Yahoo News Rogue builder paid £70,000 turned family's existence into 'living nightmare'
A rogue builder who was paid more than £70,000 for a project left his victims' home in a state of disrepair with shoddy work that was left unfinished. The stress caused to the homeowners contributed to suicidal feelings, a court heard.
Leighton Walkley, 46, carried out work at his victims' home in Caerphilly between August 2021 and July 2022 while trading under the name L&B Brickwork. The couple employed him to carry out an extension on their home as well as a patio and the building of a summerhouse.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard the victims were expecting a baby and hoped for the work to be completed within eight to 10 weeks before the baby's birth. Work began on August 3, 2021, but the work had not been completed by the birth of the couple's son in September 2021. At this stage work slowed down due to the defendant working other jobs.
Prosecutor Amelia Pike said work was sporadic between September and December 2021 with excuses being made by Walkley as to why he could not attend. Work picked back up in January 2022 but in March further issues arose and the defendant and his labourers disappeared. By this time the victims' property was having multiple leaks.
By July 2022 there was a raw sewage leak in the garden and the victims contacted Welsh Water. It was discovered that pipes had been cut but were resealed to the wrong pipe, which led the sewage to pass through a redundant line. This issue was later repaired by the defendant.
Ms Pike continued: "Throughout the indictment period the victims were contacted by Mr Walkley where he demanded more money to deliver materials and complete the work. The victims felt they had no option but to pay the money so work would be completed. Mr Walkley later abandoned the works and ceased contact with the complainants who felt they had no option but to commence legal proceedings."
To date the works have not been completed and the couple lost a substantial amount of money and they cannot afford to complete the works. Ten transactions paid to Walkley came to a total of £70,377 with the estimated costs to repair and complete the work standing at £36,000.
A report was carried out by Trading Standards following an examination of the house, which concluded the materials used were of an acceptable and suitable quality but in respect of areas that were incomplete the "substandard workmanship was evident". The electrical installation had not been completed by a registered electrician. Parts of the roof were leaking near light fittings and the kitchen floor was uneven and in a dangerous state.
The summerhouse was in a structurally-impaired condition with the roof and sections of the wall were at risk of collapsing. It was concluded the roof will have to be removed in its entirety and parts of the wall will have to be removed and rebuilt to the correct standard. The outside steps were also covered in rubble and in a dangerous condition.
In a victim personal statement read to the court the female victim spoke about the upheaval caused to her and her family's life and the loss of quality time with her daughter and newborn son. She said: "What should have been an exciting development to our home turned into a living nightmare. We had so much hope the building works to transform our home where we would raise our children for years to come. I can't enjoy or relax in the place I live. In September 2021 we welcomed our much-longed-for second baby. I experienced three miscarriages over a two-year period. I felt unbelievably lucky I had been able to maintain the pregnancy and looked forward to spending quality time with my new baby and our little girl.
"I wanted very little upheaval and this was very important to me. I wanted to enjoy maternity leave with my baby but I was unable to relax at home. It was challenging, unsafe, dangerous, and a complete mess which I found extremely upsetting. I was distracted from precious moments with my new baby and little girl. Instead of being in a baby bubble I was trying to keep track of what was happening with me crying every day from Christmas onwards. The stress has been unbelievable."
The victim said there were months when the family were without running water downstairs or the use of the kitchen and she had to drive back and forth to her mother-in-law's home in order to feed her children. She also said Walkley and others who worked at her home showed a lack of respect by traipsing mud throughout the house and there was dust and soot all over the baby's cot and clothes. She later discovered the defendant had taken on other work despite the work on her home being way behind schedule and incomplete.
She added: "I spent months of my life trying to pin him down. I felt bullied by him... It's so upsetting when you're facing financial ruin without any way of getting those works finished having paid all your money to complete the job. We took out a loan for the last part of the works and it makes me physically sick we effectively took out a loan for this man. I could cope if I was living in our dream house but we're living in a nightmare and unable to complete the works that started 14 months ago....
"I suffered a further miscarriage and feel the stress and anxiety from this situation has been a major cause of this. [Walkley] has shown nothing but contempt for me and my family and has not apologised for his actions. He has been quite aggressive and angry in his communications and made it come across we are to blame for the state of our home. Financially it has ruined us but even more upsetting is he stole time and attention from my children which is irreplaceable."
The male victim said he considered taking his own life as a result of the situation. He said: "We were left in financial ruin with works incomplete, unsafe, and no money to rectify it. Not a day goes by it doesn't play on my mind... We were under no illusions it was going to be a challenging time for us physically and emotionally but we wanted to plan to have a place for our family to grow up...
"On reflection we feel Leighton has taken advantage of our situation. He showed no respect to our family or our belongings. I would say he was more money-oriented than practical or hands on... We felt bullied and intimidated by Leighton and his contractors and he made us feel we were in the wrong and they were doing us a favour to carry out the work... It was never Leighton's fault, there was already somebody else to blame or made to feel bad for challenging him, our concerns made to feel trivial or minor.... He has shown no remorse or guilt for the works in our home or the situation he's put us in and the fact he's been dishonest and distanced himself from us...
"I feel empty, physically and mentally drained, while continuing to work full-time, supporting a heavily pregnant wife, bringing up a baby who is now one year old, and looking after my five-year-old daughter. The times that should have been joyous and memorable have been memorable for the wrong reasons. I have been in a dark place where I have been overwhelmed with no way out. I have briefly contemplated suicide as a way out for my family to collect my life insurance and pension."
Walkely, of Bryn Awel, Penyrheol, Caerphilly, pleaded guilty to engaging in a misleading commercial practice and engaging in a commercial practice which contravened the requirements of professional diligence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. The court heard he was of previous good character.
Defence barrister Sol Hartley said his client had expressed remorse and apologised for his actions. He said the defendant had worked in the construction industry for 27 years and was proud of the reputation he has built up during this time. It was said Walkley had "bitten off more than he could chew" and took on too much work at the time, and this was an "isolated incident". The barrister added there was a "significant amount of work" completed that was of a good standard and the offences were not "intentional".
Judge Carl Harrison sentenced Walkley to six months imprisonment suspended for two years. The defendant was also ordered to carry out 120 hours unpaid work and was made subject to Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings.
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