Electrician ripped off council for shoddy work

Contracts handed to him by girlfriend who worked for city

- CARL JACKSON News Reporter

AN electrician charged thousands of pounds for 'shoddy' work in homes after his council worker girlfriend had illegally handed him contracts, a court heard.

Sole trader Steven Millard carried out various sub-standard jobs on two properties being looked after by Birmingham City Council, despite the fact his Solihull-based Trace Contracts business was not one of the authority's approved contractors.

Part of his racket was to charge £350 for pest control treatment when all he did was buy 'Big Cheese' rat poison worth £3.

The 40-year-old was given the jobs by his then partner Deborah Whalley, who was alleged to be behind a much wider fraud. She died before she was due to go on trial, Birmingham Crown Court was told.

Millard, of Framefield Drive, Solihull, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and admitted a further charge on behalf his company.

He was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two years while Trace Contracts was handed a nominal £10 fine. He was also ordered to carry out 35 days of rehabilitation activity, 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £5,000 in costs.

Ms Whalley had worked in the council's Funerals and Protection of Property Team, which takes care of vulnerable people's homes in the event they are not able to live there if taken into care.