Rogue trader jailed after investigation
A man has been jailed for carrying out dangerous work while posing as a registered electrician. John Draco, 35, of Rowan Place, Newton Aycliffe, pleaded guilty to fraud and consumer protection related offences after falsely claiming to be a qualified electrician. He advertised his services on Yell.com as accredited by ELECSA and Trustmark-despite not having either accreditation. He also claimed to be NICEIC registered. He was jailed for 13 months following a trial at Durham Crown Court in January. The court heard how Draco had offered to complete a full rewire of a property for £3,000, but had left it in a highly dangerous state. When his shoddy work was challenged by the homeowner, he abandoned the job and kept the full sum. The homeowner got in touch with Hartlepool Trading Standards who took on the case with help from ELECSA. Such was the poor standard of the installation an investigation by an electrical engineer ordered it not to be used as it posed a serious risk of fire and electrocution. Work to rectify the problems left by Draco ran into thousands of pounds. Draco, who traded under the name J and A Electrical Solutions ended up paying the victim back £3,820. Ian Harrison, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Trading Standards and Licensing Manager, said: “This successful prosecution sends out a strong message that the courts will not tolerate rogue traders conning people out of their hard-earned cash. Kevan Parker, Interim Managing Director of Certsure, which operates the ELECSA and NICEIC brands, added: “We take a dim view of those who pretend to be registered electricians when they are not. “We will work with the appropriate authorities to protect those contractors who are legitimately registered with us and have the quality of their work assessed on a regular basis. “Anyone thinking about using our logo fraudulently will be caught and dealt with appropriately by the courts.”
Rogue trader jailed after investigation
A Lanarkshire man was sentenced to prison after falsely claiming to be NICEIC registered. The man from Belshill was ordered to spend 11 weeks in prison and fined £675 at Hamilton Sheriff Court recently. He pleaded guilty to running a fraudulent scheme by pretending he was an NICEIC Approved Contractor and authorised to issue NICEIC certificates and reports, which resulted in him obtaining money by fraudulent means. He also claimed he was a SELECT Approved Contractor and a Building Standards Approved Certifier. The action was taken by the North Lanarkshire Council Trading Standards team following a joint investigation with NICEIC. Michael McPake, of North Lanarkshire Council, commented, “I am delighted at the success of this case, which shows the continuing diligence of the council’s trading standards staff who pursue criminal enterprises, protecting consumers and the interests of legitimate trade. “We will continue to take a zero tolerance approach to individuals who rip off residents or businesses within our community.” NICEIC has urged anyone who is suspicious about using a registered electrician to check his or her details at the website www.niceic.com It contains a full list of all those contractors who are legitimately registered with NICEIC. “This latest prosecution shows how seriously we take misuse of our logo,” commented NICEIC CEO Emma Clancy. “It also sends out the message that anyone thinking about using our logo fraudulently will be caught and dealt with appropriately by the courts. “The NICEIC name is associated with quality and we will work with the appropriate authorities to protect those contractors who are legitimately registered with us and have the quality of their work assessed on a regular basis.” Contractors caught falsely claiming to be members will be named and shamed on the NICEIC website and their details passed to Trading Standards.
