A self-confessed ‘conman’ has been jailed after taking more than £140,000 from homeowners for roofing work he wasn’t qualified to carry out.
Stewart Langton left work unfinished and homeowners facing forking out thousands of pounds more to rectify the work he had done.
Despite a Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from taking on new building work or canvassing for jobs, Langton contacted one victim after she responded to a Facebook advert looking for someone to repair a small leak on her roof.
Langton, who gave his name as ‘Craig’, inspected the roof in June 2026 and quoted £1,800 for the repair. The homeowner was able to check seemingly legitimate credentials for ‘Craig’ and the business he claimed to work alongside.
After work began, Langton claimed to find serious hidden defects in the roof and told the homeowner repairs would cost £50,000.
The victim paid £48,000 across multiple instalments – mostly in cash as Langton said the money was needed urgently for a supplier that would only accept cash.
But she became suspicious and contacted the company who had no record of ‘Craig’ working for them.
When she brought her concerns to Langton and asked for the work to be completed before the final £2,000 payment, he became aggressive and left without finishing the job.
After an independent roofing inspector identified defective work from Langton, the homeowner reported the fraud and identified ‘Craig’s’ real identity from online reports of his previous, similar crimes.
She has now been left facing a further £28,000 payout to repair the damage done to her roof.
Langton was arrested by Nottinghamshire Police in Daybrook on Wednesday 12 August.
In interview, Langton described himself as a con-man and blamed the Probation Service for not allowing him to sell cars, saying that due to this he “went back to what I do best, ripping people off”.
On Friday 14 August at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court, the 37-year-old of Clifton Avenue, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to committing fraud by false representation and breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order.
He also admitted six other fraud offences across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and the West Midlands which were taken into account on sentencing:
- Carlton, Nottinghamshire: Langton took £6,000 from a homeowner by stating more work was needed than necessary.
- Barton in Fabis, Nottinghamshire: he completed more work than was required and overcharged the victim, billing them £14,000.
- Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire: Langton charged the owner £25,000, completed more work than required and left the job unfinished. This cost the homeowner £35,000 to repair.
- Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands: Langton charged £15,000, he admitted overcharging and did not completing work satisfactorily.
- Birmingham, West Midlands: Langton charged £30,000 for a new roof when it wasn’t required, also admitted overcharging victim.
- Birmingham, West Midlands: Langton admitted defrauding an elderly vulnerable woman, driving her to the bank to withdraw thousands of pounds to fix her roof.
Taken into consideration offences allow offenders to admit further crimes and draw a line under their offending, while ensuring the court has a fuller picture of their criminality and seek justice for the victims involved without separate court proceedings.
For all the above incidents, Langton knew that he wouldn’t be able to provide a certificate of compliance as he is not a registered builder, causing future issues for the homeowners if they wish to sell or remortgage.
The properties he worked on will also require tens of thousands of pounds worth of repairs following Langton’s work and the damage caused.
He appeared at Derby Crown Court on Friday 9 October and was sentenced to four years and ten months in prison.
PC Jamie Spilsbury, investigating officer, said: “Langton showed little remorse in interview, telling the officer that being a ‘con man’ was his job and that he could look him in the eyes and tell him what he could get off him.
“He caused stress and misery for his customers, leaving them tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket and in a far worse situation than before they hired him.
“We are working via the courts through the Proceeds of Crime Act to retrieve the money he took through fraud, but the financial and emotional toll his actions took on his victims will have a long-lasting impact.”
