Cowboy builder Mark Killick is jailed for 14 years

A prolific cowboy builder who defrauded 37 customers of more than £1.25 million has been jailed for 14 years.

Mark Killick, from Paulton in North East Somerset, also used the names Marc Cole and Mark Jenkins when he agreed to undertake the construction work.

While trading as TD Cole between 2019 and 2021, he failed to complete work for dozens of clients despite many paying tens of thousands of pounds upfront.

Sentencing Killick, 49, at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Macmillan told him he had caused “serious and sustained” harm to his victims and left their homes in a “truly shocking” state.

Killick was found guilty of fraud for the fourth time since 2008 and police estimate the 37 victims in the case collectively lost more than £1.25 million.

During five month trial The prosecution highlighted Killick’s spending on luxury goods, including a £25,000 Rolex watch which he claimed was an asset for the failing business.

Dozens of victims also gave evidence against him, describing how their homes were ruined by his unfinished business.

Avon and Somerset Police and Trading Standards received more than 100 complaints against Killick, covering the period between 2019 and 2021.

Killick, originally from Neath in South Wales, asked the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal his conviction.

He told the court he had always run an honest business and had no intention of defrauding his customers.

Killick will be made subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) for five years from the date of his release from prison.

The exact details of the SCPO are yet to be finalised, but it will require him to be known as Marc Cole in perpetuity and it is possible that he will be prevented from making money from his construction business.

He will also be subject to a 15-year prison sentence, which disqualifies him from being a company director.

At the hearing, Killick claimed that if he had not been arrested in November 2021, he would have completed all outstanding business.

“Of course I’m angry,” said Stephen Gledhill of Bristol, one of Killick’s clients.

“But I feel sorry for him [Killick] “He acted this way without any real indication that he actually cared.”

Killick has a criminal record dating back decades.

In 2006 he was given a 12-year Bankruptcy Restriction Order preventing him from taking out a loan of more than £500 without disclosing the order.

He went on to plead guilty to fraud in 2008, 2009 and 2014.

The 2014 conviction involved 42 victims and recognized their losses at £573,000.

The Ministry of Justice said he received six prison sentences, including three for unspecified offenses heard in magistrates’ courts in the 1990s.