A 'cowboy builder' has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after conning a family out of £98,000 for a home extension, leaving their property in ruins. Michael Parr, 55, was hired by Andy Clarke, 46, and his wife Lisa, 43, to add a fifth bedroom and bathroom to their home in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, but abandoned the project after three months.
The couple paid Parr £98,000 of the agreed £106,900, but only 30% of the work was completed, half of which was substandard. They were forced to spend an additional £150,000 to finish the job, which was completed in August 2022, 16 months after Parr started. The stress of the situation is believed to have contributed to a miscarriage suffered by Lisa, a teacher.
Parr admitted to two counts of fraud by false representation, including a separate offence against a victim in Northamptonshire who lost over £35,000. He was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on October 3. A proceeds of crime hearing is scheduled for January 16.
Andy Clarke said: 'Everything seemed perfectly fine on the face of it - he seemed like a reasonable guy. But soon we'd been left with a house that was torn to bits. The stress throughout that was horrendous - and it was thought to be one of the triggers of the miscarriage.' He added: 'We're pleased to have finally drawn a line under this and pleased he got a prison sentence - but we still feel very angry.'
