A rogue trader has received a community order after pleading guilty to defrauding a vulnerable consumer in mid Ceredigion out of £4,600.
Peter Billydean Price of Broadmoor Nurseries, Kilgetty, in Pembrokeshire, pleaded guilty to two fraud offences while trading as Priced 2 Improve Property and Landscaping Services, following a case brought by Ceredigion County Council’s Public Protection Service.
Aberystwyth magistrates heard how in January 2022, Price dishonestly took payments totalling £4,600 to replace all the ridge tiles on the roof of the victims home after the victim placed an advert online looking for a roofer to contact him about the job.
The council’s prosecutor said Price, 25, had intended to make a gain for himself by making misleading written promises to the victim to replace all ridge tiles on the property for £4,600.
However, Price and his two male associates merely painted the existing ridge tiles in orange paint, which home CCTV captured the defendant arriving and leaving with paint and painting tools.
The CCTV showed Price and his associates had spent less than three-and-a-half hours at the victim’s home in total and Price ignored telephone calls from the victim following which left the victim helpless and turning to seeking legal advice.
As part of this investigation, Trading Standards Officers from the Public Protection Service also obtained evidence from aerial drone footage which enabled a Chartered Quantity Surveyor to conclude that Price was evidently not a professional, competent and reputable roofer as the quality of the work was unacceptable.
In fact, Price had merely used orange paint as a way to deceive his victim into the perception that new orange clay ridge tiles had been used.
Price’s solicitor stated that his client had relied on an ex-employee who had knowledge of roofing to lead on the job as in the main, Price’s work is primarily in ground work and paving. Price acknowledged the fee was excessive and was remorseful for his actions.
Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Protection, Cllr Matthew Vaux, said: “At a time when a lot of households are struggling financially, this case shows the valuable work undertaken by the Council`s Public Protection Service to protect individuals in our community against rogue traders, and in turn, bringing justice for those affected by these heartless criminals.”
On Thursday 20 July, magistrates sentenced Price to a 12-month Community Order with 150 hours of unpaid work, and 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirements (RAR) days. He was also ordered to pay £4,081 compensation to the victim, £1,000 prosecution costs, and £95 court surcharge.