Builder jailed for defrauding 10 victims of £377,000

Summarised from BBC Leicester's report · Updated 4 Nov, 18:02 · Archive

A 72-year-old builder has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for defrauding 10 victims of more than £377,000.

Colin Ridley, 72, of Anstey, Leicestershire, has been jailed for six years and six months at Leicester Crown Court after admitting participation in a fraudulent business. He defrauded ten victims of £377,844 between 2019 and 2023 by accepting money for building projects that were poorly completed, significantly delayed or never finished. Leicestershire County Council trading standards found he pressured victims into withdrawing cash, demanded additional payments beyond agreed quotations, and failed to pass money intended for materials and subcontractors to those parties.

Defects across projects included inadequate foundations, uneven floors, poor brickwork, faulty roofing and substandard joinery. Several homeowners were forced to spend thousands correcting the work, while two properties required major demolition and complete reconstruction. Ridley was also made subject to a criminal behaviour order preventing him from working as a builder. The investigation began after a complaint about dangerous and substandard work on a domestic extension and found a pattern of similar complaints from householders across Desford, Glenfield, Leicester, Blaby and Derby.

Read the report

• Rogue builder jailed over £377,000 fraudThe council says 10 victims were defrauded in a "sustained and deliberate" effort.BBC Leicester · 4 Nov, 15:12

In this story: Colin Ridley · Leicestershire County Council · Leicester Crown Court · Anstey · Leicester

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