A Gainsborough roofer has avoided jail and been handed a £10,000 fine for taking deposits without completing any work. Leon Mann of Pilgrims Way, Gainsborough, was handed a 16-month suspended sentence and fined at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday, May 20, 2022.
He admitted 12 offences under the Fraud Act 2006, following a nine-month investigation by Lincolnshire Trading Standards – which received complaints about Mann and his company, Gainsborough Roofing. Mann had been found to take 50 per cent deposits of between £500 to £2,750 upfront without carrying out any work.
Mann claimed the deposits were to buy materials and secure start dates, but the investigation showed as soon as they were paid into his account, they were spent on online gambling sites. Victims contacted Mann regarding the uncompleted work, but were given various excuses such as personal illness, family illness, adverse weather, vehicle problems and Covid.
According to Trading Standards, some victims said they initially found Mann charming, but he became aggressive and intimidating when they had to start chasing him up on work. In one case, Mann took more than £2,000 from a family to repair a leaking roof, but subsequently failed to carry out any of this work.
At the time, one of the occupants of the property was going through cancer treatment. Mann admitted 12 offences under the Fraud Act 2006 at Lincoln Magistrates Court.
Due to the number of victims, period of Mann’s offending, and the impact on the victims, the case was referred to Lincoln Crown Court for sentencing. On Monday, May 30, Mann was handed a 16-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years; ordered to pay compensation totalling £9,410 within six months, and; ordered to pay £2,500 to the prosecution within 12 months.
Tara Carter, senior trading standards officer at Lincolnshire Trading Standards, said: “The vast majority of Lincolnshire’s builders complete their work on time and to their customers’ satisfaction. When this is not the case and traders take money for inadequate work, or simply don’t do the work at all, then Lincolnshire Trading Standards team are here to protect residents from rogue trader activities.
“At the time of the offences, starting from December 2019 up to May 2021, Leon Mann was trading as Gainsborough Roofing. And, since December 2020, he was aware he was being investigated but still continued taking victims’ money with either no intention of doing any work, or doing work to shoddy standards.
“I’m pleased that the judge has recognised the severity of Mr Mann’s crimes and the impact he’s had on his victims, and most of them will be getting their money back.”
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