North East dodgy builder feigned brain tumour to try and avoid justice

David Mason would slur his words, walk with a limp and pretend to have significant cognitive impairment after his shoddy work enterprises finally caught up with him.

The 42-year-old’s story started to unravel when trading standards officers became suspicious of his claims and carried out undercover surveillance of his activities while he was continuing to run a second-hand car business.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Mason’s medical problems only came out when he was dealing with medical experts or the legal system.

Judge Jonathan Carroll was shown CCTV of the defendant working normally in the garage after police seized the footage which was taken just hours after he had pretended not to be able to walk when he attended a doctor’s appointment.

Read more: Dodgy fish salesman locked up for ripping off elderly customers across region

He said the doctor was so the victim of a ‘complete fraud’ and reported that Mason was unlikely to survive his illness due to the serious nature of his alleged impairment.

Mason was then shown to be behaving in a confused state, slurring his words and pretending to not understand questions, when he was taken into custody.

A prolonged period of surveillance work by trading standards officials alongside police officers collated evidence that David Mason had created a web of lies after he feigned symptoms of the tumour.

Dodgy builder David Mason working in his second hand car garage just before he was arrested. Picture: NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL (Image: North Yorkshire County Council)

Mason’s deceit led to protracted delays in court hearings and caused the first trial to be abandoned in September 2021 after seven weeks, ramping up the stress on victims who had been called to give evidence.

The judge told Mason he had ‘feigned’ serious illness in an attempt to ‘get off scot-free’ when an earlier trial was abandoned when he fell ill.

Howard Shaw, representing Mason, said his client has been diagnosed as suffering from a possible brain tumour and is still coming to terms with the prognosis.

Judge Carroll said: “On October 29, last year, that charade was played in front of me. You attended court, assisted by others to walk, you claimed to need a break walking across the courtroom to the dock and then feigning an inability to speak or understand proceedings.

“I would have like the opportunity to watch the CCTV of you in your garage on the same day to see just how breath-taking the level of deceit of this fraud was being inflicted on this court by you.”

David Mason showing no signs of his illness while in police station. Picture: NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL (Image: North Yorkshire County Council)

A charge of perverting the course of justice against Mason’s wife, Donna, was ordered to remain on file after she played a full part in her husband’s deception.

Mason, of Harlech Court, Ingleby Barwick, was jailed for eight years and eight months for the fraud and perverting the course of justice.

Read next:

• Woman accused of being part of 'courier fraud' gang claims she was conned into it
• Thug robbed teenager of his bike THREE weeks after being released from prison
• Darlington woman burgled vulnerable friend of 15 years to pay off her drug debt