Rogue trio jailed over £880k scam

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Three builders from Kent who tricked dozens of vulnerable people out of a total of £880,000 have been jailed, one for eight years.

Canterbury Crown Court heard William Smith, of Greenhithe, his son Billy, of Dartford, and Tim Killick, of Maidstone, conned 43 people into having uneccessary works carried out on their properties.

A fourth man – Mark Baker, of Surrey – was also involved, however his whereabouts are currently unknown.

The court heard the trio would climb onto the roofs of their victims, damaging the property, before knocking on the door of the residence and offering to undertake repairs.

Police said the men would tell their often elderly victims they ran the risk of their house being condemned. They would then find other problems and continue work even after being asked to stop.

Smith was yesterday sentenced to eight years, his son 30 months and Killick four years. Baker will be sentenced when found.