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Cowboy roofer conned 76-year-old out of £11,000

A fraudster conned an elderly man into paying him £11,500 for dodgy roof work, a court heard.

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David John Allen cold-called the 76-year-old victim from Rugeley in June 2014.

Staffordshire trading standards officers said after successfully gaining work once, Allen kept going back to extort more money from the vulnerable man.

Allen, aged 56, from Kingshurst in Birmingham, kept overcharging for the work which was found to be of a poor standard, Stafford Crown Court was told.

He also lacked the right paperwork.

Staffordshire County Council brought a prosecution against him under the Fraud Act.

On Tuesday he pleaded guilty to 'dishonestly making a false representation in order to make gains for himself' to the tune of £11,500.

Staffordshire Police officers gave evidence in court and the force has since described Allen's actions as 'despicable'.

Special Sergeant Kevin Lee said: "Allen targeted a man who was in vulnerable circumstances and cynically tried to extort money out of him. This was a despicable crime.

"He cultivated a friendly relationship with him so that he could cheat him out of his money.

"Protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities is a priority for Staffordshire Police. I'm pleased Allen has decided to plead guilty and save his victim from having to testify in court."

The county council has also used the case to warn other people about the dangers of cold-calling traders.

Trading standards leader Gill Heath said: "The main role of our trading standards team is to support businesses and help them to trade responsibly.

"They will also do all they can to make Staffordshire a safer place and stop criminals who target people in their homes. More advice is available on the national Citizens Advice website."

Allen will be sentenced on January 17.

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