Elli Hodgson
[email protected]
Two rogue traders who defrauded elderly victims of thousands for unnecessary building work have been ordered to repay more than £100,000. Sonny Maughan and Emmanuel Scarrott misled vulnerable residents in Herne Bay, Longfield, and Greenwich, claiming they required urgent repairs to their roofs and chimneys. Most of their victims were pensioners, including two in their 80s and 90s, who fell for their bogus roofing contracts in north Kent.
The work was unnecessary, and the pair often caused additional damage while performing substandard repairs, charging exorbitant fees in the process. The scam was found to involve nearly £500,000.
In a separate incident, Scarrott, 32, approached a homeowner in Chatham, posing as a police officer investigating rogue traders. He falsely promised the victim a refund but insisted on upfront payments for legal representation and VAT.
When the victim’s family grew suspicious and contacted the police, an investigation ensued. Detectives monitored phone calls and discovered how the victim was pressured into paying extra money.
Both men were arrested in November 2020 and later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. They were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court in February 2022. Maughan, formerly of Brakefield Road, Gravesend, received a five-year prison sentence, while Scarrott, formerly of Hovefields Avenue, Basildon, was sentenced to four years.
Investigators from Kent Police’s proceeds of crime team continued to scrutinize the duo’s finances and returned to court on October 22 to seek confiscation orders. Maughan, 31, was ordered to repay £100,000, while Scarrott had previously been ordered to repay £12,000, which he has since done. The recovered funds will be directed to the banks that refunded the victims.
Detective Inspector David Godfrey emphasized, “Rogue traders like Maughan and Scarrott mercilessly prey on the elderly and vulnerable, defrauding them of their hard-earned savings. We are committed to bringing such criminals to justice and ensuring they do not profit from their offenses. I’m pleased our financial investigators have been able to recover a significant amount of money in this case.”
