A roofing company director who targeted elderly and vulnerable residents with work that was “unnecessary, poor quality and overpriced” has been jailed for more than two years.

Kumarapan Kunaratnam, a salesman for Future Homes Development Ltd and sole director for Top Home Roofing Ltd and Top Home Group Ltd, admitted three counts of carrying on a business for fraudulent purposes during 2014 and 2015.

Aylesbury Crown Court heard on June 9 that he targeted vulnerable residents – some in their 90s – with a package of roofing work that they found to be unnecessary, poor quality and overpriced.

Prosecuting, Gary Pons recounted a catalogue of cases in which residents were cold-called and left a marketing leaflet about roofing repairs containing false claims about the materials used.

Then Mr Kunaratnam, of Peterborough Road, Harrow, would price up the job, offer a misleading discount and get a signed contract. 

No explanation was given of a cooling-off period or cancellation rights, and by signing the contract, the residents had inadvertently waived their statutory cancellation rights. Contractors would turn up to start the work either the next day or a few days later. 

In one case, work was quoted at £8,096, and reduced on discount to just over £4,500, but an expert called in later said the total cost of a new roof would be less than this, and the work done was only worth just over £600. 

Mr Kunaratnam quoted for this work despite the fact the householder had had his roof cleaned only six months earlier for £200.

In another case, Mr Kunaratnam discounted the price by £2,000, but left such a mess around the house and garden, with loose mortar and broken tiles, that the resident's nephew tried to get hold of the company to complain.

When he phoned, he found the company had ceased trading. The expert subsequently confirmed the works had been carried out so poorly they had no value.

Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards officers and Thames Valley Police started investigating Mr Kunaratnam's activities after a tip-off from the family of one of the eight victims.

They visited the three homes in Chesham, one in Little Chalfont, two in Thame, and others in Staines and Datchet, with chartered surveyor Charles Leigh-Dugmore, who inspected and costed the value of the works.

The court heard Mr Leigh-Dugmore said customers had been grossly overcharged for work that was unnecessary, of poor standard or not carried out at all.

Judge Tulk said Mr Kunaratnam’s actions were premeditated - being involved in the production of leaflets containing false claims about building materials used and cold-calling, as well as sub-contracting the work and taking payments.

“You deliberately targeted several elderly people and couples," Judge Tulk told Mr Kunaratnam.  "You were actively involved, not just as the director, but on the front line. You were the brains and hands of the company."

She ordered him to pay compensation of £10,000 and banned him from being a company director for ten years.