A ROOFER who targeted elderly and vulnerable people, charging thousands of pounds for work that often did not need carrying out, has been jailed after a successful prosecution by North Yorkshire’s Trading Standards team.

Patrick Christopher Dunne, 20, of Griff Park Travellers’ Site, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, was sentenced to two years and nine months at York Crown Court on Friday, 21 June, after pleading guilty to 34 counts of fraud and consumer protection offences. He also admitted laundering the proceeds of his offending.

Dunne was arrested in May 2018 as part of Operation Gauntlet, a multi-agency safeguarding team based at North Yorkshire County Council Trading Standards.

This followed complaints from the Scarborough area in August and September 2017 while he was trading as Phoenix Roofing.

The court was told he would offer to carry out inexpensive quick fixes and then inform the householders he had “discovered” further problems.

This additional work cost significantly more money, sometimes running into thousands of pounds.

Councillor Andrew Lee, North Yorkshire’s Executive Member for Growth, Planning and Trading Standards, said: “Yet again this case illustrates the dangers of dealing with cold callers and the consequences offenders face when they come into North Yorkshire and target our vulnerable residents.

“We continue to have a zero tolerance approach to this unacceptable fraudulent behaviour and will do all we can to protect our vulnerable residents.”

Operation Gauntlet tackles all forms of fraud against vulnerable adults and consists of trading standards officers, police officers and a safeguarding officer from health and adult services.