Posted on: 19 October 2023
Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service is warning rogue traders that if they break the law they will be prosecuted after Ambrose Christopher Reilly from Plymouth was jailed for a year.
Reilly, 48, was ordered to serve a one-year prison sentence at Plymouth Crown Court on Wednesday (October 18).
In August at Plymouth Crown Court Reilly, from Plymouth, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
In September 2019 Reilly cold called a consumer offering to undertake some painting work for £200 which he agreed to. Once the work had begun Reilly talked the consumer into re-rendering his home at a cost of £17,000 as the existing render was separated from the walls surface below or ‘blown’.
Trading Standards were called to the property and able to stop the work before it had fully begun. A surveyor employed by Trading Standards later examined the render and concluded that the work was unnecessary as there was no evidence the render was blown.
In June 2020 Ambrose Reilly cold called a consumer to do some remedial work on a bay window at an agreed price of £375.00 however over the following days, Reilly told another consumer that his property needed a new roof. The same surveyor examined that roof concluding that it did not need to be replaced.
The court heard that Reilly committed the offences while under a 15-month suspended sentence for an unrelated offence of affray and Judge HHJ Johnson activated this sentence.
The case was delayed in coming to Court due to Covid and was first heard in Crown Court at the end of January 2023 but was abandoned after three days due to juror sickness.
In summing up Judge HHJ Johnson said that one of the victims was blind and added: “You lied…in order to gain significant sums, for work that you knew was not required.
“These are made more serious (by previous convictions) including fraud by false representation including an elderly lady; then convicted of selling counterfeit goods and in respect of that, you received a custodial sentence…
“There’s nothing that persuades me to suspend the sentence. Your apparent lack of remorse means the only appropriate sentence is immediate custody.”
Alex Fry, Operations Manager for Heart of the South West Trading Standards, said: “This case has taken a long time to conclude but I hope it sends a clear message to rogue traders that where necessary we will put you before the Courts no matter how long it takes. I would like to pay tribute to the victims in this case for coming forward and reporting the incidents and attending court to give evidence.”