A gang of heartless cowboy builders ripped off vulnerable pensioners in Kent – pretending to carry out necessary home repairs.

The rogue traders targeted 16 victims and then carried out shoddy work before charging extortionate prices – defrauding them of more than £70,000 in a year.

The judge, Recorder George Pulman QC, told them: “You preyed on the elderly and vulnerable taking money they needed in their old age.. and you showed no compunction is using it on drugs and drink.”

One of their victims – a 77-year-old Istead woman – was told she would have to pay £600 for guttering work.

The fraudsters eventually conned her out of £37,000 - but when an expert examined the work at her home in Brookside Road, he concluded it was worthless!

Three of the conspirators - including brothers from Hextable – admitted targeting victims in the south east – including Maidstone, Istead Rise, Longfield, West Kingsdown, Kemsing, and Broadstairs.

In all they took more than £71,000 from people using the names of reputable companies like Anglia and Everest as part of their “sophisticated, well-planned, organised fraud which targeted vulnerable victims”.

One of the crooks, David James, was later asked by police why the gang had targeted older people and told them: “I don’t know why...I suppose they are easier to rip off.”

But Prosecutor Tony Prosser told Canterbury Crfown Court that many of the victims have been affected mentally as well as being conned out of cash “they could ill-afford to lose.”

Brothers Emmanuel, 21, and Thomas Arnold, 19, Valley Park, Hextable and pal David James, 28, of Laburnum Avenue, Swanley admitted their part in the conspiracy.

Emmanuel was jailed for four years and six months and his brother for three years. Both had admitted conspiracy to defraud.

James was jailed for a total of 41 months after he admitted the conspiracy and money laundering.

Two others, Kristofer Batchelor, 21, from Sun Court, Erith, and Patience Mobey, 22, from Lower Road, Hextable admitted allowing their bank accounts to be used for money laundering.

Tyre fitter Batchelor, who was found guilty of money laundering, was ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work for the community, given a four-month electronic tagging order and told to pay £1000 costs. He had also worked for the St John Ambulance Brigade.

Mobey – the mother of Emmanuel Arnold’s three year old child, was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work, given a four month tagging and told to pay £500 costs. She had admitted the offence on the day of her trial.

After the verdicts, DC Tom Wilson, from Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “Over many months a number of victims were cold-called by people offering to carry out work on their homes in Kent and Surrey.

“The amounts charged and the towns they visited differed... but the story was the same...elderly and vulnerable people targeted to pay for poor quality work.”

The court heard how the company used bogus names like Anglia Plastics, Everest Roofing, Universal Roofing...and ironically First Class Roofing.

Mr Prosser told how they printed flyers, bought uniforms with logos and completed bills with headed letters.

But in truth the Canterbury-based address and the telephone numbers were all bogus.

They arrived at Mrs Patricia Greenslade, whose husband is in a care home, in November 2012 – claiming she needed guttering replaced.

They told her the cost would be between £600 and £800 but then billed her for £5000 asking her to sign a cheque without naming anyone as a payee.

Mr Prosser said that days later they returned saying the roof at the back needed repair – and she handed over another £8000 and another £8,000.

By February they had conned another £16,000 – draining her bank account by a total of £37,000, the prosecutor said.

A chartered builder later inspected the work and estimated that, had it been done properly, the bill should have been a maximum of £749 with VAT.

Mr Prosser added: “But in fact it was all shoddy and the real value was nil, “ he added.

The court heard that the cheques had been passed through the bank account of Mobey and had been withdrawn within four days of them being deposited.

An 80-year-old woman in West Kingsdown was told that work on her roof would cost £4,000, but six weeks later she was tricked into handing over £19,000 – and again the work was sub-standard.

Theresa Downs from Downs Road, Istead Rise was conned into handing over £1,600, Mrs Margaret Longley from Foyle Road, Maidstone was told her roof needed repairing and handed over £1,500 to a company called Everest.

Mr Prosser said she was so upset she called Everest - only to be told they had received numerous complaints about the Everest Roofing which had nothing to do with Everest.

“You preyed on the elderly and vulnerable taking money they needed in their old age" - Recorder George Pulman QC

Ron Wood, of Albion Road, Broadstairs handed over £1,100 to an Everest Roofing for bogus work, the court heard.

Eventually two of the conmen turned up at a house where police officers were interviewing one of their victims.

Emmanuel Arnold ran away, but the police caught James still sitting in one of the gang’s
vans which had the logo on the side.

DC Wilson added: "After a lengthy investigation, I am glad to see the culprits behind bars. I hope this highlights the dangers of such scams to other would-be victims.

"It is vital that people do not feel bullied or compelled to accept offers of work. Our advice is not to deal with doorstep cold callers offering work on your home or garden."