• 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 trader handed 20-month prison sentence following ‘mean and nasty offences’
  • Community
  • Newsroom Email

Rogue trader handed 20-month prison sentence following ‘mean and nasty offences’

By
Editor
-
21st October 2021
0
1726
Share on Facebook
Tweet on Twitter

A rogue trader who stole £1,200 from a Bradley Stoke pensioner has been sent to prison for 20 months after an investigation by South Gloucestershire Council’s Trading Standards linked him to a further theft offence.

James O’Driscoll, 59, of Northwood Park in Winterbourne appeared before Bristol Crown Court for sentencing on 14 October after earlier pleading guilty to two charges of theft.

The case was pursued following a complaint received by Trading Standards in August 2020 about a cold caller at the house of an 80-year-old Bradley Stoke resident, who made an agreement to clear her back garden, re-fence it and build a summer house there. The caller had taken £1,200 up front for materials, carried out very little work to clear her garden and then disappeared.

Trading Standards identified the offender as James O’Driscoll and were soon able to challenge him and offer him the opportunity to re-pay the £1,200, but he failed to do so.

During the investigation, Trading Standards also established that Avon and Somerset Police were keen to speak to O’Driscoll regarding an incident in March 2020 where he was alleged to have removed a Toyota Hilux vehicle from a church car park on a recovery vehicle.

It was quickly established that O’Driscoll had no permission from the owner of the vehicle to remove the car from the church car park in Easton in Bristol where it was being stored for the owner, following the sudden death of her husband while visiting Bristol from Portugal.

Further investigation revealed that the car’s owner had been able to contact O’Driscoll at the time on a telephone number from a business card he had left when challenged in the church car park. O’Driscoll had told the owner that he had found the car and that it was now in a scrap yard, but if she paid him £1,000 he would return it to her.

Trading Standards agreed with Police that they would prosecute both allegations of theft and, after O’Driscoll repeatedly failed to turn up at court he was remanded in custody prior to his sentencing.

In court the judge commented that O’Driscoll had avoided both victims’ attempts and those of Trading Standards to resolve the matters without the need for prosecution. He further commented that the offences were ‘mean and nasty’ and that O’Driscoll had a history of similar behaviour. He added that O’Driscoll had left the garden of his 80-year-old victim like a ‘desert essentially’ as clearly he had decided he could get away with it because of her vulnerability.

South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Local Place Cllr Rachael Hunt said: “We do not tolerate rogue traders here in South Gloucestershire and we will not hesitate to prosecute anyone who operates in this manner. We take a very robust approach to vulnerable residents being targeted in such a way and want to send a clear warning to anyone that does, that we will track you down and we will take you to court.

“We encourage our residents to only deal with trusted tradesmen and to make all agreements in writing.”

Anyone wishing to report rogue trading to Trading Standards can do so by calling 0808 223 1133.

  • TAGS
  • prosecution
SHARE
Facebook
Twitter
  • tweet
Previous articleConsultation dates announced for Charfield Station plans
Next articleNew homes and primary school for Warmley on old Grange School site
Editor

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Sort It centre slip road gets green light as planning permission granted

Councillor Steve Reade at the M49 junction

Council continues to push forward with M49 link road

People celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, wearing hats and with bunting on the ceiling

Cambrian Green Day Services host Jubilee street party

Recent Posts
  • Innovative and more efficient way to report potholes and issues with roads launched in South Gloucestershire
  • Sort It centre slip road gets green light as planning permission granted
  • Communities in Severnside invited to help shape future of the area
  • Empower parish councils to spark a community-led nature revolution, urges council leader
  • Council continues to push forward with M49 link road
Categories
  • Business and economy
  • Chair
  • Children and Young People
  • Community
  • Digital inclusion
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Featured
  • Featured
  • Health and wellbeing
  • 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 Email650
  • Community329
  • Environment183
  • Health and wellbeing174
  • Transport137
  • Business and economy124
  • Education121
  • Newsroom Email Featured47
  • Digital inclusion21
ABOUT US
FOLLOW US
©