A COWBOY builder who conned customers out of almost £55,000 has been ordered by the courts to hand over assets worth £140,000.

Darryl Glynn, 46, started work on houses in York and Selby, then refused to complete the job unless he was paid more money.

Between April 2006 and January 2008, seven customers paid the father-of-three a total of almost £54,990 for contracted work on their homes.

Once the jobs had been started and the properties were in a state of disrepair, he then tried to extort a further £23,750 out of them, becoming aggressive and abusive if they refused to pay.

Yesterday, Judge Roger Ibbotson, at York Crown Court, issued a confiscation order of Glynn’s assets of £140,000 in total and said the victims would receive some of the funds on a pro-rata basis, before they went to the state.

Ruth Andrews, head of fraud and financial investigations at North Yorkshire County Council, said: “For the victims, this means we have an opportunity to provide compensation.

“Further investigations will be carried out to find any hidden assets Mr Glynn has, and any money that does come in will go to the victims first.”

At his trial last year, Glynn pleaded guilty to six charges of deception and 15 charges of fraud, and was sent to prison in February for four-and-a-half years.

Last summer, Glynn, formerly of Carr Street, Selby, tried to reduce or overturn his sentence at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, but failed, and was told by judges his “intimidating behaviour” and cost of repairs to homes he had worked on, which totalled almost £35,000, were “aggravating features”.

Victims of Glynn’s incomplete work included Malcolm Hill of Eggborough, who lost £9,790 for an unbuilt garage, Steven Porritt of Acomb, who lost £2,400 for roof work that led to the inside of his living room being damaged by weather, and Anne Clarkson, of Sherburn-in-Elmet, who lost £9,000 on an extension.

Another victim, Peter Craven, had to move out of his home after the builder extorted £20,000 out of him for roof work, after an initial quote of £17,500 plus VAT.

An independent surveyor later assessed the damage to Mr Craven’s home would cost £35,000 to repair.

Coun Chris Metcalfe, the county council’s executive member for trading standards and planning services, said: “The Proceeds of Crime Act is designed to ensure crime does not pay.

“This is another good example of our commitment to using the Act to ensure this is the case for those who defraud our residents in this way.

“Such behaviour is wholly unacceptable and we will make effective use of all tools available to us to protect the residents of North Yorkshire from such individuals.

“This case should serve as a warning to others who may be contemplating such criminal behaviour.”

At the hearing, Glynn spoke only to confirm his name, and nodded when the judge handed out the confiscation order, which must be repaid within six months.

Glynn was also told if the full amount was not handed over, his sentence would be extended by a further two years and three months.

He operated under the firms Selbybuilders.co.uk Ltd and Acorn Construction And Roofing Services.