The devastating impact of a rogue builder’s deception of customers was laid bare in court as he was locked up.
John McGrath fleeced eight customers out of more £30,000 after he failed to deliver on his promises to carry out roofing or building work.
The 49-year-old would take on a job and then request money from his customers, either as a deposit or for materials, but would not return and carry out the work.
Durham County Council began investigating McGrath after receiving a complaint from one of his customers and they soon uncovered a series of frauds against customers from 2016 to 2021.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the dodgy builder’s repeated frauds left the customers angry, frustrated and out of pocket.
In a series of victim impact statements, they told a judge how McGrath had filled them full of excuses and lies as he failed to complete projects or even actually start them.
One of these customers was Stanhope Community Association, which had hired McGrath to repair the roof of its building.
McGrath quoted a bill for £3,200 but began to increase the bill as he claimed to identify more work.
Nine months into the project, McGrath had received payments totalling £13,367 but had carried out a small amount of work and gave reasons as to why matters could not proceed.
In a victim impact statement, the group said: “He let us down really badly with only a small part of the work done and no materials provided for the balance.
“The only work done was the floor being ripped out and that has still not been finished. We had to have the roof replaced by another builder.
“Running the centre is more difficult now with considerable time devoted to alleviating the problems.
“This loss to us has drained our savings and put the entire centre in danger of closure.”
Another job McGrath accepted was to repair the roof of a children’s home in Darlington. He quoted £1,446 and received this in two payments.
Over a period of five months, there were 35 calls between McGrath and the customer about the work, which had not yet been started.
McGrath eventually attended the site and claimed the whole roof needed repairing and that he required an additional £1,500 as a deposit. In a victim personal statement, they said: “We are a residential children’s home set up to care for this country’s most vulnerable children.
“He went into one of the bedrooms, which was leaking and starting to grow mould – we couldn’t fix it without a new roof.
“We explained to him how we needed it fixed and how vulnerable the children were. He gained our trust with false promises and how much he wanted to help these children.
“He has preyed on the most vulnerable.”
McGrath, of The Oval, Barnard Castle, pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud.
He was jailed for a total of 15-months in custody for all offences.
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Speaking after the hearing, Owen Cleugh, Durham County Council’s safer places manager, said: “Over a number of years, Mr McGrath misled customers by taking payment for works and failing to carry out or complete what was agreed.
“These people have been left trying to undo any poor-quality workmanship and claim back financial losses. It is for this reason that we are committed to tackling rogue traders and we are pleased this case has brought successful legal action.
“We would always encourage residents to use a trusted trader scheme when looking for someone to carry out work on a property or garden.
“If someone does think they have been victim to rogue trader activity, they can report it to the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133 or the police on 101.”
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