London cowboy builder who fleeced victims out of over 100,000 jailed

"Protecting residents from rogue traders is one of our top priorities, and I'm proud of the work our Trading Standards team and TRIT have done to secure this outcome. This sentence sends a clear message that we will not tolerate those who exploit people in their own homes. We will now push ahead with confiscation proceedings to ensure the proceeds of these crimes are recovered."

"Taylor's acts as calculated, repeated offending that saw people exploited in their own homes. Time behind bars sends a clear message that those who set out to defraud homeowners will be investigated thoroughly and held to account. I would urge anyone concerned about a trader's behaviour to report it so others are protected from similar harm."

"Over a period of two years, Taylor took on six building projects, for which he took payment, before demanding additional money and then abandoning the work, often leaving the homes in a dangerous or barely habitable state. Taylor, who was described as a cowboy builder in court, worked under a number of aliases to conduct his scams, including Aaron Stokes, Paul Smith, and Aran Taylor, to obscure his identity. He also created fake company names, including Elite Master Contractors Ltd and EMC Building & Landscaping Ltd, to appear legitimate to prospective customers."

A London-based builder defrauded homeowners of more than £100,000 by taking payments for six building projects, then demanding extra money and abandoning work. The abandoned jobs often left houses in dangerous or barely habitable condition. The builder operated under multiple aliases and created fake company names to appear legitimate to prospective customers. A joint investigation by Barking and Dagenham Council Trading Standards and the National Trading Standards Tri-Regional Investigation Team led to prosecution. The builder received a concurrent three-year prison sentence and authorities will pursue confiscation of criminal proceeds under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Officials urged reporting suspicious trader behaviour.

Read at www.standard.co.uk