12 rogue builders gang members jailed for more than 63 years

As the last of the 22-member gang were brought to justice by a York-based team and were sentenced, more details have emerged of their crimes.

The gang pressurised homeowners across the North East, Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire to pay vastly inflated prices for unnecessary or poor-quality roofing and building work, then hid their ill-gotten gains in a web of bank accounts.

More than £1 million was taken from 43 victims by a network that carried out unnecessary building work.

The money was extracted between May 2021 and August 2024, following cold calls to homeowners across Northumberland, County Durham, Teesside, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

Members of the national trading standards regional investigation team based in York  found that the network also used bank accounts to move and disguise money taken from victims.

The fraud usually began with an approach about a small job, such as clearing gutters or replacing a roof tile. Once work started, homeowners were told that further repairs were needed urgently.

Prices then rose to thousands, or tens of thousands, of pounds. Officers said people who were older, isolated or living with ill health were targeted.

One victim, a woman in her late 70s from New Marske, first agreed to repairs to her garage roof after being cold called by Frederick Finney.

She was later persuaded that her main roof needed replacing. During the following year, she paid £94,700.

A chartered building surveyor later found the work had been carried out very badly and valued it at £3,107.

Another woman in her late seventies from Sheffield, was approached repeatedly while her husband was terminally ill and after his death.

Finney later cold called her using the name “James”. He returned with flowers and chocolates, called her his “nicest customer” and told her he “wouldn’t take advantage of her or scam her”.

Finney was also reported to have told her that she was his nicest customer. In total, she paid £133,400 for work later valued at £3,350.

On the final day of the lengthy sentencing hearing, eight defendants were sentenced.

As The Press reported yesterday, 14 were sentenced earlier this week.

They included Finney 48. previously of Bickerton, between York and Wetherby, who was given six years and nine months immediate imprisonment  after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to convert criminal property..

In total over the whole hearing Judge Joanne Kidd  jailed 12 members for a combined  63 years and 3 months. The rest received suspended prison sentences.

The last to be sentenced were:

Shane Farrow, 33, of Birch Close, Stokesley, was jailed for six years and three months after admitting conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to convert criminal property.

Thomas Winter, 34, previously of Guisborough, was jailed for 42 months after admitting conspiracy to convert criminal property.

The following all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to convert criminal property.

Gang members and money launderers Chelsea Bayliss and Serena Robertson (Image: National Trading Standards)

Ryan Watson, 27, of Darnton Drive, Middlesbrough, received a two-year sentence suspended for two years, as did Serena Robertson, 25, of Hebron Road, Stokesley and Chelsea Bayliss, 24, of Allen Court, Stokesley, Nicole O’Brien, 36, of South Parkway, Seacroft, Leeds, and Ben Ware, 34, of York Road, Tadcaster,

James Hope, 37, of Gainford, Gateshead, received a 12-month sentence suspended for two years.