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Five rogue tradesmen who ripped people off in Greater Manchester unmasked

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Householders believed they were tradesmen who could be trusted to carry out work on their property. But these rogue traders left innocent members of the public out of pocket. In some cases they overcharged for a poor quality job or pressurised people into having work done which they didn’t need.

In one case a trader even stole cash from a house while working on a job. These types of offence don’t always get the stiffest punishments – but they can cause huge inconvenience, if not misery to the victims. That means there is a significant public interest in reporting on their cases – so potential customers are fully informed before parting with any cash.

Curious about what’s happening in court? Read more of our round-ups here:

Patrick Brien

Patrick Brien

Landscaper Patrick Brien conned two householders out of thousands of pounds for work that was never finished. Brien, 46, fed the devastated victims a ‘series of lies’ and even told them to ‘stop stressing’ him.

Brien also issued threats before vanishing, taking their money and leaving their gardens a mess. Facing justice for his crimes, Brien then launched an extraordinary outburst, calling the judge a ‘muppet’ and an ‘a******e’ , and vowing not to pay compensation ordered by the court. Brien, of Rosette Walk, Swinton, was convicted after trial of four counts of fraud and three offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, two relating to professional diligence and one to misleading action.

Last month, Brien was jailed for 36 weeks following a hearing at Manchester Magistrates Court. He was also ordered to pay compensation order of GBP2,126 to one victim and GBP526 to the other. As he was led away Brien said to the judge: “You muppet.

I’m not paying you nothing. I’m not paying s**t. A******e.”

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Patrick Doherty, James Doherty and Platinum Home Improvements Ltd

They appeared at Tameside magistrates court

A home improvements company was fined for ‘shoddy, unnecessary and overpriced’ work.

Platinum Home Improvements Ltd was summonsed to attend court alongside its director, Patrick Doherty, 21, and employee James Doherty, 49. A householder complained about building work that the firm, based in Alvaston, Derby, carried out at his property in Heaton Mersey. Stockport Trading Standards said the work was ‘shoddy, unnecessary and overpriced’, and that the man was pressured into agreeing to work that he didn’t need.

The offences took place over a period of two to three weeks in January, 2021, the council said. The company and James Doherty, 49, pleaded guilty to six offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) for contravention of professional diligence and misleading omissions. Patrick Doherty, 21, pleaded guilty to four offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 for contravention of professional diligence and misleading omissions.

At a hearing at Tameside Magistrates Court last month, the pair were ordered to repay GBP12,747 to the man concerned, together with court costs and fines totalling GBP19,086.

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Desmond McKay

Desmond McKay

The Lelonek family trusted Desmond McKay, who they regarded as a friend. McKay, a builder, had a arranged to come to their home to fix a light. But McKay, 42, turned up early and made an excuse so he was able to steal a safe containing GBP6,000, which was in a cupboard upstairs.

Stephen Lelonek was not at his home in Moston at the time of the theft, and his wife Janet suffers from serious health issues which means she finds it difficult to climb the stairs. The money was being set aside to pay for a stair lift to make Mrs Lelonek’s life easier. The Leloneks had known McKay since 2015, and regarded him as a ‘trusted tradesman’.

He had completed work to their roof and windows before with no problem, and other neighbours had spoken positively of him. McKay, of Parkleigh Drive, New Moston, pleaded guilty to one count of theft. In January 2020, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to hand back the GBP6,000, paying GBP150 a month.

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Adam Priestley

Adam Priestley

Rogue builder Adam Priestley scammed dozens of householders out of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Priestley, 40, would respond to adverts posted online by people who wanted work done on their homes. But in almost every occasion he would take thousands of pounds from them, then fail to respond to messages and leave work half finished. Some of his victims, who spanned 58 households across Rochdale, Leeds, Bradford, Kirklees, Harrogate and Colne, said they were left suicidal and suffering with serious mental health issues.

Priestley, from Leeds, fraudulently took GBP473,166.96 between September 2019 and December 2021. In March he was jailed for five-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to 58 offences of fraud. “You are a dishonest and rogue builder,” the judge told Priestley before locking him up.

He added: “The misery you have caused is immeasurable.”

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