Conmen brothers scammed pensioner out of £25,000 for £1,000-worth of 'shoddy' roof work

Two brothers are facing jail after being found guilty of conning an elderly man out of £25,000, having fixed his roof and lied about the true cost of the work.

Jack Doyle, 29 and his 32-year-old brother Shaun, who has a history of fraud offences, originally told 79-year-old David Heaton that the standard work on his roof would cost him £50,000, before appearing to compromise by accepting £25,000.

The pensioner then paid the pair the amount even though the true cost of the "shoddy" work was actually worth around £1,000.

The elder Doyle brother had also attempted to con another elderly person, 79-year-old Joyce Fiddler, out of £6,000 for roof work that should only have cost £800.

He was eventually found out after a neighbour warned her about Doyle's previous offending by showing a 2009 article about him in the Chronicle Live.

Shaun Doyle, of West Ridd Caravan Site, Durham, has now been found guilty of two counts of fraud, with Jack Doyle, of East Howle, Ferryhill, County Durham, also convicted of one fraud offence.

During the trial, Lee Fish, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court: "The work that was actually done was not done very well at all, it was shoddy, poor workmanship and some of the work done wasn't necessary.

"But perhaps more significantly, the work which was done should have cost £1,000."

Both brothers will be sentenced on 26 January.