How prolific cowboy builder kept up cons despite criminal past

Mark Killick is one of Britain’s most prolific cowboy builders and has criminal convictions dating back to 1995.

last crimes this led to his fourth fraud convictionIt involved 37 victims, who police estimated were missing more than £1.25 million between them.

The 56-year-old was able to leave prison, legally change his name twice and continue working in the construction industry in the West of England; here he was able to defraud customers multiple times.

At his final hearing, the prosecution said he “never intended” to complete the job and “lied” to “get money out of the client’s bank account into his own”.

Many of his victims had tried to control him but could not find any signs of danger. Instead, they read positive reviews online and found a nifty website.

The case has sparked fresh calls for tougher rules on convicted fraudsters and more regulation of the building trade, amid fears the system is failing victims.

Mark Killick had a decades-old criminal record, but his clients didn’t know about it.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said his first convictions were in magistrates’ courts in South Wales in 1995 and 1996, but it was unclear what offenses he committed.

Killick went bankrupt in 2004 and was granted a 12-year Bankruptcy Restriction Order in January 2006. This prevented him from accepting payments of over £500 without notifying people of the order.

His first confirmed convictions for fraud were in 2008 and 2009, when he pleaded guilty to the offenses at Cardiff and Swansea crown courts respectively after failing to complete domestic construction work.

Killick pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation in 2014 while trading as Mark Jenkins or Pro-Fit Builders. He admitted damages of £573,000 to 42 victims and was sentenced to five years in prison at Bristol Crown Court, but was released in 2016 and served the remainder of his sentence on licence.

Mark Killick has worked in the construction industry for most of his life and has used multiple business and personal names.

He was born Mark Killick but first changed his name to Mark Jenkins, which he said was an homage to his grandfather.

He changed his name to Marc Cole in 2019 and said it was to accommodate his new wife and family.

Killick wasn’t doing anything illegal by changing his name, but it did mean some customers didn’t associate him with his crimes.

Jonathan Gilbert is lecturer in criminology at the University of the West of England in Bristol.

Because he has first-hand knowledge of the UK’s fraud laws Found guilty of £30m mortgage fraud in 2014.

Now released on licence, Mr Gilbert studies financial crime and regulation and advises business and public sector bodies on white-collar crime.

He said there are generally no restrictions on scammers changing their names.

“They can simply go online and go to one of the title survey providers,” he explained. “They can pay a small extra fee and get certified copies to send to multiple banks or utility companies to reinvent themselves.”

Mr Gilbert added: “Perhaps the scammers need to extend their license terms, especially their MOs [modus operandi] It involved changing their names.”

The Ministry of Justice said it could not discuss licensing conditions for individual offenders. Killick’s last hearing heard of no restrictions on him working in the construction industry after 2019.

Mr Gilbert said he believed a central register of convicted fraudsters could be created to enable the public to identify fraudulent traders.

“You have systems in place in certain areas, particularly bank and mortgage fraud. They will have details of previous criminal convictions,” he said.

“But vulnerable homeowners won’t have these tools. They have to rely solely on the internet.”

The Home Office website says it wants to make it harder for people to change their names “to support criminality”, but it is unclear what checks were carried out on Mark Killick in 2019.

Builders do not need to have a license to trade, even if they undertake jobs worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Alli Gay is the southwestern regional chairman of the building trade body the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), which is seeking a change in legislation that would force builders to be licensed.

“If you are a good builder and truly invested in delivering a quality product to your customer, this [getting a licence] “It shouldn’t cause any extra cost,” said Ms. Gay, who also runs the Chi Homes construction company.

“We’re in an industry where most other professionals are regulated. Planning, lawyers, finance, they’re all regulated,” Ms. Gay added.

“But the builder who actually puts your house together is not.”

FMB said a lack of trust in builders was stopping homeowners from carrying out work. It is estimated that this has led to £10bn worth of inactivity in the economy.

The public may have lost as much as £14.3bn to cowboy builders, 15 per cent of those surveyed said. latest survey reported an average loss of £1,759.

Opponents of licensing, such as the National Federation of Builders, said it would add costs to the industry and could drive some builders out of business.

A government spokesman said in a statement: “We regularly review how standards in the construction industry can be improved, but any action taken must be robust, proportionate and evidence-based.”

Many clients have talked about how Killick’s professional online presence and numerous positive reviews helped convince them to hire him. It is not yet known how many of these reviews are real.

Killick paid Google to promote his website, which he said in court was no different from other businesses.

A spokesperson for Google UK said it had stopped 5.1 billion “bad ads” by 2024 and was “investing heavily” in AI technology to remove ads that violate its policies.

Martyn Nicklin, of Bristol Trading Standards, advised people to get multiple quotes, speak to people directly and do research online.

“Don’t necessarily trust the reviews you may read online, which are not always verified,” he added.

He said being patient usually pays off, as some good builders have wait times of six months to two years.

“Be wary of anyone who might start right away and anyone who wants a large cash down payment,” Mr. Nicklin added.

“Most reputable builders will be happy to work out a payment plan for you.”