Rip-off Telford builder, 45, who made £89,000 through dodgy work is ordered to pay back £55,000
Rogue trader has until early November to pay or face going back to jail
A rip-off builder who conned Shropshire families - benefitting to the tune of nearly £90,000 - has been ordered to pay £55,000 or face going back to prison.
Steven Andrew Bailey, who swanned off on a luxury holiday to Dubai with some of the money he swindled, built an extension which was so shoddy it had to be pulled down.
Another of Bailey’s victims was left with a cold house during winter, causing problems for a girl with auto-immune problems who had recently had surgery.
The 45-year-old rogue trader, who operated under the business name SBS Telford Ltd among others, took huge sums of cash from victims before carrying out poor, half-finished work, leaving victims high and dry when they sacked him from jobs.
He was jailed for five and a half years in January last year after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud. He was also banned from being a company director for 11 years.
A Proceeds of Crime Act case has now taken place back at Shrewsbury Crown Court to try and recoup some of his ill-gotten gains.
The court was told that the total benefit figure was £89,629.41, with the available amount Bailey has at his disposal to pay being £55,483.
Bailey was ordered to pay the £55,483 by November 6 this year or face 12 months in prison in default.
It was said at a previous hearing that Bailey might have to sell his home in Shoveller Drive, Apley, Telford to pay off the debt.
At his sentencing last year, the court was told that Bailey left pipes exposed, half-finished an extension which meant a home was cold during the winter, didn’t pay contractors and took clients' cash to pay for a holiday.
Bailey conned four families out of money, including a couple in their 70s out of their £51,000 life savings.
He already had a record for dodgy dealings as a builder, having previously been taken to court over his poor work.
Victims Graham Blower and his partner Janet Benion hired Bailey to build an extension which had to be pulled down due to how badly it was built.
Mrs Benion’s son Andrew said they are both registered disabled, and were also having a wet room built because their bathroom was too small.
Bailey was also supposed to build an area to store their mobility buggies, which never came to fruition.
Andrew said they have spent in the region of £25,000 extra to try and rectify the problems as best they can, meaning a small extension ended up costing in the region of £78,000.
The court was told that Mr Blower had to sell his “prized” Range Rover to pay for some of the work, and that Mrs Benion now “rarely leaves the house”.
Another victim was left with a cold house during winter because of failings in Bailey’s work, causing problems for his daughter who suffered from immune deficiency after a recent surgery.
Bailey gave partial refunds for some work, but only on the condition that customers did not complain.
Mr Blower told the Shropshire Star: “I can only say that I am glad it is all over. What Bailey has done to me and my partner is beyond belief.
“I didn’t think I would see justice done. Obviously a big thank you to the trading standards team for all their hard work.
“Steven Bailey has taken our life savings, our pension and our ability to live.”