Rogue trader forced Shrewsbury OAP to pay him cash
A rogue trader carried out unnecessary roofing work at the Shrewsbury home of a vulnerable elderly man and then marched him to the bank to pay for it, a court has heard.
Builder Steven Lock, 49, of Penisaf Avenue, Towyn, Abergele, north Wales, admitted engaging in commercial practice which was aggressive at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.
He also admitted two counts of engaging in commercial practice which was misleading and one count of engaging in unfair commercial practice.
The incidents took place at homes in Shrewsbury between May 31, 2011 and June, 29, 2011.
The court heard how on June 29 Lock accompanied one his customers to a branch of the Halifax Building Society where he pressured him to exchange a cheque payment for cash.
Lock also twice failed to legally inform his customer about his right to cancel.
Speaking after the hearing, Councillor Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council's Cabinet member for public protection, said: "The prosecution was brought by Shropshire Council after our investigations found that Mr Lock had carried out unnecessary roofing work at the home of a vulnerable elderly man, and then marched him to the bank to obtain funds.
"This case sends out a very clear message to those who may be considering trading in this way: these illegal activities will not be tolerated in Shropshire. Protecting vulnerable people and supporting legitimate businesses are high priorities for the council."
Lock was granted bail under the condition that he stays at his home address each night and cooperates with the probation service while they put together a pre-sentence report.
He will be sentenced at a later date.
