Team of building students help elderly couple conned by rogue builder (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Elderly couple in St Albans conned by rogue builder

11:30am Monday 10th May 2010 in News By Manisha Mistry

A TEAM of talented students at Oaklands College have been lending a helping hand to two pensioners in St Albans who were conned by a rogue builder.

John and Kathleen Turner were forced to pay up £800 to a builder who promised them a front garden wall - but was never to be seen after they handed him the cash.

On Friday, May 7, about 14 students from the St Albans college were working hard at the couple's Ladies Grove home to clean up the mess left by the untraceable builder.

Mr Turner, 80, said when he was quoted £800 he thought it was a bit steep but being naïve went to the bank to dip into his savings and handed over the cash.

He added: “ I told him I was a bit concerned about the costs because I'm just a pensioner I don't have a lot of money.

“The next day he was here like a shot for the money. I handed it over but I was feeling rather uneasy about it. He didn't even count it, he just put it in his pocket.

“I'm not in finance, or a businessman, I'm just a retired pensioner - all we have is our pension money to keep us going.”

The man who posed as the builder was described by Mr Turner as “convincing” but before running off with the money he ripped out the hedge at the front of the garden, leaving a trail of mess for the elderly couple to clean up.

However after contacting Trading Standards Mr Turner said he felt a lot better and has praised the member of staff who helped him out.

Trading Standards contacted Oaklands College which recruited a team of students to re-build the front garden wall which was promised by the rogue builder.

Father-of-two Mr Turner said: “It was just as if we had been robbed. It's changed our lives completely.

“My wife was really distressed after what happened. This is the sort of thing you hear about happening to other people – I never thought this would happen to us.

“Everything we have is in our savings. It felt like my heart had been ripped out, I don't know how he's living with the guilt of what he's done to us.”

The 80-year-old also praised the students. He added: “I can't praise the students enough. They have proved that we have still got respectable young men in this country.

“They are pleasant, they've just got on with the job and their instructors are so helpful.”

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