Rogue trader charged Shropshire pensioner £3,500 for £244 work

Steven Lock, 49, of Penisaf Avenue, Towyn, Abergele, north Wales, was sentenced in Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday in connection with work he carried out at the home of a 79-year-old man in Hanwood, near Shrewsbury, in May and June 2011.

Lock had made an unsolicited visit to the pensioner's home on May 31, where he persuaded the man to let him undertake a series of jobs at his home. He returned on June 22 to carry out further work, claiming the work he had done was worth a total of £3,500.

But following examinations as part of the Trading Standards investigation, it was concluded that the work was worth just £244.

The court heard that Lock returned on June 29 to collect partial payment. But when the pensioner offered a cheque, Lock rejected it and took him to a Halifax branch in Shrewsbury where he got him to take out cash to pay.

Kevin Saunders, prosecuting, said: "What is of most concern is that when the complainant signed to pay the defendant the sum of £1,200, the defendant refused and frogmarched the complainant to a bank so he could get the cash The works had been poorly executed and the roof paint was peeling off."

He also told the court that Lock had been convicted of similar offences in Denbighshire.

Elen Owen, for Lock, said her client had not forced the pensioner to go to the bank.

"It was decided between them they would go together to the bank. The term used was 'frogmarched'. That was a very emotive term and not supported by the evidence," she said.

Lock had previously admitted four offences relating to breaches of consumer protection under Unfair Trading Regulations. He was sentenced to four months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work. He must also pay £6,351 – including the £5,395 cost of the prosecution and £956 compensation to his customer.