Cowboy builder Lee Slocombe jailed for six years over £400k fraud
Fraudulent builder Lee Slocombe jailed for six years after scamming victims out of £400k as the UK government plans a trusted trader database.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Lee Slocombe was jailed for six years in February after defrauding nine victims out of a total of £400,000.
- The UK government announced plans in August to introduce a trusted trader database to protect homeowners from cowboy builders.
- Sheri Ingram hired Slocombe after receiving a personal recommendation from a serving police officer known to her ex.
- Another couple lost over £30,000 to a rogue trader who left their home extension unfinished with water pouring inside.
Rogue builders and dishonest contractors have continued to inflict severe financial and emotional distress on homeowners across the United Kingdom. In response, the UK government announced plans in August to establish greater protections for individuals undertaking home renovations, including a new database of trusted traders and payment systems designed to safeguard consumers from unfair practices and abandonment of work.
The devastating impact of such fraud is starkly illustrated by the experience of Sheri Ingram from Cardiff. Back in 2015, she and her then-partner purchased a property in Aberbeeg, Blaenau Gwent, intending to renovate it. They appointed Lee Slocombe—who was 21 at the time—to build an extension and create an open-plan ground floor. Because Slocombe was recommended by a police officer connected to her ex-partner, Ingram placed her full trust in him, continuing to hand over money as he repeatedly claimed to encounter unexpected issues.
Slocombe's decade-long offending spree involved using the alias Lee Lewis to conceal his criminal record and even bringing an unqualified, fake gas engineer onto residential properties, leaving them in a potentially lethal state. In February, Cardiff Crown Court sentenced Slocombe—then 33 and from Delhi Street, Swansea—to six years in prison after he carried out dangerous work across Cardiff, Bridgend, and Swansea. He was also issued a lifetime Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from construction, maintenance, or gardening work.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"He was recommended to us by a serving police officer who my ex-knew. So why on earth would we have not trusted him?"
Sheri Ingram
Similarly, Barry and Shelley Sawkins from Flintshire lost over £30,000 to rogue builder Christian Williams, 54, who left their new home extension incomplete while water poured inside. Williams is currently serving a two-year prison sentence after admitting to theft and fraud involving four families. Mold Crown Court heard in June that Williams benefited to the tune of £163,051.70 from his crimes, though asset recovery meant he was only ordered to pay back £1.
The introduction of a government-backed trusted trader database marks an ambitious step toward regulating an industry that has long suffered from a lack of mandatory oversight. However, industry bodies such as the Federation of Master Builders have raised valid concerns regarding the voluntary nature of the scheme. Without rigorous enforcement, mandatory background verification, and clear accountability mechanisms, questions remain over how effectively the platform will incentivize rogue contractors to operate transparently.
Although data cited from a Competition and Markets Authority survey indicates consumers lost more than £10bn in 2024 on home and garden maintenance due to unfair practices, homeowners demand direct government accountability if voluntary schemes fail to prevent exploitation. As victims like Shelley Sawkins note, rogue traders leave families scarred for life, making robust regulatory safeguards an absolute necessity for future home improvement projects.
Source: BBC Business
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