THE ringleader of a nationwide scam which targeted vulnerable people in North Yorkshire and fed his cocaine habit through the proceeds has been jailed for six years.
William King, 35, from Newark, led a team which operated in groups throughout the UK, including Ripon, to carry out the £135,000 rogue trading fraud by conning about 40 pensioners through overcharging them for shoddy or non-existent work on static caravans.
King was caught when a pensioner from Ripon complained, leading to an investigation involving North Yorkshire Police and other forces.
King and his “lieutenant”, Gavin James Findley, 30, also from Newark, both admitted fraud and conspiracy to defraud, while 20-year-old Todd Berridge, formerly of Newark and now of Spalding in Lincolnshire, admitted aiding and abetting the pair.
Findley was jailed for three years and Berridge was given a 12-month suspended sentence and ordered to do 180 hours’ unpaid work.
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