Rogue builder who swindled customers out of £31K with his 'friendly' persona still at large
A rogue builder who deceived customers with his friendly persona and convinced them to get more work done than they had originally planned is at large, with a warrant out for his arrest.
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Walsall Council’s Trading Standards launched an investigation into Shane Steven Rollinson after receiving complaints about his shoddy work from two residents who have lost more than £31,000 to the lying tradesman.
Rollinson is said to have initially seemed trustworthy and friendly to his customers, convincing them residents to undertake more home improvement work than they had originally planned.
But his cheery character began to fade as he began demanding upfront payments for materials that often did not arrive, repeatedly asking for more money, citing price increases and saying he needed to call on 'better tradesmen'.
When his tradesmen did turn up, they also asked for more money as Rollinson had not paid them.
Similar complaints came from residents outside Walsall, who reported issues about the same men.
Despite the customers paying him thousands of pounds, Rollinson would not show up to the house for work and would give a number of different excuses, such as illness and family emergencies.
The financial loss for the two Walsall residents exceeded £31,000, with an independent surveyor deeming the work as poor quality, lacking reasonable care and skill and not fit for purpose.
The total value of work for both residents was estimated to be only £2,600.
When he became aware of the Trading Standards investigation, Rollinson attempted to persuade witnesses to withdraw their evidence so that he would not face criminal charges.
He also used several business names to avoid being detected including SN Brickwork, SSR Brickwork & Driveways and Brickwork Best. He also pretended to be one of his business associates.
The deceitful tradesman failed to attend pre-trial review hearings and the case was heard in his absence at Wolverhampton Crown Court on October 14, 15 and 16 this year.
The jury found him guilty on all five counts - one count was for participating in a fraudulent business carried on by a sole trader, and the other four counts were for acts intending to pervert the course of public justice, contrary to Common Law, by contacting witnesses to persuade them to withdraw their involvement.
The leader of Walsall Council, Councillor Garry Perry, said: “I am appalled of the work that was carried out by Mr Rollinson, leaving residents thousands of pounds out of pocket. Much of the work was never done and some work was done to a very poor standard. I would like to thank our Trading Standards team for bringing this case to the Crown Court for prosecution.
“It is vital that residents are aware of their consumer rights when it comes to trading standards regulations being breached. Officers have the right to inspect and investigate businesses who are not compliant with the law. If you are concerned about a business or trader who is not following the law, please tell us. We will investigate any complaints and if necessary, take every possible legal action against these rogue traders.
“The defendant is still at large, and we need your help to locate him. If you have any information, please contact the police.”
Shane Rollinson has not yet been sentenced and a warrant is out for his arrest. Anyone with information of his whereabouts is asked to contact 999 quoting warrant number 20/16736/24.
Residents who are concerned about a rogue business or trader can contact the Trading Standards team on 0808 223 1133 or email tradingstandards@walsall.gov.uk.
