COWBOY builders who conned vulnerable customers out of more than £1.3million has “ruined” the lives of their victims.
Samuel O’Hanlon demanded huge sums of cash from his victims, before leaving jobs unfinished and homes in disrepair.
Jack Sargeant worked under O’Hanlon, acting as an apprentice to his crimes.
Following an eight-week trial at Inner London Crown Court in March, the two men were convicted of several counts of fraud and of money laundering.
O’Hanlon, 45, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while 29-year-old Sargeant was jailed for five years and nine months during Wednesday’s hearing.
The men, both from Ashford, must serve nearly half of their jail sentences before they can be considered for release on licence.
A number of victims have now come forward, stating that red flags were missed and that authorities ignored warning signs.
They described their humiliation at the scam, saying how for many of them it had ruined their lives.
One victim, Elizabeth Hennessey, claimed O’Hanlon had devastated her late husband Paul’s final years.
The 83-year-old hired O’Hanlon to build a kitchen extension so Paul could still be in the garden despite his deteriorating health.
Instead, she says they were blocked from their home, which they owned for 40 years, for more than a year.
O’Hanlon insisted there were further issues to work on, and ultimately failed to complete the work he had been paid to do.
The couple ended up paying more than double the original £60,000 quote.
Hennessey told KentOnline: “We wanted this work done because my husband had said loud and clear: I just want to stay in my house and garden.
“But he died, and he never got back here.
“I’m certainly not saying O’Hanlon caused his death, but, as my daughter said, he ruined the last two years of Dad’s life.”
Paul sadly passed away in January 2022 without being able to return home.
The Inner London Crown Court heard how Trading Standards had provided warnings O’Hanlon in 2014 and 2015.
But in the following years, the men used three businesses to con more than £1.3 million from 12 different victims.
The pair swindled a total value of more than £2.4 million, including through fraud and money laundering.
Detective Chief Inspector Helen Smithers told KentOnline: “Kent Police takes all reports of fraud seriously and will always work closely with victims to investigate thoroughly.
“Rogue traders are often well-practised and convincing in their scams, and anyone can become a victim of these sophisticated schemes.
“Officers in this case worked with Mrs Hennessey in 2021 and kept her up to date on their investigation before it was transferred over to Trading Standards to progress.
“We hope the outcome of the investigation into the rogue traders responsible brings her some level of comfort.”
East Sussex County Council said: “We would like to reassure residents that we take reports of rogue traders extremely seriously and have successfully prosecuted many operating in East Sussex and surrounding counties,”
“While ownership of Trading Standards cases is decided on a case-by-case basis, if a local authority is already investigating offences, they will often take into consideration victims beyond their boundary as we have done on many occasions.”
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