Rogue traders targeted vulnerable pensioners

A ROGUE trader who drove around in flashy Mercedes while fleecing vulnerable pensioners out of their life savings has been sentenced to 10 years in jail.

- BY RACHEL SMITH

However, Steven Lee, 39, remains at large after failing to appear at court to face justice for his unscrupulous crimes.

Preston Crown Court heard how the roofer preyed upon elderly homeowners, using high-pressure tactics to part them with their money.

In some cases he persuaded them to have work done which was 'wholly unnecessary', and in others left their homes in disrepair, costing thousands to put right.

A second man, Eli Young, 40, who worked with Lee on three of his bogus jobs, was also jailed for four years when he appeared at Preston Crown Court last Thursday.

Between August 2019 and November 2020, Lee traded under the name Dedicated Roofing Solutions, offering repair work to customers in Stockport, Preston and Garstang. On some occasions he used aliases, including Lee Stevens and Lee Boswell.

Other times he recruited others, including Young to assist him in his unscrupulous trade.

Sentencing, Judge Ian Unsworth KC said the pair 'engaged in offending which was deliberately planned and heartless in its execution.'