“Residents are reminded to always thoroughly research any company or business before hiring them to carry out work.
“Our advice is never to agree to work without getting written quotes from two or three reputable traders and compare them.”
She also recommended that homeowners can find a Trading Standards approved trader through the national ‘Buy With Confidence’ scheme, available via: www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk.
