A teenager has been fined for trying to overcharge a man by more than £1,500 for roof repairs on his County Durham home.
Johnboy Watson Harrop quoted his victim a price of £2,100 to carry out the "unnecessary" work on his home in Crook but an investigation revealed he had only done £500 worth of work.
The 19-year-old, who was acting under the name JH Rooflines, cold-called the victim at his home in August 2020, offering his services.
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And when the victim mentioned an issue with a rear bedroom ceiling which showed a damp patch, Harrop inspected the ceiling of the house.
Harrop went on to quote a price of £2,100, providing an invoice which the resident agreed to pay and the following day, Harrop and two other men arrived to carry out roofing work.
The resident said the workmen arrived with no equipment and had to ask for ladders and a saw.
Later that day, the victim went to a bank to withdraw money to pay Harrop but he was queried by a bank assistant who then contacted the police.
Police attended the victim's home and found the two men present but Harrop was not on site.
One of the men rang Harrop, who attended a short time later for an interview with the police.
An investigation was launched by Durham County Council’s Trading Standards team, with a survey of the property carried out by an expert, who assessed the value of the work to be just £500 in total.
The works carried out by the defendant were deemed entirely unnecessary as it had not remedied the problem, which still remained an issue.
Harrop of Addison Road, Bishop Auckland, was charged with exerting undue influence on the consumer’s circumstances in carrying out unnecessary roofing work on the property and contravening the requirements of professional diligence.
He pleaded guilty to both charges in a hearing at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard that Harrop was working on behalf of his father’s business at the time of the offences and his father has now taken back control of the firm.
His defence solicitor added that the offences were not sinister and that Harrop had got his budgeting wrong when agreeing the work on the house.
Harrop was fined £562, reduced from £750 due to his guilty pleas, and was also ordered to pay costs of £1,506 and a victim surcharge of £56.
Joanne Waller, Durham County Council’s head of community protection services, said: "The work undertaken in this case was significantly overcharged and unnecessary.
"It could have left the victim paying over £1,500 more than was needed to fix the issue at his property, which was still not remedied after Mr Harrop’s visit.
"Our Trading Standards team will always seek to support legitimate traders and protect consumers while taking the necessary action against those who mislead residents."
