Overview

• Tom Lee, 39, and Freddy Young, 27, were sentenced at Preston Crown Court on September 2 to two years nine months and two years five months after guilty pleas to fraud by false representation.
• The pair cold‑called at the victim’s Crawshawbooth home with a leaflet for a bogus firm, gave a verbal quote around £16,000, and then repeatedly pressed for further payments.
• Police attended after the victim’s bank flagged unusual withdrawals, finding three men at work while a fourth man believed to be Lee left before officers arrived.
• Investigators recovered Lee’s gloating voice notes and an expert valued the work at about £3,000, describing the workmanship as shockingly poor.
• The victim was left without a watertight roof for about three months and later paid roughly £15,000 to have the roof properly repaired, prompting calls from industry figures for tighter builder licensing.