Rogue Swansea builder jailed after swindling homeowner of £14,000
Lee Slocombe was sentenced to six years for defrauding Sheri Ingram of £14,000 and for a decade of fraudulent building work.
Sheri Ingram from Cardiff hired Lee Slocombe, a builder from Swansea, to remodel her Aberbeeg home, but he disappeared with £14,000 after six weeks. Slocombe, who used the alias Lee Lewis to hide prior convictions, has a ten-year record of fraud, including a recent £400,000 scheme that left nine victims out of pocket by more than £547,000 when repair costs are added. In February, a court sentenced the 33-year-old to six years in prison and imposed a lifetime ban on building work.
The government’s new voluntary trusted-trader database, announced in August, aims to give homeowners more protection, though critics doubt builders will join. Victims like Ingram and a Flintshire couple who lost £30,000 support the initiative, while industry bodies warn the scheme may lack enforcement.
Why it matters
It highlights the risks of unregulated builders and a government effort to protect homeowners from fraud.
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