Stockton Builder Fined £31,000 for Shoddy Extension Work

Gary Nelson took advantage of a woman. She needed an accessible home for her husband, who had Parkinson’s and a bad back, and used a wheelchair. She paid Nelson over thirty thousand pounds, but his work was really bad. It cost her another thirty-seven thousand to fix it.

The judge acknowledged the victim’s need to work two more years to pay for the repairs to the extension built for their Ingleby Barwick home. Despite his ongoing court case, Nelson was still working on big jobs. He admitted fraud and unfair trading.

The judge noted that Nelson didn’t work consistently and asked for payments too early. The work he did was very poor, with nothing finished properly. He also ignored building rules, leading to a notice of violations from inspectors.

A surveyor reviewed all the construction work and found much of what Nelson did was inadequate. Incorrect dimensions made things unusable, and fixing it all cost about thirty-seven thousand more.

The victim started the project in 2021, but it wasn’t finished. There were problems with the doors, tiles, and floor, as well as dampness, leaks, a bad roof and bathroom. The wheelchair access and floor were also messed-up. Nelson threatened to quit without another payment.

Nelson admitted to his fraud and the unfair work he delivered. His lawyer mentioned weather and COVID problems, supposedly pressuring him. The lawyer claimed his fraud happened between February and May and that Nelson had COVID, causing problems. He further claimed Nelson’s business was normally successful.

Though Nelson’s firm can still pay compensation, the judge’s priority was to repay the victim. He also considered the need to avoid ruining Nelson’s company, acknowledging that Nelson could do good work sometimes. The judge didn’t know why he did such bad work this time, but he knew about COVID and price increases.

The judge stated that these issues weren’t an excuse for poor quality. Considering Nelson had employees, he decided to suspend Nelson’s prison sentence, believing rehabilitation was still possible.

Nelson received a suspended two-year jail sentence and was ordered to do community work. Additionally, he must pay back the money, plus court costs. The judge ordered Nelson to pay compensation, totaling over forty thousand pounds.

The Stockton Council member welcomed the sentence, hoping it would warn other bad traders. The council will protect its residents and always work to address people who flout the law, urging people to report problems to the council.