Fraudster sentenced to nine months for his part in Bacup landscaping scam

Following an investigation, the materials were valued at £650 but the work was found to be of no value at all and the victim is now facing a bill of £4,350 to put everything right.

Patrick Dunleavy, also known as Peter John James Gerard Dunleavy, has been given a suspended nine month prison sentence for money laundering following action by Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards officers.

Preston Crown Court heard that Dunleavy, 59, from Manchester, created a business account in the name of Iconic Driveways and Landscapes, which enabled a group of men to take bank payments from their elderly victim for sub-par driveway and landscaping work in 2023.

The court heard that the victim, from Bacup, relied on traders to carry out work for her after she lost her husband in 2021. In early June 2023, after an extended stay in hospital, the victim came out to find her garden looking 'like a jungle' so she used the 'Checkatrade' website to see if there was anyone willing to do some tidying work and an issue with rainwater drainage.

Almost immediately, a male got in touch offering to come round later the same day. When he arrived, the man, who falsely gave his name as Patrick Dunleavy, agreed a price of £8,000 to carry out drainage, groundwork and gardening jobs. The man, whose true identity remains unknown, told his victim he needed to be paid in advance, for which he was given £900 cash and a cheque for £7,100, made payable to Patrick Gerald (sic) Dunleavy.

Work started a few days later but it wasn't long before the victim was asked to fork out another £6,400 after "problems" were identified, including £2,000 to fix a broken pipe. On each occasion, the victim was asked to pay by debit card to a Lloyds bank account, the address for which was the defendant's home address on Rolleston Avenue, Manchester.

Following a complaint to Lancashire's Trading Standards officers, a chartered building engineer undertook an inspection which found the work to be of such a poor standard that, apart from £650 of materials, it held no value. The court heard that despite paying the men £14,500, the victim was now facing a bill of £4,350 to put everything right.

At an earlier hearing Dunleavy had pleaded guilty to a charge of becoming concerned in a money laundering arrangement, contrary to s328 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. In mitigation, Dunleavy admitted setting up the Checkatrade account and the bank account, which he had suspected was likely to be used for criminal purposes. But he claimed that he had not benefitted from the offending and was left owing money to Checkatrade.

Sentencing him to a nine-month prison sentence suspended for two years, His Honour Judge Maher told Dunleavy that although there was no suggestion he had been involved in carrying out any work, he had nonetheless played a significant role in the offending, which had enabled others to defraud their elderly victim. He was also ordered to carry out five probation-supervised rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) days and 40 hours' unpaid community work.

Councillor Joshua Roberts, cabinet member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities, said:

"While little is known about the so-called workmen, these offences would not have been possible without someone to set up the Checkatrade and bank accounts on their behalf.

"We hope the defendant will find time to reflect on how his involvement enabled an elderly resident to be conned in such a cruel and heartless way.

"We will always take the strongest action against fraudsters and scammers who target the most vulnerable in our communities. Our Trading Standards teams will not allow rogue traders to erode trust, causing significant emotional, physical and financial distress."

The Safe Trader Scheme is operated by Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards Service and it aims to assist residents of Lancashire to find reputable traders for property repairs, home improvements, gardening services, mobility aids and other services around the home. Find out more at www.safetrader.org.uk