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Serial fraudster moonlighting as roofer jailed after marching blind man to post office

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TrueBlueTerrier
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Serial fraudster moonlighting as roofer jailed after marching blind man to post office

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https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hu ... ed-5607701

Gerald Johnston will spend two years behind bars

A serial fraudster who preyed on elderly and vulnerable couples by ‘cold calling’ them has been jailed.

Gerald Johnston told victims they needed roofing work done and drove them to withdraw cash from their accounts to settle his inflated bills.

The fraudster cold-called a vulnerable couple in their 70’s in the Selby area of North Yorkshire where he spoke to a blind man, who has since passed away, telling him his roof needed work done.

The man, who explained to Johnston he could not see the condition of the roof, agreed to the work and a price of £250 was mentioned.

However, Johnston claimed there were other problems that needed to be sorted as he worked on the couple’s roof, quoting them a price of £500 to get it sorted.

After being told the work was done the victim handed over some cash and was then driven by Johnston to a village post office to withdraw more money.

This was to be Johnston’s downfall however as he was caught and identified on CCTV by trading standards who had been involved in investigating his previous offending.

Johnston was previously prosecuted for similar offences of fraud by Trading Standards in October 2017, receiving a 12-month sentence suspended for two years.

That sentence expired two days before Johnston cold-called the Selby couple.

A second couple, also in their 70’s, this time from the Doncaster area, were targeted that same week.

They paid Johnston £200 to £250 in case on the first day but Johnston returned telling them further works needed doing.

Although they expected a bill of £600 the final bill was £1,380 and Johnston once again drove an elderly man to withdraw cash to pay.

The roofing work carried out by Johnston was expertly examined by trading standards who concluded that the work was unnecessary and unwarranted.

Johnston, of Carlton Travellers Site near Goole, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and engaging in a misleading practice in March earlier this year.

York Crown Court heard that one of the victim’s believed Johnston to be a genuine bloke but Judge Hickey told him “you were nothing of the sort”.

Johnston was sentenced to two years in prison and was also given a five-year criminal behaviour order banning him from undertaking roofing or property repairs anywhere in the UK.


After the hearing, the widow of the Selby case said: “What this man did was despicable. My husband was vulnerable because he was blind and he trusted and believed him. I am also disabled.

When I look back I know my husband wasn’t stupid, so it just shows you what can happen if you deal with doorstep callers. I do not want this to happen to other people. My husband has since passed away so sadly he didn’t live to see justice done. He felt ashamed, betrayed and so let down.”

The Doncaster couple added: “I want to say to the public that people need to be aware of this type of offending. You must use someone who is recommended to you, a qualified builder rather than dealing with someone who turns up at your door.

“We trusted him, he seemed so jolly. He asked us if we were happy with the work, but we couldn’t get up on the roof to check. This has really affected us”.
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