MANY people will be reassured to read the court case concerning the cowboy builder who charged a confused old man £5,000 for a botched job worth only £350. He was jailed for 18 months after forcing the Ramsbottom pensioner to pay £1,000 for the work, and trying to make him withdraw over £3,000 from his savings.

One of the most satisfying elements of this case is that the manageress of the bank refused the transaction, and the manageress of a local printers where the men called to concoct a bogus invoice, became suspicious and called the police.

The unscrupulous know that it is relatively easy to take advantage of some vulnerable elderly people. So, it is reassuring that there are still such aware and community-conscious people around prepared to alert the authorities when they suspect a scam.

The case illustrates once more how important it is to only use accredited tradesmen like builders, preferably on the recommendation of others. And that society has a duty to watch out for local elderly people who may become prey to the uncaring scum who see no further than the next confidence trick.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.