Footage shows woman, 83, conned by rogue traders

CCTV footage has been released showing an 83-year-old woman being conned by rogue traders who netted at least £880,000 by defrauding several vulnerable victims.

Nottinghamshire Police said Charlie Lee and James Cunningham turned up at the victim's house in Aspley, Nottingham, posing as workmen who had carried out roof repairs.

The footage shows the pair instructing the woman to write out a cheque as part of a scam, in which police said she was "deceived and repeatedly pressured" out of more than £30,000 between June and October 2022.

Cunningham and Lee were sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday alongside others who took part in the "high-pressure tactics and intimidation" of victims.

Police said the 83-year-old woman was one of 11 people, including five from Nottingham, who were visited at various times by the men between August 2021 and July 2023 demanding money for roofing repairs that were either not carried out or were substandard.

The exchange - the last in a series of payments from the woman to the men - was recorded on a covert camera installed by police in her hallway.

In a victim impact statement provided to police, the victim - who has since died - said: "I felt like I was being bullied and had no choice but to write them out the cheques.

"They intimidated me and would not take no for an answer, so I felt little choice but to give them what they wanted."

Police said the crimes followed the "same pattern" with victims initially being told they needed work doing to their roofs and then being charged "extortionate amounts for unnecessary or substandard work".

One of the other victims was a 67-year-old man from Nottingham, who lost £376,284 of his life savings after he was visited on numerous occasions between August 2021 and March 2022.

In a statement, the man said he felt he "had no choice" but to make the payments.

Cunningham, 41, of Cawley Lane, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and six money laundering offences, and was given a sentence of five years and 10 months.

He was eligible for immediate release on licence until the end of this period due to time already served.

Lee, 57, formerly of Mile Tree Lane, Coventry, was jailed for three years and 10 months after he pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.

Police said his son Ben Lee, 28, also had a "lead role" in the conspiracy.

He was jailed for four years and 11 months after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit fraud by false representation and to concealing, disguising, converting, transferring or removing criminal property.

Stephen O'Rourke, 56, of Meryhurst Road, Sandwell, Michelle Fox, 46, of Church Close, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, and Ben Lee's younger brother, Cole Lee, 23, of Mile Tree Lane, Coventry, were also sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday after assisting their co-defendants by laundering proceeds of the crime, police said.

O'Rourke's name was given to victims to make cheques payable to - amounting to more than £143,000 in total which was paid into his bank accounts.

He used the defrauded money to purchase seven Rolex watches and pleaded guilty to converting criminal property by means of transferring money from victims into a bank account and buying the items.

Fox admitted concealing, disguising, converting, transferring or removing criminal property, while Cole Lee pleaded guilty to acquiring criminal property.

O'Rourke and Fox received suspended sentences while Cole Lee was given a community order.

Police added it would be pursuing confiscation orders through the Proceeds of Crime Act, with a hearing scheduled for later this year.

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