Rogue Burton Latimer builder took thousands of pounds for work he never did

A Burton Latimer conman will have to repay £57,000 to his victims after taking cash for building work he never did.

Trevor Lawrence, also known as Trevor Fail, was caught out after victims reported his fraudulent actions to trading standards and Action Fraud.

The 58-year-old, formerly of Bakehouse Lane, had been trading under the name of Max Crest when he was supposed to carry out work at three properties – one in Leicester and two in London – between 2016 and 2018.

Leicester Crown Court heard how Lawrence, who now lives in Spain, obtained large sums of money but either never carried out the work or did it to a very poor standard. He also took payment for materials which he never provided or even purchased.

Investigations into Lawrence’s business began after a customer reported concerns to Leicester City Council.

In one instance the investigator was provided with a fake invoice for goods. Evidence also showed that Lawrence had submitted no tax returns during the period when the fraud was taking place.

The court heard how Lawrence had a long previous history of fraud offences committed under the name of Trevor Fail, had been made bankrupt on a number of occasions and was a disqualified company director at the time of the most recent offences.

This week he was jailed for two years, suspended for two years, after admitting fraudulent trading and must pay back £57,000 to the victims.

Leicester City Council’s trading standards manager, Ronald Ruddock, said: “Home improvements frauds cause a great deal of inconvenience and distress to the victims.

“It important that householders do not pay up front for works that have not yet been undertaken. Only pay after works are completed and do not transfer large amounts of money upfront in the hope of saving money further down the line.

“Make sure you carry out checks on the builders before employing them - information can be found on Companies House, the registry trust and you can make general searches of the internet and that the contract is in writing.

“We are pleased that in this case, the defendant will pay back money he took from the people he defrauded.”