Rogue traders sentenced after conning vulnerable victims out of around £880,000

Footage recorded on a hidden CCTV camera shows the cruel actions of two callous criminals who defrauded a vulnerable 83-year-old woman over several months and took most of her life savings.   

Charlie Lee and James Cunningham took advantage of the woman's vulnerability by posing as workmen, pretending to have carried out repairs on her roof and demanding her to make cheques out for payment.  

Over a five-month period the pair defrauded her of more than £30,000, leaving her struggling to get by and pay her bills.  

This footage, recorded on a covert camera installed by police in her hallway, shows 57-year-old Lee and 41-year-old Cunningham instructing her to write a cheque out for £18,000 for claimed roofing work. 

They gave her a different name to pay the cheque out to – a money laundering tactic which was repeatedly used on other targeted fraud victims. 

It was the last in a series of events – between June and October 2022 - where she was deceived and repeatedly pressured into filling out cheques to pay for supposed work. 

In reality a visual inspection of her roof was to reveal that, at most, some mortar was placed along her ridge tiles. 

In a victim impact statement provided to police, the 83-year-old victim said: "I felt like I was being bullied and had no choice but to write them out the cheques. They intimidated me and would not take no for an answer, so I felt little choice but to give them what they wanted.   

"They have left me feeling unsafe in my own house and financially it has hit me hard as they have emptied my bank account. 

"I hope nobody else has to go through what I have and that these men do not get to treat people the way they have treated me." 

The woman, who lived in the Aspley area, died in April last year.  

She was the first of 11 householders, including five Nottingham residents, who were visited at various times by cold callers who demanded money and were paid for roofing repairs that were either not carried out or for work that was substandard.   

This wider case, which also involved additional fraudsters, took place between 1 August 2021 and 1 July 2023, with the total value of the fraud adding up to around £880,000. 

The victim who lost the most money - a 67-year-old Nottingham man - was deprived of £376,284 of his life savings after he was visited on numerous occasions between August 2021 and March 2022.

This was money he had saved up for 30 years as a pension pot – entirely derailing his retirement plan. 

In a victim impact statement the man, who made numerous payments for substandard and overcharged work, said he felt he 'had no choice' but to continue paying the men. 

Other vulnerable victims they conned out of money included a 97-year-old woman from Coventry who has since died (defrauded of £186,000), an 82-year-old man from Kenilworth, Warwickshire (lost £74,000) and an 80-year-man from Coventry who has since died (lost £37,000). 

The exploitation followed the same pattern, with victims initially being told they needed work doing to their roofs and then being demanded to pay extortionate amounts for unnecessary or substandard work. 

Other layers to the large-scale fraud included victims being told they needed to pay for additional work on their properties, a number of whom were also told they had to pay more because VAT hadn't been charged.

Some were conned into paying out even more, after the fraudsters told them they would need to do so in order to be entitled for refunds. 

Some victims were also threatened that previous roofing work would be removed if further payments weren't made. 

A sophisticated scheme was in place to launder the criminal proceeds.

This included offenders giving their victims different names to make cheques payable to in a bid to disguise what was happening. After the money went into these accounts it was then paid to the fraudsters. 

A detailed investigation was carried out which led to Charlie Lee's arrest, in Coventry on 18 November 2022, and James Cunningham's subsequent arrest, in Essex on 10 January 2023.  

They were duly charged with offences and both men appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Monday 15 June. 

Charlie Lee, formerly of Mile Tree Lane, Coventry, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, between 1 August 2021 and 31 May 2023.  

Cunningham, of Cawley Lane, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, between 1 August 2021 and 31 May 2023. 

He also pleaded guilty to six money laundering offences during the conspiracy period – these offences included spending cash from illegal activity on high-value vehicles. 

Another offender who had a lead role in the wider conspiracy was 28-year-old Ben Lee, the son of Charlie Lee, with evidence directly linking him to the case.  

