Cowboy builder nicknamed 'Jesse James' fleeced homeowners out of £90k

A cowboy builder, named 'Jesse James', has been jailed for fleecing customers out of £90,000 for dodgy work.

Rogue workman Leonard Jesse James Richards, 24, has pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud and been imprisoned for up to 16 months after leaving a trail of devastation in his wake.

Conning customers across Cornwall, the defendant carried out roofing and building work at four different properties.

He carried out work to convert a holiday home, and in the words of the homeowner “created a scene of devastation”.

It was found that load-bearing walls were removed without adequate support for the roof, poor plumbing was enacted by Richards, and electrics were left in a dangerous state.

The work, originally quoted as costing a maximum £10,000, ended up costing homeowners over £17,000.

On another occasion, the Cornish homeowners were looking to have moss cleaned off their roof and gutters cleared. They were also seeking for the roof of their garden room to be repaired.

However, Richards pressured the residents to agree to replace the garden room roof, even though a repair was likely all that was needed.

He encouraged a quick payment of £3,800 to get new roof trusses made as quickly as possible and then created a fake invoice from a fictional timber frame company to provide false reassurance that the trusses were ordered.

Richards not only failed to progress on the work he promised but also caused further damage to the property. When he smashed down the original tiles, he created larger holes, resulting in water damage.

When questioned about his lack of progress, Richards falsely claimed that the delays were due to his wife’s death, which was disproved when officers spoke to his wife as part of their enquiries.

Sentencing him at Truro Crown Court, Recorder Simon Levene told the defendant, of Whitemoor, St Austell: “The victims forked out a lot of money to you, some for work that was not necessary and in addition it cost them to then rectify the works.

“The total paid out to you by them was approximately £45,000 and the cost to them overall was £90,000. That is £90,000 lost to them.

“The effect of what you did to them will be very long lasting. It is immensely distressing and disturbing for the victims, bearing in mind what you put them through.”

Councillor Martyn Alvey, cabinet member with responsibility for Public Protection at Cornwall Council, stated: “I thank the team for all their hard work in securing justice on behalf of the customers who not only lost thousands of pounds but were put through an awful lot of stress due to this man’s actions.

“We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour. Where traders fail to carry out work they have been paid to do to the required standard, we will take action.”