Prosecution led by HB Public Law sees director jailed for fraudulent trading
A roofing company director has been jailed for 27 months for fraudulent trading, following a prosecution conducted by shared legal service HB Public Law.
Aylesbury Crown Court heard that Kumarapan Kunaratnam had targeted elderly and vulnerable residents - some in their 90s - with a package of roofing work that was described as unnecessary, of poor quality and overpriced.
Kunaratnam, of Peterborough Road, Harrow, a salesman for Future Homes Development Ltd and sole director for Top Home Roofing Ltd and Top Home Group Ltd, admitted three counts of carrying on a business for fraudulent purposes during 2014 and 2015.
Prosecuting, Gary Pons recounted a catalogue of cases in which elderly and vulnerable residents were cold-called, and left a marketing leaflet about roofing repairs containing false claims about the materials used.
Then Kunaratnam would price up the job, offer a misleading discount and get a signed contract. No explanation was given of a cooling-off period or cancellation rights, and by signing the contract, the residents had inadvertently waived their statutory cancellation rights. Contractors would turn up to start the work either the next day or a few days later.
In one case, the court heard, work was quoted at £8,096, and reduced on discount to just over £4,500, but an expert called in later said the total cost of a new roof would be less than this, and the work done was only worth just over £600. Kunaratnam quoted for this work despite the fact the householder had had his roof cleaned only six months earlier for £200.
In another case, Kunaratnam discounted the price by £2,000, but left such a mess around the house and garden, with loose mortar and broken tiles, that the resident's nephew tried to get hold of the company to complain. When he phoned, he found the company had ceased trading. An expert subsequently confirmed the works had been carried out so poorly they had no value.
Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards officers and Thames Valley Police started investigating the defendant’s activities after a tip-off from the family of one of the eight victims.
Judge Tulk said Kunaratnam’s actions were premeditated: being involved in the production of leaflets containing false claims about building materials used and cold-calling, as well as sub-contracting the work and taking payments.
She told the defendant: “You deliberately targeted several elderly people and couples. You were actively involved, not just as the director, but on the front line. You were the brains and hands of the company."
The judge ordered Kunaratnam to pay compensation of £10,000 and banned him from being a company director for ten years.
