Ex-soldier who duped Shropshire OAPs is jailed

Stephen Lovatt's spiral of criminal activity stretched back more than four years and included theft, deception, fraudulent trading and selling heroin and crack cocaine.

He admitted a number of offences that breached trading standards on building and construction work at six homes.

It is four years since Shropshire Trading Standards officers started to track Lovatt's activities.

When initially prosecuted, 44-year-old Lovatt protested his innocence, but more incidents of his dishonest trading were being uncovered.

For nearly three years Lovatt's cases have been in the justice system and he has appeared at crown courts in Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent. Persistently refusing to admit to his crimes and seeking to have jury trials, more recent claims of ill-health, anxiety and depression, and just failing to turn up at court, led to a series of delays and adjournments.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court court yesterday his efforts to put off the inevitable were finally thwarted when he was jailed for five years.

Lovatt, a former soldier and salesman, had developed a "pattern of offending" by claiming to work for a reputable company and taking cash off customers for a "deposit" or for "supplies".

Either the work was poor, not completed or never started, with five people in Shropshire being among this victims.

The first to complain in February, 2011, was elderly resident Bernard Davies, of Cockshutt, near Ellesmere, who was approached by Lovatt who claimed his roof needed repair work. It was also agreed that Lovatt would carry out a garage conversion after Lovatt had given him a brochure for the company that he claimed to work for – MJJ Homes, which was in liquidation.

While the work was completed to a "reasonable standard" and Lovatt was paid £1,750, he had breached consumer regulations and lied about his employer. Another victim was Henry Green, from Wem, who wanted roof tiles repaired. He assumed Lovatt was a representative from Thermaseal. Lovatt led Mr Green, who was considered "vulnerable" due to his age, into believing he worked for the firm. Mr Green handed over £600 but never saw Lovatt again.

Jennifer Vickers and Sylvia Talbot, both from Tibberton, also handed money to Lovatt. Mrs Vickers paid him £6,300 for a landscaping project but the work was poor and was never completed. Mrs Talbot handed over £3,600 to Lovatt for work on her driveway, but the work was poor, not finished and later had to done again.

Lovatt sank further into a criminality as he moved around the Stoke-on-Trent area. Three times he was arrested for possession of heroin and crack cocaine and was dealing on the streets.

The former salesman developed a "pattern of offending" over an 18-month period from February 2011 when he would claim to work for a reputable company, take cash from customers for "supplies" and either not complete or start work on homes across the region.

He also failed to provide an appropriate certificate and made several work infringements at another home, Shrewsbury Crown Court was told yesterday.

His victims included a vulnerable elderly man from Wem who paid hundreds of pounds for roof tile repairs that were never carried out.

Another elderly resident, in Cockshutt, paid for a garage conversion and while the work was completed to a "reasonable standard", Lovatt never provided the necessary certification.

Other victims included a disabled man from Wednesbury who gave £1,300 and his car in payment for a summerhouse. When Lovatt failed to carry out the work the victim contacted trading standards.

Another customer paid him £6,000 for landscaping that was never finished.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday 44-year-old Lovatt appeared for sentence via a video link from HMP Dovegate.

Judge Peter Barrie said Lovatt had also been involved in a "significant level of street dealing" in Class A drugs.

"The trading offences cover a period of about 18 months and all but one of the customers were elderly and vulnerable.

"It became a habit of yours to tell people that you worked for reputable companies to cut corners. It was a pattern of offending," he said.

Lovatt, of Heron Cross, Stoke-on-Trent, had pleaded guilty to a number of charges brought by Shropshire Trading Standards and three charges of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply.

He was jailed for a total of 49 months for drugs offences relating to three separate dates. In December 2013 police discovered 3.8 grams of heroin and 3.84 grams of crack cocaine at a Stoke-on-Trent motel room where Lovatt had been staying.

Judge Barrie gave Lovatt a further 11 months for the trading standards offences which included unfair consumer trading and fraudulently carrying on a business.

Mr Paul Smith, for Lovatt, said his client had apologised to all of his victims.

He said that since leaving the Army the defendant had been a hardworking and honest salesman, but his dishonesty set in when he and his partner needed cash to fund their drug addiction.