A building contractor's shoddy work left five Bristol customers losing £184,000. Bristol Crown Court heard Simon Robbins' work was so bad it left some people living in homes which were close to collapse.
Robbins, 44, of Goffenton Drive in Fishponds, pleaded guilty to engaging in misleading commercial practice. The recorder Mr Adam Vaitilingam KC handed him an eight months jail term, suspended for two years. Robbins was also given a 10-year Criminal Behaviour Order designed to stop reoffending.
The recorder told Robbins: "The catalogue of misery you brought to people continued for over a year. It was reckless, misleading, fraudulent and repeated over a number of customers."
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Alan Fuller, prosecuting, said: "The prosecution contends that the defendant breached the requirements of professional diligence in several ways." He listed the breaches as:
- Carrying out work that failed to comply with building regulations
- Carrying out electrical work that left customers' properties unsafe
- Preparing and carrying out structural work that caused properties to be unsafe
- Carrying out work without reasonable skill and care
- Failing to comply with customers' reasonable instructions
- Leaving properties exposed and not watertight
- Not supplying goods and materials paid for in advance by customers
- Failing to make reasonable progress with work
The court heard between March 2021 and April 2022 Robbins traded as SJ Robbins Construction, carrying out building work. The case concerned five customers in the Bristol area who engaged him for work and faced issues arising from it.
Mr Fuller said a Downend woman was left with an unsafe electrical installation and a badly fitted kitchen. The homes of an Easton couple and their neighbours were left structurally unsafe, and another Easton customer was left with a property which was unsafe both structurally and regarding an electrical installation.
The court was told another customer's home was brought close to collapse after Robbins' work failed to comply with building regulations and he left it exposed to the elements for months. And work he did on a further home in Staple Hill was failed by South Gloucestershire Building Control on a number of points.
The prosecution said Robbins' five victims paid him £77,400 but spent £107.285.50 putting work right. That left them out of pocket in the sum of £184, 685.50.
'Perfect storm for builder'
Catherine Flint, defending, said the pandemic and related lockdown presented a "perfect storm" for her client, as well as relationship difficulties. Miss Flint said: "He began to drink, he took his eye off the ball in terms of his business."
Miss Flint said Robbins would "very much like to pay the money back" but was not in a position to. She said he was deemed to present a low risk of reoffending and, if he received a prison term, if would have an extremely detrimental impact on the two children he cared for.
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