A craftsman is in hot water for swindling a 90-year-old man out of nearly £60,000 for garden work. This shady character managed to snag £42,000 for a fake grass lawn and an additional £12,500 for fresh concrete paving from the unsuspecting pensioner, Roy Wilcox.

The dubious builder tacked on extra charges, amounting to £900 for tree removal and £1,400 for a new fence. Exploiting Mr. Wilcox’s age, this scam only came to light when the pensioner’s bank flagged the colossal payments.

Despite having a clean record, the builder, whose name was withheld, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud at Reading Crown Court on January 2. The court granted a delay in sentencing to allow the scammer to arrange care for his ailing mother, who suffers from dementia.

The prosecuting lawyer pointed out the irony of the builder’s situation, considering the vulnerable nature of his victim. The judge emphasised the exploitation, stating that between November 2021 and April 2022, the builder shamelessly overcharged Mr. Wilcox for gardening services.

Mr. Wilcox was lured in by an advertisement for a company called MG Garden and Tree Services, offering free quotes and a discount for senior citizens in a local magazine. The court saw photographs depicting Mr. Wilcox’s dire living conditions, highlighting how unlikely it was for him to invest thousands in exterior work given his poor interior situation.

In a statement, Mr. Wilcox blamed himself for falling victim to the scam, expressing trust in the builder’s friendliness and workmanship. He regretted not investigating further or verifying fair pricing.

This incident follows another distressing case where a couple invested £115,000 in their dream home, only to be left in debt and living in inhabitable conditions for over a year after their rogue builder abruptly left, leaving their house incomplete and in disarray.