Kent roofer jailed for six years for ripping off customers
A rogue roofer has been jailed for six years after deliberately ripping off his customers with overpriced repairs.
Terry Green, 27, gained his victims’ trust by initially charging reasonable prices before telling them additional and far more expensive work was needed.
In June 2022, Green revisited the home of an elderly couple in Sandwich who he had previously carried out work for, to ask if they wanted him to repair their damaged chimney.
He initially quoted £350 but later told them their entire roof needed replacing at a cost of £20,000, eventually settling on an agreed price of around £7,000.
The couple ended up paying a total of £3,090 before their bank grew suspicious and stopped any further transactions.
Kent Police became aware of his offending two months earlier when a resident of Westgate, Thanet, reported paying him £1,650 for repairs that were then not completed.
The woman told officers she had agreed to the work after originally being quoted £45 to replace a roof tile, and then transferred the additional larger sum as a deposit for further repairs.
However, Green packed up his tools and left the property after she reconsidered and insisted on obtaining a second opinion.
Green, of Iver, Buckinghamshire, was arrested in Minster, Thanet, on Monday 13 June 2022 and later charged with two counts of fraud.
He pleaded guilty to both and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court when a further nine offences were ordered to lie on file.
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Detective Sergeant Adam Stallard of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said, "Terry Green could have earned an honest living as a roofer but made a conscious decision to cheat his customers out of their hard-earned money."
"Such criminals cause great financial hardship to those they trick into paying over the odds for substandard work, as well as a loss of confidence in the many honest tradespeople who work hard every day."
"Green cold-called at his victims’ homes to tell them their property was in need of repair. I would strongly advise anyone who receives a similar knock at their door to carefully consider their options before agreeing to any work, and to always seek a second opinion first."