TWO “greedy and unscrupulous” brothers who defrauded elderly and vulnerable residents living alone, including an 82-year-old Skipton woman, have been jailed at Newcastle Crown Court.

The pensioner was one of 27 victims who lost more than £100,000 to Nathan King, 38, of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, and John King, 34, of Coventry, who traded together as Guardian Park Homes Ltd.

Both men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and money laundering offences on the first day of their trial at Teesside Crown Court. The brother’s foreman, Leon Williams, 29, of Coventry, was also sentenced after pleading guilty to his part in the frauds.

The frauds involved the deliberate targeting of people living in park style properties on sites across the country from North Yorkshire to Northumberland and down to Somerset.

The brothers claimed they could fit external under-floor insulation to help prevent heat loss and, in some cases, frightened victims by telling them their homes were in danger of collapsing if other the work was not done.

Victims were charged grossly inflated amounts for poor-quality and unnecessary work or work that provided none of the claimed benefits.

Williams was arrested with other workers in March 2015 at the home of the 82-year-old vulnerable woman living alone living in the Skipton area. Attempts had been made to defraud her of £7,000, the court was told.

The court heard victim impact statements in which a number of the people described their loss of confidence, the impact on their health, the extent of their financial losses and their loss of faith and trust in engaging traders.

Speaking after the case, Matt O’Neill, Assistant Director for Growth, Planning and Trading Standards at North Yorkshire County Council, said: “We are delighted with the result and particularly the fact that we have been able to compensate all the victims in full.”

Nathan and John King were each sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment. Leon Williams was given 10 months suspended for two years and ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work for the community. Nathan King was also disqualified from being a company director for five years.

An agreement was reached with the defence for £112,930 to be paid from the Kings’ frozen bank accounts to compensate all 27 victims in full immediately, prior to full confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act to remove the Kings’ assets.

The Kings were also imprisoned for four months in January 2017 after pleading guilty to contempt of court for breaching Proceeds of Crime Act restraint orders in the case.

The Kings’ brother, William King, was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for similar offending at York Crown Court in January 2014, following an investigation by North Yorkshire Police.

The case against them included evidence of fraud committed against nine elderly people in Lancashire, including some who who live on sites in Salterforth.

Paul Noone, head of Lancashire County Council Trading Standards service, said: "This case, taken by our colleagues in North Yorkshire, shows how some unscrupulous individuals are willing to take advantage of our most vulnerable residents for their own gain with no thought for the financial impact and distress they cause.

"That they targeted often close-knit communities living on managed park home sites demonstrates that we all need to be alert to the threat posed by rogue traders, no matter where we live. Fortunately in this case these men have been brought to justice and the victims compensated in full.

"We would always advise people not to do business on the doorstep, and if you need work to maintain your home, get a number of quotes and agree a price and the work to be done in writing before going ahead. Our Safe Trader Scheme is a good place to begin if you're looking for trusted tradespeople."