Con-man builder must repay £71k

A ROGUE builder who fleeced customers out of almost £150,000 after failing to finish any work has been ordered to pay back £71,000 despite benefiting by £374,000.

- PHILIP DEWEY

He left one of his customers considering suicide and others in financial hardship as he enjoyed foreign holidays and golf trips.

Paul Atkinson, 46, of Porthcawl, was employed him to build extensions and orangeries at properties - but after the money was transferred he became difficult to reach, ignored requests for refunds and made subtle threats when customers wrote bad reviews.

The defendant operated using the company names Protecta Home Improvements and Protecta Design & Build Ltd and went on to use the company name MET Construction Ltd. His website claimed the company had offices in Bridgend, Cardiff, Swansea and Bristol but this was a lie.

At a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court last year, prosecutor David Elias KC said Atkinson appeared to be "open, professional and knowledgeable about what he was going to do" on first meeting his customers and communication would be "prompt".