These pictures show the shoddy work of a “cowboy” builder whose £22,000 home ‘improvements’ were so bad they saw him sent to prison.
Leonard Price used a website – which a judge said was “laughably” called Ideal Home Improvements Wales – where he used photographs of projects from other companies and falsified ratings and credentials to attract customers.
The 48-year-old was paid £22,000 in cash to carry out work on a property in New Road in Cwmfelinfach, Caerphilly , which included adapting a basement into a suitable living space, building a staircase, damp-proofing and leak-proofing the basement, and installing exterior decking.
The work, which was carried out in 2017, has had to be completely redone which has cost the victim an extra £15,000 on top of the £22,000 he had already paid out to Price.
The damage caused by Price included putting concrete and rubble into a manhole in the basement which turned out to be the sewage system. This caused sewage to back up into the house’s plumbing.
Price pleaded guilty to 14 counts of engaging in commercially misleading practice, three counts of fraud, and one count of undertaking a deceptive practice.
Sentencing Price at Newport Crown Court Judge Daniel Williams said: “The victim was taken in by the website and then when he met you he was taken in by you.”
Judge Williams went on to describe Price as a “cowboy” who “showed a total disregard for the health and safety of the occupants”.
Prosecutor Matthew Roberts read out a victim impact statement which described how the homeowner was unable to afford to pay someone else to do the work so carried it out himself which left himself and his family very distressed.
Mr Roberts told the court how a stud wall put up by Price was made out of chipboard and plastic bags. Judge Williams went onto describe how the severity of damage done by Price’s work was discovered as work was carried out to replace it.
The victim statement read: “The whole affair has had a detrimental effect to my life and the lives of my family. The work he did was worse than we first thought.”
Mr Roberts also read part of a report from a building surveyor who carried out an inspection of the work. The surveyor said: “There were a number of failings in relation to the work done on this property. The contractor appears not to understand basic construction.”
Mitigating on behalf of Price, Donal Lawler asked the judge to consider giving him the opportunity to recompense the victim in full, which he claimed could take up to eight months and would be a collection of monies from the defendant’s extended family. But the judge concluded such a would be unlikely due to Price’s lack of assets.
Mr Lawler told the judge: “In a conversation between myself and the defendant it came to light that the prospect of prison terrifies him.”
Price, who was formerly known as Leonard Jones, was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
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The defendant, of Rose Cottages in Pontypool , has also been ordered to pay £5,000 in compensation to the victim.
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