July 24th 2024.
Recently, photographs have emerged of shocking construction work that was carried out by a deceitful builder in Cornwall. The builder, who went by the name of 'Jesse James', has been sentenced to 16 months in jail for scamming customers out of a total of £90,000. It seems that Leonard Jesse James Richards, aged 24, truly embodied his namesake as an infamous outlaw in America's history, known for his bank and train robberies that have become legendary tales.
However, unlike the revered outlaw, Richards used his cunning and manipulation to cheat unsuspecting customers in Cornwall. He recently pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud, admitting to his deceptive tactics. The court heard that Richards had carried out shoddy roofing and building work at four different properties, leaving behind a trail of disappointed and frustrated homeowners.
One of his victims, who had hired Richards to convert their holiday home, described the result as a "scene of devastation". The builder had removed load-bearing walls without proper support for the roof, installed substandard plumbing, and left the electrics in a dangerous state. What's worse is that he had initially quoted a maximum of £10,000 for the work, but it ended up costing over £17,000.
In another incident, homeowners had hired Richards to clean the moss off their roof and clear their gutters, as well as make repairs to their garden room roof. However, the builder pressured them into replacing the entire roof, even though a simple repair would have sufficed. This led to a payment of £3,800 for new roof trusses, which Richards claimed were urgently needed. To add to his deceit, he created a fake invoice from a fictional timber frame company to reassure the homeowners that the trusses were ordered. However, the work never progressed, and the larger holes made by Richards during the demolition of the original tiles caused water damage when it rained.
When questioned about his lack of progress, Richards resorted to lying and claimed that his wife had passed away, using it as an excuse to avoid returning to the job. This claim was later disproved when officers spoke to his wife during their investigations.
During the sentencing at Truro Crown Court, Recorder Simon Levene expressed his disappointment in Richards, saying, "The victims paid a substantial amount of money to you, some for work that was not necessary, and in addition, it cost them to rectify your mistakes. The total amount paid to you was approximately £45,000, resulting in a loss of £90,000 for them. Your actions have caused immense distress and will have a lasting effect on your victims."
Councillor Martyn Alvey also spoke out against Richards' actions, thanking the team for their hard work in bringing him to justice. He stated, "We will not tolerate this kind of behavior. When traders fail to carry out their work to the required standard, we will take action to protect our citizens."
It is unfortunate that dishonest individuals like Leonard Jesse James Richards take advantage of unsuspecting customers and cause them so much distress and financial loss. However, it is reassuring to know that justice has been served, and measures are being taken to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
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