A dishonest windows company boss swindled vulnerable elderly customers out of almost £40,000 by using aggressive sales tactics to convince them to pay upfront for work that was never carried out.
Serial conman Jonathon O'Grady was struggling with financial difficulties and a gambling habit. Hull Crown Court heard he also needed money to "keep women keen" by spending on "lavish trips and holidays".
O'Grady had a history of deceit, having previously been involved in a notorious scam featuring a gang of rogue builders who exploited a television advert starring Dot Cotton from EastEnders to defraud £1m from people seeking energy savings.
O'Grady, 38, of Blackburn Avenue, Bridlington, pleaded not guilty to 10 fraud charges against customers but was found guilty by a jury following a trial.
Oliver Shipley, prosecuting, said O'Grady operated a company called Grade A Home Improvements, with premises in Bridlington, reports Hull Live.
It dealt in window installations, glazing, repairs, conservatories and uPVC doors.
O'Grady took money for work that was never completed. All 10 of the victims were senior citizens, aged up to 92 at the time of the visits to them.
In some cases, O'Grady went "over and above" in his initial visits and quoted for work that was not wanted and persuaded them to have it done. "The defendant would not leave until a deposit, often 50 per cent, had been paid there and then," said Mr Shipley.
"This was in order to secure some discount." In some cases, he would even drive the customer to a bank to withdraw money."
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The court heard O'Grady outsourced the making and installation of the windows to other professionals while he spent his time looking for more customers. The work quoted for the 10 customers was never completed, reports Hull Live.
The prosecution said the money taken from customers was used to pay off debt, adding O'Grady's actions were "all acts of desperation or greed to fill a void and a desire for money."
When customers tried to contact him, he was "almost never reachable", and instead, a man with a "Scouse accent" called Paul would answer the telephone. "Paul has never been identified," said Mr Shipley.
O'Grady received nearly £40k from the 10 victims. They contacted the police and he was arrested on October 25, 2023.
Mr Shipley said O'Grady told police his business was failing and he was in debt, adding: "He accepted that he had a gambling addiction and a lot of money was spent on other women - those he was trying to appease with lavish trips and holidays.
"He accepted that his spending was lavish. The defendant denies that he was dishonest. He says that he fully intended to fulfil customer orders. He accepts his financial management was lacking.
"Clearly, it was dishonest. Even on his account, he was taking money to use elsewhere to keep women keen."
In December last year, O'Grady was given a two-year suspended prison sentence, with 220 hours' unpaid work, after being convicted at Leeds Crown Court of two offences of fraudulent trading. He was banned from being a company director for six years.
He was part of a group of rogue builders who used a TV advertisement featuring the EastEnders character Dot Cotton to swindle £1m from people seeking energy savings under a Government scheme. He and three other men offered services across Yorkshire and Derbyshire but left vulnerable residents in structurally unsafe properties because of their shoddy workmanship.
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They operated under various names and installed substandard, undersized and damaged windows in people's homes. Advertisements featured June Brown, who played Dot Cotton, and boxer Floyd Mayweather but neither of them had any knowledge of the crimes.
The fraudulent companies, which took advantage of a Government "Green Deal" initiative, cold-called customers and carried out poor quality work that resulted in damage to homeowners' walls and left large gaps.
Two other gang members, from Bradford, were jailed for six years and four months and for two-and-a-half years, to run consecutively to a sentence of seven years and 11 months he was already serving. A third man, from Bradford, was given 100 hours' unpaid work.
O'Grady had been on bail during the latest fraud trial but he was remanded in custody to await sentence.