Jailed, police officer turned cowboy builder who ripped off customers

Steven Trendell 1 outside Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court ©Tony Palmer ONE USE ONLY 10/04/2018
Tony Palmer
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A disgraced former police officer turned cowboy builder who raked in £150,000 while ripping off homeowners has been jailed for 18 months.

Plumber Steven Trendell, 42, who admitted fraudulent overcharging, resigned from the Met a decade ago after being found moonlighting as a bathroom fitter while on sick leave.

Last October he was given five months to start compensating his victims and save himself from prison, but he did not do so. Judge Andrew Campbell at Kingston upon Thames crown court told him he had left a “trail of destruction” with “appalling consequences” for victims.

Investigators found that £120,000 received by his business, Home Edge Plumbing & Heating, ended up in his wife’s bank account, but Trendell claimed: “There is very little left. Most was paid to subcontractors and for materials.” He contested the case until shortly before his trial was due to begin, although he had been dropped by his solicitors for non-payment.

He was paid £112,900 for extension and conversion work to two Surbiton homes, but his customers faced thousands in repair bills, the court heard.

Trading standards officials said the overcharging equalled £51,200.

One couple, who paid Trendell £57,200, said the loft extension of their home needed to be taken down and rebuilt, with an extra £30,000 needed to put things right. They said: “We have lost our life savings and are in serious debt and could lose our home.”

Their next-door neighbours also hired Trendell, who told them he was a former soldier who served in Bosnia and protected the US president and other VIPs for the Met’s protection branch. He claimed he had retired from the police on medical grounds.

They paid him a total of £55,700, but an independent expert valued the work at £17,500, with more money needed to complete the project.

He also admitted falsely telling customers that he was a member of safety and competency schemes when charging £40,000 to convert a property.

He said: “I am regretful, remorseful and very sorry for everything that happened.”

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