A COWBOY gardener has been jailed after he charged a frail pensioner £42,000 for a measly square of artificial grass.
Michael Gorman attempted to fleece 90-year-old Roy Wilcox “52 times the going rate” for the work in his garden.
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The rogue tradesman gave the pensioner a bill for £42,000 for the fake grass, which actually should have cost £2,000.
He also charged £900 to remove some small trees, £1,400 for a new fence, and £12,500 to install concrete paving.
Gorman has now been jailed for 32 weeks after he admitted three counts of fraud worth around £8,932.
The court was told a six month delay in sentencing robbed Roy of the chance of being compensated as he has since passed away.
In a previous victim impact statement before his death, the pensioner said: “I trusted he would give me a fair price because I did not know the going rate for such work.
“I did not know of any way to check if the cost was reasonable or not. It is my own fault if I did not look into the matter further.”
Roy had got in contact with company MG Garden and Tree Services in 2021 as he wanted some small trees removed in his garden.
Gorman attended his home in Reading, Berkshire, and swiftly began taking advantage.
Between November 2021 and April 2022, the tradesman “dishonestly and gratuitously” overcharged Roy for his work, prosecutor Amber Athill said.
Callous Gorman would sometimes just show up at his victim’s home demanding cash for fuel.
The prosecutor said: “It would be clear to any visitor or tradesman that Mr Wilcox was vulnerable and so an easy target for the defendant to befriend and defraud.”
His offending came to light when Gorman demanded £42,000 for the square of artificial grass.
The cheque bounced as Roy’s account was so overdrawn – causing the landscape gardener to go to the bank to investigate.
Concerned staff called police and Gorman was arrested in October 2022.
Sentencing, Judge Kirsty Real said: “What is un-arguable is the deliberate targeting of a vulnerable victim.
“It is obvious that he was elderly and there must have been some planning.
“You had been able to form a view about him because of your previous relationship. You plainly knew what you were doing was wrong at the time.”