Final defendant sentenced following Trading Standards investigation

The final defendant in a case dating back to 2018 has been sentenced for their role as an accomplice in carrying out fraudulent roofing works.

Sukhdeep Singh (43, Buckinghamshire), works as a roofer and has a company called Roof Masters West London Ltd, and would also often work as a subcontractor for others.

In this particular case Mr Singh worked as a subcontractor for James Smith (28, Cranleigh, Surrey) and Timothy Draper Smith (52, Staines), both of whom were sentenced on 19^th January 2021 for fraudulent activities. Mr Singh then remained as the sole defendant.

The fraudsters would usually target different premises with elderly and vulnerable owners, offering to clean their gutters, and the consumers on this occasion were aged 82 and 89.

The elderly residents lived together in a detached house in Great Bookham, Surrey. They received a leaflet from a roofing company in November 2018 offering gutter cleaning for £39, and reached an agreement with Smith and Draper Smith to carry out these works. Mr Singh was the lead roofer for this.

However once on the roof, workers began damaging tiles before later charging £7,000 to rectify the damage. The cheque was made out in favour of Mr Singh’s company. The work took less than a day to complete.

The prosecution expert assessed the market rate value of the actual work done at the property to be £60.

At Amersham Crown Court on the 19^th April, Mr Singh was sentenced as follows:

• Fine – £2,250 fine payable within 28 days.
• Costs – £7,000 payable within 28 days. (This sum currently sits with his instructing solicitors).
• Victim surcharge payable.

Kevin Deanus, Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Community Protection said: “I am pleased this reckless and irresponsible individual has been brought to justice.

“Both Mr Smith and Mr Draper Smith got the punishment they deserve last year, and I’m glad now that Mr Singh has too. As this proves, traders cannot escape criminality by saying they were only involved as a sub-contractor.

“This case started back in 2018, and its conclusion is thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Trading Standards officers. Together we will continue to ensure we keep the residents of Surrey safe.”

For the original press release on the sentencing of Smith and Draper Smith in January 2021, please see here – Trading Standards investigation leads to three year sentence for fraudsters | Surrey News (surreycc.gov.uk). For more information and advice, visit surreycc.gov.uk/tradingstandards.