Fake name plumber Lee King left family £40,000 out of pocket
Rogue plumber, 34, used a string of bogus identities including ‘Lee King’ to hide his criminal past and left one family £40,000 out of pocket
- Damon Owens left job halfway through, telling family that his mother was dying
- Charged elderly woman £3,000 after claiming that she needed new water tank
- Wrote fake reviews online for companies he’d invented to build up reputation
- Admitted 13 charges of undertaking deceptive practice at Cardiff Crown Court
Damon Owens (pictured leaving Cardiff Crown Court) used fake business names to con his victims out of thousands
A rogue plumber used false identities – including one called Lee King – to scam customers and hide his criminal past.
Damon Owens, 34, employed a string of bogus names after being convicted of tricking customers in his plumbing business.
He left one family £40,000 out of pocket and claimed to have been shot in the head while serving in the Marines, Prosecutor Ieuan Bennett told Cardiff Crown Court.
‘He was using a false name because he has previous convictions and was trying to reduce the prospect of publicity,’ he said.
The fraudster used false business names, identities and addresses to advertise for work across South Wales and Bristol.
He even wrote fake online reviews praising the bogus companies.
His made up company names included UK Emergency Plumber, Cardiff Construction, Scarlets Electrical, Emergency Plumbers Bristol, and Drain Repair UK.
Cardiff Crown Court heard the use of names was a way of trying to hide his previous convictions from customers and ‘minimise publicity’.
He’s flush! The plumber who earns £210,000… and he doesn’t…
Plumber, 23, who suffered from severe acne for almost a…
Share this article
Owens demanded almost £34,000 to build an extension for the Hulland family but left the job halfway through after being paid a £16,875 deposit.
Sam Hulland told WalesOnline: ‘I really trusted him, he would always update me with what was going on and would send me pictures of kitchen designs.’
Damon Owens (pictured) conned families out of thousands
‘He knew we were expecting another child and reassured us the work would be completed in time.’
After building up a friendship with the family, Owens all of a sudden became impossible to get hold of.
When they finally got him on the phone, Owens told them his mother was ill and was dying.
The Hullands were left with a huge hole in their garden and had to employ other contractors to finish their refurbishments.
They began dealing directly with subcontractors working on their house – and found they were charging significantly less for jobs than Owens had been.
Mr Hulland has had to spend another £40,000 to complete the work on his house.
Owens also targeted Marion Nevison, an elderly customer from Newport, who he charged £240 to fix a leak in her living room.
He then convinced her to hand over £700 by claiming she needed a new water tank. He then told her that redecoration costs would be come to £3,000.
Mr Bennett said Owens told another customer he’d been shot in the back of the head while serving with the Royal Marines.
Mr Bennett said: ‘He told her he had been on active service in Bosnia when he was injured. He told her he had been shot in the back of the head.’
Owens stood by the story in court but a judge adjourned the case for his military record to be checked.
Judge Phillip Harris-Jenkins said: ‘He is a fraudster and I do not take the word of convicted fraudsters.’
Owens, of Caerphilly, South Wales, admitted 13 charges of undertaking a deceptive practice. He will be sentenced in April.
Source: Read Full Article