'I'd treat you as I'd treat my mum' Alleged fraudster tried to reassure woman she was trying to con into buying £5,000 of paint, court hears

Julie Barrett, aged 50, a sales representative for Therma Seal (Thermal Coatings) UK, visited the woman at her Dudley home to try and sell her the special paint at a far higher price than was necessary.

The customer, who was then dealing with her stepfather's death, had been cold called by the company to arrange the visit for a 'free, no obligation quote,' during which the defendant initially offered the paint at more than £5,000 when it should have cost £788.

She told Wolverhampton Crown Court she was going away to visit her sons in Australia and asked the sales representative if she could delay a decision until after this trip in the hope she would go away.

But instead Barrett stayed at her home and only left once she had signed a contract to have the work done at a cost of just over £1,000.

"I said I did not want to make a decision until I had come back from Australia. I said I did not want to go ahead with having it done anyway. I really did not want to have the roof done and the lad said to me it would be a free, no obligation quote so I was hoping she would go away basically," she told the court.

She added her stepfather had a bond which was due to mature and she was dealing with his affairs at the time, adding she wanted to wait for this money before she committed to anything.

"She started at a high price. She said 'you remind me of my mum and you are on your own and I would treat you as my mum," the witness said.

She eventually agreed to pay a deposit in the hope she would leave, adding she thought there would be a 'cooling off period' when she would be able to cancel the contract.

Barrett, of Hewell Avenue, Bromsgrove and her co-defendants Alan Wilson, aged 54, of Fazeley Road, Tamworth and Christopher Wilkes, aged 45, of Tamworth Lane, Solihull have been charged with a combined 15 offences of fraud in relation to their work with Therma Seal (Thermal Coatings) UK.

They produced glossy brochures and leaflets containing a number of boasts about the thermal coating, including that it had been developed by space agency NASA to protect space shuttles from extreme temperatures, that it could reduce heat loss through the roof by 25 per cent and that they were members of the Guild of Master Craftsmen.

The trio, who have pleaded not guilty, are alleged to have preyed on eight victims aged in their 80s and 90s.

The trial continues.