Court Rogue builder conned his victims out of £1.25 million

A ROGUE builder has been found guilty of defrauding over £1.25m from his customers in Bristol and beyond after more than 100 complaints were made against him.

- Molly SEAMAN

Mark Killick

Mark Killick, from Paulton, Somerset, was found guilty of 37 offences of fraud by false representation between 2019 and 2021. Killick, who was known to his customers as Marc Cole, used the money, approximately £1,270,000, to fund his personal travel and gambling.

The jury at Bristol Crown Court was told that Killick would request customers pay large sums of money upfront so he could purchase materials for the work. But the court was told he was running a ‘ponzi scheme', using the money to fund the work for customers who had paid him months before for jobs he had not completed.

He was also accused of not paying suppliers and contractors.

Killick’s company, TD Cole Ltd, started work for some customers but they would see no progress for weeks or months at a time, despite spending tens of thousands of pounds.