A rogue plumber exposed on TV for his reckless and shoddy workmanship has been jailed for 16 months.
One gas boiler installation by Rick Goldthorpe, 34, was so unsafe that a woman was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes within hours of his visit.
Another homeowner was £7,000 in debt due to his poor work while a third person’s house smelled of gas when he returned from holiday, a court heard.
Goldthorpe answered Facebook plumber requests then used a false name and wore a Gas Safe T-shirt to falsely convince victims he was a registered engineer.
He asked to be paid in cash then blocked callers who complained.
Investigators found 75 defects, including several dangerous ones, when they examined his work at seven properties across the North West and North East of England plus Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset.
The “cheeky chappie” was exposed on the Rogue Traders part of BBC’s Watchdog last year – and made an impression by showing off his builder’s bum.
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Goldthorpe, of St Helens, Merseyside, admitted safety offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Sentencing Judge Bernard Lever told him: “You should be ashamed of yourself for the tally of damage and inadequate workmanship.”
He added: “You are a person who just doesn’t mind lying and you don’t mind risking people’s safety, too. You are a thoroughly dishonest person and highly reckless with your attitude.’’
The court heard Goldthorpe was warned in 2014 to get himself registered as Gas Safe.
