Cowboy builders given prison sentence for fraud
A retired pensioner has been left in pain and almost £9,000 out of pocket after Cowboy builders cheated them out of their hard-earned savings.
The Cowboy builders, also known at the ‘Middleton brothers’ - Nicky, 31, and Kyle Middleton, 29, were the directors of N&K Kitchens Ltd at the time and were characterised in a recent Court hearing at Merthyr Crown Court by "underquoting, failing to meet targets and promises, shoddy workmanship, and taking money for work which was not fully completed or not completed at all".
The two cowboys were held to account following reports by a number of customers to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Trading Standards Team, with SIX cases being highlighted in court – with the total cost across all victims amounting to almost £125,000!
The Council’s Trading Standards team launched an investigation into each of the cases and uncovered some heartbreaking details, which exposed the lengths that the brothers went to, to gain the victims hard-earned money. The pair of cowboys even tried to dissolve their business, but this was stopped, and thanks to the team they were held to account for their actions.
The pensioner, who suffers from cerebral palsy is now 76 years old and had handed over his hard-earned money so that his wife and himself could have a new bedroom fitted to help them be more comfortable. Despite many attempts to discuss the matter with the defendants, no money was returned and in fact, no order for any furniture had been placed – leaving the couple, feeling cheated, depressed, and vulnerable.
Another victim was an intensive care nurse who was left at the peak of the Covid pandemic living in just one room of her ‘dream house’. The nurse trusted the brothers to carry out extensive works to her home, while she was helping to save lives. The nurse handed over £61,762.12 to the brothers and they left her with no warm water, a cold, unsafe house and no kitchen, no dining room and a house open to the elements for a year. A few years later the house may now be watertight, but the nurse has been left in thousands of pounds in additional debt.
Another blue-light worker also fell foul of the brothers, as they managed to leave a fire-fighter over £2,600 out of pocket, when they failed to fit his kitchen.
A deputy manager of a care home had her Christmas ruined and lost over £22,000 after the cowboys failed to complete her bathroom and kitchen renovations.
A company director lost over £22,000 and another retired man lost £1000.
The brothers KYLE MIDDLETON of Hughes Street, Penygraig and NICKY MIDDLETON of Highfields, Tonyrefail, both pleaded guilty to PARTICIPATING IN A FRAUDULENT BUSINESS, contrary to section 993 of the Companies Act 2006 – knowingly participating in the carrying on of a business namely N & K Kitchens Ltd. for a fraudulent purpose namely obtaining monies for goods, services and building works which they failed to provide, were substandard or incomplete.
Sentencing, Judge, Jeremy Jenkins said:
“The work was shoddy, in some cases monies was taken for works and goods not undertaken, the standard of work supplied by each of the brothers was disgraceful leaving customers in distress and anguish at what they had done to their homes one can only imagine the stress and strain of their having to live through the nightmares the brothers created. To compound matters the brothers lied and attempted to thwart the customers by dissolving their company. Neither brother is fit to call themselves a builder. The offences are too serious to be dealt with other than by an immediate custodial sentence.”
The Middleton brothers were sentenced to 32 months imprisonment and disqualified as directors for a 10-year period.
Councillor Bob Harris, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities, said:
“This is yet another example of the devastation caused due to the reckless and selfish actions of supposed builders.
“These families put their faith in the Middleton brothers and N&K Kitchens Ltd, with the hope of improving their homes, only to be left having to work, day and night to put things right.
“I am appalled at the work that was carried out, leaving pensioners, a nurse, firefighter, a care manager and a company director, thousands of pounds out of pocket and living in awful conditions. Much of the work was never done and some work was done to a very poor, unsafe standard.
“Luckily the dedicated Trading Standards team did not stop until all the victims of these cowboy brothers received justice. Let this be a warning to other traders that should they decide to carry out any fraudulent business practices in the County Borough, they should expect to be investigated by Rhondda Cynon Taf Trading Standards.
“I would like to thank our Trading Standards team for bringing this case to the Crown Court for prosecution. It’s 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 as these brothers have now found out.”
For more information on Trading Standards in RCT and reporting illegal trading, visit www.rctcbc.gov.uk/TradingStandards