A Pelaw builder, Anthony New, has been sentenced to prison for defrauding 10 victims of £44,000 through poor workmanship and false promises.
Pelaw: A builder named Anthony New has been jailed for fraud. He swindled 10 victims out of £44,000. New took large cash payments but didn’t finish the work.
He received a sentence of two years and five months. He must serve at least 40% of that time. New is also banned from being a company director for 10 years.
The trouble started in June 2021 when Trading Standards got the first complaint. New was operating as WR & Sons Building and Plumbing. More complaints followed about his poor work.
In November 2021, he was interviewed, and they decided to prosecute him. Even while this was happening, more complaints came in. He was using different names like EJS Group and Platinum Building and Plumbing.
New would take upfront payments, start some work, but then disappear. He made excuses like having a heart attack or claiming his family had to isolate due to Covid-19.
He pleaded guilty to 12 offences related to fraud and unfair trading. His victims lived in Gateshead, Newcastle, and North Tyneside.
In court, victims shared how his actions affected them. They faced extra costs to fix his shoddy work, and the emotional toll was significant.
Anneliese Hutchinson from Gateshead Council spoke out. She said fraudulent contractors can really hurt their victims. She praised the action taken against New and urged anyone with concerns to reach out to Trading Standards.
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