• Business
  • Community
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Blog
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
Search
  • Listen or translate
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
  • Business
  • Community
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Blog
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
Home Community Rogue builder jailed for £9,600 theft from customer
  • Community
  • Newsroom Email

Rogue builder jailed for £9,600 theft from customer

By
jw47
-
5th August 2019
0
1451
Share on Facebook
Tweet on Twitter

A rogue builder from Patchway has been jailed for 12 months after admitting to the theft of £9,600 from a customer he had agreed to build a two storey extension for.

Danny Preece, 44, of Highwood Park, Patchway, appeared for sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on 16 July after pleading guilty to the theft from one of his clients, Ross Studzinski.

South Gloucestershire Council Trading Standards brought the case to court after receiving a complaint that Preece was paid to build an extension at Charles Road, Filton but failed to carry out the work.

Operating under the business name of ‘DP Home Improvements’, Preece was employed to construct a £25,000 extension on the rental property owned by Mr Studzinski.

Mr Studzinski was persuaded to pay £12,000 up front to Preece, who then sub-contracted the work to another builder by transferring him £2,400 to start the project. However, the builder soon became concerned when Preece did not supply the building materials.

Mr Studzinski asked DP Home Improvements to return his money so he could make arrangements directly with the builder. It was at this stage that he was told none of his money was left as it had been used to pay other debts.

Preece then stopped contacting Mr Studzinski, leaving him thousands of pounds out of pocket. Mr Studzinski eventually had to make arrangements with the sub-contracted builder to take on the project and had to pay out a further £28,000.

Preece initially tried to lay the blame on the builder he used, claiming to have re-paid Mr Studzinski’s £9,600 in cash by putting it all through the builder’s letterbox.

However, when the case was brought to court, Preece pleaded guilty to the theft of the money at an early stage. He was immediately jailed as he had not attempted to pay his victim back and even tried to put the blame on the builder involved.

He was also handed a Criminal Behaviour Order which prevents him from cold calling at any property within the UK.

South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Rachael Hunt said: “This case should serve as a warning to any rogue builders who are tempted to swindle money from their customers. We are determined to pursue convictions for these kind of offences and will work with the Police to bring offenders to court.

“We advise people to only use reputable builders and never to use anyone who cold calls at their property. Do your research by speaking to previous customers and ask to see examples of work before deciding which builder to employ. Setting out any financial arrangements in writing and avoiding paying large sums of money up-front is also good practice.”

Anyone who thinks they have been the victim of a rogue builder can report the matter to Trading Standards by calling 03454 05 05 06.

  • TAGS
  • rogue trader
  • Trading Standards
SHARE
Facebook
Twitter
  • tweet
Previous articleFizz Pop science workshop ‘takes-off’ at Cadbury Heath Library
Next articleHelping schools improve in South Gloucestershire
jw47

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

South Gloucestershire children celebrating the launch of the 2022 Summer Reading Challenge

South Gloucestershire libraries named in top five in the UK for children’s reading challenge

An image of a collection of seized e-cigarette products

Shop owners prosecuted for selling illegal e-cigarettes in South Gloucestershire

Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, councillor Toby Savage (centre front) with Ukrainian guests and staff involved in the employability workshops at Yate Job Centre Plus.

Increase to monthly payments for Homes for Ukraine sponsors and employment success

Recent Posts
  • South Gloucestershire Council partnered project set to receive £4.7 million Live Labs 2 highways decarbonisation funding
  • Bristol man ordered to pay £1,600 for illegally transporting scrap metal in South Gloucestershire
  • Bristol woman fined over £700 for littering in South Gloucestershire
  • New North Filton rail station approved
  • South Gloucestershire Prevention Programme gets the go ahead
Categories
  • Business and economy
  • Chair
  • Children and Young People
  • Community
  • Digital inclusion
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Featured
  • Featured
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Housing
  • Leader's blog
  • Newsroom Email
  • Newsroom Email Featured
  • Transport

EDITOR PICKS

South Gloucestershire Council 2021/2022 Budget

Recover and Rise Budget will take forward council priorities and provide...

11th February 2021
Vehicles queuing for community surge testing for Covid-19 variant in Emersons Green

An update on surge testing in Bristol and South Gloucestershire

10th February 2021
Covid-19 Get Tested - community surge testing available - A mutation of the Covid-19 UK variant is present in parts of Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Everyone aged 16 or over without symptoms in eligible postcodes should get tested to help suppress this variant, and help protect their loved ones.

Two additional testing sites to open for community surge testing

9th February 2021

POPULAR POSTS

Vehicles queuing for community surge testing for Covid-19 variant in Emersons Green

Additional Community Testing for South Gloucestershire and Bristol

6th February 2021
Covid-19 Community surge testing

Further surge testing announced in South Gloucestershire

28th February 2021

First Covid-19 Community Testing Unit to open in South Gloucestershire at...

30th September 2020

POPULAR CATEGORY

  • Newsroom Email676
  • Community357
  • Environment209
  • Health and wellbeing187
  • Transport148
  • Business and economy141
  • Education127
  • Newsroom Email Featured47
  • Digital inclusion21
ABOUT US
FOLLOW US
©