A COWBOY builder who scammed a family out of £36,000 was jailed after being caught partying with the cash in a nightclub.
Jason Brice was hired by Jamie Fagan, 46, to build a loft conversion for her sons, who both have special needs.
Jamie and Noah Fagan were left ‘devastated’ after their home was wrecked[/caption]
Jason Brice left the project unfinished and unsafe[/caption]
The couple forked out £36,000 on the home improvement plan[/caption]
The new project included a bathroom and wet room to accommodate her teenagers’ additional requirements.
A spare room was also necessary for a carer to stay overnight as the children, aged 14 and 17, got older.
The family designed their loft extension with hopes it could be used as a living space for their sons, who “may never live independently.”
The mum-of-two trusted rogue tradesman Brice, only to be left with “shoddy” unfinished work and a leaking roof.
Brice disappeared, blaming mental health and family issues.
But Jamie and her partner Noah, 48, were gobsmacked when they saw the cowboy builder on social media partying and splashing their cash.
He was sentenced to eight months in prison at Bristol Crown Court last month after admitting three offences under Consumer Protection legislation.
The court also heard the Fagan family were not Brice’s only victims.
Speaking after the sentencing Jaime, from Bristol, said they lived through “years of hell”.
She said: “He had disappeared, leaving us with a hole in our roof. When I saw the pictures of him out and about at Pop World, and the Brean holiday site, spending our money with his friends, I felt completely sick.
“He had taken us for fools. He had played on our insecurities to take our money for a good time.
“He was aware this was all the money we had. He knew what a negative impact this would have on our family, and he did it anyway.”
Jamie said they’ve been left to pick up the pieces for three years, after Brice abandoned the project – which was only supposed to take eight weeks.
The mum-of-two said the ordeal has been “devastating” to their mental and physical health.
She told how Brice had met her children and posed as an “understanding and sympathetic” builder who was aware of their “complex needs” and “financial pressures”.
He even told the couple he had a child with disabilities himself to earn their trust.
What are my rights if I have a problem with building works on my home
According to Citizens Advice, if you’ve had work done to your house and there’s a problem cause by the trader, you should be able to get it fixed OR get some of your money back.
They suggest talking to the trader and coming to an agreement – but before doing so:
- gather any paperwork and receipts
- take photos to use as evidence of the problem
- make notes about what’s happened, including dates and times
Then, depending on the type of your problem you are entitled to different things.
For example, if the trader hasn’t done a good job and you gave the go-ahead before October 1, 2015, you can ask for a partial or full refund if they can’t or won’t fix the issue.
You can find a full list of issues here and your rights as a homeowner.
“This wasn’t about adding value to our home, it was about making it a safe and suitable home for our disabled children long term,” Jamie added.
But the self-employed mum-of-two recalled Brice’s attitude changing the moment contracts were signed.
She claimed they were constantly gaslit about the time it was taking for work to be completed.
In one instance, Brice became “aggressive and threatening” to Jamie over WhatsApp while Noah was away.
She said she “genuinely felt scared” in her own home, knowing the tradesman had a key to the property.
Brice originally told the couple he was taking a month off for mental health.
But he never returned and his contact numbers were changed, leaving him unreachable.
‘HE WAS OUT PARTYING AND SPENDING ALL OUR MONEY’
The family were forced to fork out an eye-watering £20,000, on top of the original £36,000 they’d paid Brice, to complete the work.
Jamie was forced to find a new job with more hours, while the couple also relied on relatives and friends for financial support.
“After we hadn’t heard from him in ages I just started checking out his Facebook and could see all these pictures of him out with his mates,” said the mum-of-two.
“The Pop World pictures all had dates and were over the last month when he claimed he had mental health issues.
“But he was out partying and spending all our money.”
Jamie reported Brice to the police, who told them it was a civil matter.
The Trading Standards took on their case and found more people had been targeted by the fraudster.
Upson being sentenced last month, Brice shouted: “What, I am going to prison, is that really necessary?”
Jaime said: “The way he reacted to the prison sentence showed he had no remorse and did not think he had done anything wrong.
“We felt we had done our due diligence, he had a registered company, had references and was on Checkatrade.
“But it was all fake and we just did not realise it at the time.”
The couple caught Brice out partying on social media after he had claimed mental health issues[/caption]
Brice was jailed for eight months[/caption]
Source
