Bristol rogue trader who pocketed £70,000 for work he couldn’t complete avoids jail

A rogue trader who pocketed more than £70,000 from Bristol homeowners to carry out work he knew he couldn’t complete has a prison sentence hanging over him.

Benjamin Watts was handed a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, at Bristol Crown Court on June 24.

The court heard that Bristol’s Trading Standard Teams began to receive complaints about Watts in June 2021 after buildig work stopped properties. leaving jobs incomplete and homes in a state of disrepair.

Despite this, Watts had entered into contracts with homeowners and taken more than £70,000 off them.

The homeowners were given excuses by Watts such as problems with subcontractors and one was told that Watts was ‘experiencing financial difficulties’.

But he continued to take money, even though he knew that he could not complete the work.

Watts first appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court in March 2022, where he pleaded guilty to failing to carry out work as agreed and consistently failing to respond to his victims when they raised concerns.

He also agreed that he had failed to order structural steel beams and other parts needed to complete the jobs - even though he had been specifically paid for them.

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “The outcome of this Trading Standards investigation sends a clear message that cowboys have no place in Bristol and we will not hesitate to take action.

“It is not acceptable for a rogue trader to retain homeowners money when they have made no effort to complete the work and been paid to do so.

“At a time when households are already under pressure with the rising cost of living, Bristolians really need to know they can trust in local tradespeople and receive a professional service.”

In sentencing, Crown Court Recorder Robin Sellers told Watts that his criminality represented ‘extremely poor business practice’ with a ‘high level of culpability and harm’.

Recorder Sellers said that it went ‘beyond mere negligence’ by Watts carrying, out a protracted and enduring sequence of behaviours which caused ‘misery’ to people’s lives.

On top of Watts’ suspended prison sentence, he was banned from being a company director for five years and ordered to carry out 200 unpaid hours of community work.

Recorder Sellers also ordered Watts to pay back a total of £15,000 to his victims.