TWO Winsford men have avoided jail after 'cruelly' conning vulnerable elderly people out of tens of thousands of pounds by cold calling on their doorsteps.

Jamie Anderson, aged 36, and 33-year-old Michael Hickey targeted people aged between 73 and 87 and many of whom lived alone.

In their homes, they were pressured into paying for energy efficient home improvements such as new windows, radiators or boilers.

Some of the victims were frightened into paying for alarm systems by Anderson, who claimed they were at high risk of theft and burglary.

Work was then either not carried out, they were overcharged, or they were not provided with refunds after legitimately cancelling their contract.

The pair were convicted at Chester Crown Court in June and returned to the dock today (November 14) for sentencing.

Anderson, of Grange Lane, was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, and disqualified from being a director for six years after being convicted of seven fraud offences and one trademark offence.

Hickey, of Station Road, was handed an 18-month community order and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work after being convicted of one fraud offence. 

Anderson, who was a director of companies with several different trading names, including Ecogreen Improvements Ltd and Ecohome Solutions Ltd, and Hickey, who was a director of Energy Home Improvements Ltd, were convicted following a prosecution taken by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

This came after an investigation by the National Trading Standards North West Regional Investigation Team, hosted by the council.  

The crimes were carried out between January 2015 and October 2017 in the North West and South East of England, and in North Wales.

One 83-year-old victim paid £8,160 in two instalments for windows he never received. After making an initial payment of £2,407, a ‘salesman’ visited his home and told him he needed to pay the remaining £5,753 so the price would not rise. 

Another victim, aged 73 and living alone in poor health, paid £4,089 for a new boiler and radiators after Anderson visited his home out of the blue.

Anderson visited the victim a further four times, telling him he needed to pay another £2,961 for the boiler and radiators because the initial payment had not ‘gone through’. No boiler or windows were ever fitted.  

A further victim, who was aged 82 and caring for his wife with dementia, was overcharged for an alarm system. He paid £2,000 – more than double the sum legitimate professionals would charge – for a system that was unfit for purpose. 

To mislead his customers further, Anderson falsely claimed his company, 999 Security Systems Ltd, was employing ‘ex-police officers and fire brigade officers’. 

Sales brochures bearing the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) logo were also seized from Anderson’s vehicle following his arrest.

His use of the trademark was intended to create consumer trust in 999 Security Systems Ltd, despite an earlier warning from BSIA about the unlawful use of their logo.  

Lord Michael Bichard, National Trading Standards chairman, said: "It’s clear from the age of their victims that these defendants deliberately set out to target vulnerable individuals who could be easily manipulated.

"They worked hard to win their trust, with one victim even indicating he had thought of Anderson as a friend.

"Warning their customers about the risk of being burgled, only to steal thousands of pounds from them is a particularly cruel tactic and I’m delighted this pair have been brought to justice.  

"I congratulate all involved in securing today’s sentence, which sends a clear message that this type of criminality will not go unpunished.

"Anyone who has been a victim of doorstep crime or knows someone who has should report it to the Citizens Advice consumer service helpline by calling 0808 223 1133."