Guilty: Kilburn man in ‘builders gang’ that conned elderly victims out of £140k for bogus work

A man from Kilburn who teamed up with his uncle to dupe elderly people into paying extortionate fees for unnecessary building work is facing jail.

Johnny Casey, 22, of Bradwell House, Mortimer Crescent, was part of a cowardly team who convinced victims their homes needed renovation before bombarding them with hundreds of calls and sometimes verbally abusing them.

One of the victims, a 69-year-old man from Lewisham, paid them almost £100,000 and was on the brink of handing over the deeds to his house following months of manipulation. Another victim, an elderly woman in Camden, was conned out of nearly £40,000.

Last week Casey’s uncle Michael Casey, from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, who went on the run for a year before handing himself in, was jailed for eight years. Accomplice Trevor Lee-Shield, 56, from Paddington, received three-and-a-half years suspended for two years.

Johnny Casey will be sentenced on September 1.

Detective Constable Siobhan Cowlin, of the London Crime Squad, said: “The gang chose vulnerable victims and embarked on a campaign of extortion. Michael Casey was pivotal, bombarding victims with calls - first to befriend them, then to strong-arm them into paying spiralling costs.

“What this gang did is deplorable and I believe they would have continued to target elderly people if they were not now behind bars.”

A financial investigation is under way, with a view to seeking confiscation orders against the men.

Three others were sentenced for their part in the criminality last week.