Cowboy builders pulled up widow's roof tiles - then charged her to repair them
Three cowboy builders charged a disabled 86-year-old widow £500 for roof repairs that were not needed, a judge heard.
She was deliberately targeted by the unqualified trio who made a cold call at her Dudley home on January 16, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
The vulnerable victim, who uses a zimmer frame and lives alone, was told they were working in the area - which was untrue - and had noticed the ridge tiles on the house were loose.
It later transpired that a neighbour had seen one of the trio climbing up a ladder to pull the tiles free, said Mr Mark Jackson, prosecuting.
Charlie Lee, aged 20, 19-year-old Nathan Smith and their 17-year-old accomplice - who arrived in a van with the name of a firm on the side - quoted £500 which was quickly reduced by £50 when the initial offer was turned down.
The victim grudgingly agreed because she was intimidated by the uninvited arrival of three men and wanted to get rid of them.
They refused a cheque and she only had £190 in the house so had to go to the post office to withdraw the balance.
She was driven by a friend but her hands shook so much she could not enter the pin number to activate her bank card.
When she returned home to tell the trio they took the £190 cash, wrote a receipt and promised to come back for the remainder of the money the following day.
Mr Jackson said: "The work did not need doing but they did not give her a chance to get a second opinion. She felt pressurised and anxious and only agreed to get rid of them.
"They did not make overt threats. Their presence was sufficient and she was left with no alternative but to hand over the money."
Trading Standard officers were alerted and were waiting with police when Lee from Justin Park, Market Harborough, Smith of Coventry and the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, arrived.
All three pleaded guilty to aggressive working practice. Lee was given four months detention in a Young Offenders Institution, the teenage received the same period on a detention and trading order and Smith - the only one without previous convictions - was handed a four month detention order suspended for 18 months with 70 hours of unpaid work, £750 costs and £63 compensation. The van they were using was ordered to be seized.
Recorder Nicholas Cartwright told them: "You sold her roofing service she did not need after pulling up roof tiles to deceive her and then over charged her for the work."