Ben Lee, formerly of Mile Tree Lane, Coventry,  was also identified by a number of the fraud victims.    

Following Ben Lee's arrest he was then charged and pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit fraud by false representation, between 1 August 2021 and 1 July 2023. 

He also pleaded guilty to concealing, disguising, converting, transferring or removing criminal property, between 10 February 2022 and 17 December 2022. 

Each of these offenders had their own roles in the conspiracy and were sentenced on that basis. 

Other defendants in the case, who also appeared at the same court for sentencing on Monday 15 June, assisted by laundering proceeds of the crime. 

They were 56-year-old Stephen O'Rourke, of Meryhurst Road, Sandwell, 46-year-old Michelle Fox, of Church Close, Lutterworth, Leicestershire and Ben Lee's younger brother, 23-year-old Cole Lee, of Mile Tree Lane, Coventry. 

Stephen O'Rourke's name was given to victims to make cheques payable to – amounting to more than £143,000 in total which was paid into his bank accounts. 

O'Rourke knowingly converted proceeds of crime - money defrauded from one of the victims - by purchasing seven Rolex watches. These were later seized by police during a raid.  

He pleaded guilty to converting criminal property by means of transferring money from victims into a bank account and buying the watches.  

Fox, who was arrested in Nottingham on 21 December 2022, went on to plead guilty to concealing, disguising, converting, transferring or removing criminal property, between 1 August 2021 and 23 November 2022.   

She converted property, namely £16,413 in cash, by means of depositing cash into her bank accounts knowing or suspecting it to represent, in whole or part, the proceeds of criminal conduct.    

Cole Lee travelled to Nottingham with his brother as the pair visited victims and demanded payment for work. 

He pleaded guilty acquiring criminal property, namely £37,450 from one of the fraud victims. 

The offenders were sentenced to: 

• Ben Lee – jailed for four years and 11 months
• Charlie Lee – jailed for three years and 10 months
• James Cunningham – given a sentence of five years and 10 months in prison but was told he was eligible for immediate release on licence, until the end of this period, due to time already served
• Stephen O'Rourke – 21-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, 200 hours' unpaid work
• Michelle Fox – eight month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, 150 hours' unpaid work
• Cole Lee – 12-month community order, 40 hours' unpaid work 

Speaking after the sentencing Detective Constable Rich Evans, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "This conspiracy involved a substantial number of victims who were collectively conned out of around £880,000.   

"This group used relentless high-pressure tactics and intimidation to defraud these householders.  

"Some of them led lavish and luxurious lifestyles as a direct result of their criminality after bleeding their victims dry of their hard-earned savings without any remorse whatsoever.   

"They were put through very traumatic experiences, leaving them feeling helpless, alone, anxious, under significant financial pressure and feeling unsafe in their own homes."

He added: "Fraud has a devastating impact on people's lives, as clearly demonstrated in this case.  

“I hope this sentencing sends a clear message about how seriously police and the courts take such offences. 

"Deception and dishonesty of this nature will not be tolerated and we will investigate those who prey on elderly and vulnerable people in this manner and bring them to justice.” 

Detective Inspector Chris Berryman, the senior investigating officer in the case, added: "No stone was left unturned during our comprehensive investigation and we identified victims throughout the Midlands who were preyed upon by this group of organised criminals. 

"I want to recognise the dedication of former DC Eliot Longdon who worked tirelessly with a number of the vulnerable victims. Without his dedication and compassion we would not have secured this prosecution. 

"Sadly DC Longdon passed away before this case made it to court but he did an amazing job with DC Rich Evans whose innovative digital investigation skills resulted in placing the suspects at crime scenes via CCTV and complex mobile phone inquiries." 

Following Monday's sentencing, police will be pursuing confiscation orders through the Proceeds of Crime Act as well as considering applying for serious crime prevention orders relating to the case. 

For more information and advice about how to protect yourself from cold callers and other forms of personal fraud visit Advice about personal fraud | Nottinghamshire Police