Fraudulent roofers sentenced to 13.5 years for £208,000 scam

Eight members of an organised crime group have been sentenced to a combined total of 13 years and 6 months for defrauding East Midlands residents.

Victims lost more than £133,000 to the gang who attempted to charge more than £208,000 for roofing work that was often unnecessary and overpriced, and in some cases even caused damage to the roofs themselves before demanding payment to ‘fix’ it.

Arthur Draper (age 41) of no fixed address, John William Smith (age 45) of Tolney Lane, Newark, Nottinghamshire and Jake William Garrigan (age 29) of Holly Road Thorne, Doncaster, carried out the work and were found guilty of offences under the Fraud Act 2006 at Leicester Crown Court on 26 September 2025. They were also found guilty of money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. A further suspect and alleged worker in the case, Jason Matthew Moore (age 44) of no fixed address, failed to appear before the court and remains on the run and wanted by Leicestershire Police*.

Between November 2019 and March 2020, the conmen targeted vulnerable (often elderly or disabled) residents in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Staffordshire, cold calling them and claiming that work was needed on their properties to repair small roofing problems, that in some cases did not even exist. Once the gang had identified their victims, they would pressure them into agreeing to further work, sometimes by deliberately damaging the property, often the roof, leaving it insecure and vulnerable to the weather.

Due to the tactic of identifying low-cost remedial work, various standard practices such as cooling-off periods, contracts, or other paperwork were not offered or supplied. The fraudsters also concealed their identities by using false names, addresses, different company identities and telephone numbers.

Work that was carried out was undertaken to a poor standard and the money that was charged was at grossly excessive rates. Many of the homeowners had to spend thousands of pounds on legitimate builders to rectify the damage caused by the conmen and one property was left uninhabitable by the fraudsters. Victims also reported being subjected to hostile and intimidating behaviour from the gang when they questioned them about the mounting costs and incomplete work.

The group of criminals had a network of associates made up of six family members and friends, whose bank accounts they used to launder the proceeds of their fraudulent activity. Adam Gary Pegg (age 41) of King Richards Park, Sapcote Road, Leicester, Natasha Power (age 44) of Braunstone Ave, Leicester, Colin Paul Bell (age 55) of Darlington Grove, Doncaster, Bradley Freeman (age 25) of Darlington Grove, Doncaster and Wendy Clare Pegg (age 59) of Jowett Close, Leicester were all found guilty of money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The sentences handed down were as follows:

• Arthur Draper: Immediate custodial sentence of 6 years and 4 months included a breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order
• John William Smith: Custodial sentence of 22 months suspended for 2 years.
• Jake William Garrigan: Custodial sentence of 14 months suspended for 2 years.
• Adam Gary Pegg: Custodial sentence of 14 months suspended for 2 years.
• Natasha Power: Custodial sentence of 14 months suspended for 2 years.
• Colin Paul Bell: Custodial sentence of 4 months suspended for 12 months.
• Bradley Freeman: Custodial sentence of 4 months suspended for 12 months.
• Wendy Clare Pegg: Custodial sentence of 16 months suspended for 18 months.

The eight defendants were prosecuted following an investigation led by the National Trading Standards Regional Investigations Team East Midlands, hosted by Nottinghamshire County Council, which supports Trading Standards Authorities within the region. In bringing the case additional support was received from Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards, Derbyshire County Council Trading Standards, Lincolnshire County Council Trading Standards and Nottingham City Council.

Lord Michael Bichard, Chair, National Trading Standards, said: “Trading Standards officers have exposed and brought a stop to criminals who used lies and deceit to gain access to properties and defraud people out of many thousands of pounds. On occasion the offenders deliberately sabotaged the very homes they were paid to repair, in one case even cutting away a perfectly sound section of roof and throwing it to the ground. This investigation has prevented further harm, safeguarded vulnerable people, and sent a clear message that such ruthless behaviour will not be tolerated.

“If you suspect you or someone you know might have been targeted by a scam like this, you should report it to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.”

Councillor Dawn Justice, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We would like to thank all the victims who worked with our investigators to help bring these unscrupulous conmen to trial. These sentences send a strong message to fraudsters that this type of activity will not be tolerated.

“We always advise residents to be alert to cold calling, never to trade or buy at the door and to always report any concerns. If something doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t, and you should never be afraid to close the door on scammers and those who turn up out of the blue offering to provide services that you do not need.”

ENDS