Four fraudsters who offered substandard home improvement services, ripped off victims and exploited the Government’s Green Deal funding initiative to the tune of more than £1m have been sentenced following a National Trading Standards (NTS) investigation.
The group, operating as ‘Pilkington Home Improvements’, supplied and fitted windows and doors, targeting victims across Yorkshire and Derbyshire between April 2017 and August 2019. They used fake names to hide their true identities, secured business by misrepresentation, knowingly delivered defective services and persuaded customers to pay with substantial deposits for substandard work.
They also used a misleading advertising campaign featuring actress June Brown, better known for playing the character Dot Cotton in EastEnders. The advertisements enticed customers to contact them, at which point the group began their pushy sales techniques.
In many cases, the windows they installed were of poor quality, often arriving undersized and damaged. They were often installed badly, causing damage to homeowners’ walls and leaving them with large gaps between the windows and the walls.
One victim, an 80-year-old man, paid £89,000 for work that – if completed to a satisfactory standard – should only have cost £46,000. Instead, he was left significantly out of pocket for work which left his home in a dangerous condition.
Another victim hired the company after being told he was eligible for a ‘special offer for over 70s’. The victim was pressured into paying the £1,325 deposit for work which was never started.
The defendants, who were prosecuted following an investigation led by the National Trading Standards Yorkshire and Humber Regional Investigations Team hosted by City of York Council, were convicted of a variety of fraud and proceeds of crime offences.
Zulkernan Mahmood (36), of Pasture Lane, Bradford, was sentenced to six years and four months imprisonment, handed a 10-year criminal behaviour order (CBO) and disqualified from being a company director for 14 years.
Rehan Yousaf (47), of Branshaw Gardens, Bradford, was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment (to run consecutively with a sentence of seven years and 11 months that he is currently serving), handed a 10-year CBO and disqualified from being a company director for 12 years.
Jonathan O’Grady (37), of Blackburn Avenue, Bridlington, was handed a two-year suspended sentence, ordered to complete 220 hours of unpaid work and disqualified from being a company director for six years.
David Goody (54), of Thompson Avenue, Bradford,wasordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and disqualified from being a company director for three years.
A fifth man, Jordan Coalby (31), of Stuart Avenue, Bacup, Lancashire, failed to attend court and an arrest warrant has been issued.
NTS Chair, Lord Michael Bichard, said: “These men left many people with extensive remedial works required at their homes; some were left living in structurally unstable properties with no viable means of repairing the damage done due to the financial losses they incurred.
“Today’s sentencing follows a lengthy investigation by Trading Standards Officers, and I would like to extend my gratitude to them for their hard work in bringing this gang to justice.
“We urge consumers to stay vigilant about home improvement scams – watch out for anybody trying to pressurise you into parting with your money and always seek advice from trusted friends and family members. Criminals are always seeking new ways to exploit people’s concerns for their own gain, and with many people considering making their homes more energy efficient, these types of scams remain a real threat.
“If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, please report it to the Citizens Advice consumer service helpline by calling 0808 223 1133.”
Councillor Jenny Kent, Executive Member for Environment at City of York Council, said: “Our Trading Standards team investigations are helping secure justice for innocent people and are a warning to anyone considering exploiting homeowners that they will be caught. Home and energy efficiency improvements are vital for people to have warm, low-cost homes, and it is really damaging if peoples’ trust is eroded by a small number of criminals.
“Our dedicated team is committed to upholding people’s rights, enabling confidence in decent suppliers, and ensuring that those who seek to cheat people and erode that trust are brought to justice.”
