A heartbroken couple lost more than £30,000 to a rogue builder who left their new extension unfinished, with water pouring into their home. Alarms bells had been raised when Shelley Sawkins, 75, called the tradesman and realised he was in Lanzarote spending money she had given him.
Christian Williams, 54, is currently serving a two-year prison sentence after admitting theft and three counts of fraud by false representation involving four families. In a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing earlier this month, Mold Crown Court heard Williams, trading as Chris Williams Construction, benefitted to £163,051.70 from his offending, but his assets meant he could only pay back £1.
“Rogue builder Christian Williams spent couple's £30k on Lanzarote holiday, left roof leaking, now jailed with £1 to repay.”
Williams had been posting photos on Facebook of holidays and days out at the races, while one of his victims, a dad of three, had to finish his two-storey extension himself. Shelley and husband Barry, 63, spent £50,000 getting the botched job at their bungalow in Buckley, Flintshire, fixed — almost £30,000 more than the initial quote of £21,000. About £30,000 went to Williams, and £20,000 to other builders fixing the mess he had left.
But there are still major problems, including uneven flooring, and they are now desperate to move out of their home and into sheltered accommodation. "We paid the first instalment. The work started, and then just stopped," Shelley said. "Then we saw he was in Lanzarote on holiday with our money. He would disappear for weeks and then come back with excuse after excuse."
They had hoped work from Williams would make their lives easier, providing a spacious kitchen area. But instead, it ruined their happy lifestyle, Shelley added. The first sign the job was not up to scratch was when one of the walls started to wobble when pushed. Then one night, after the roof had been worked on, rainwater began pouring into the house.
Shelley had been caring for her husband, who has Alzheimer's disease. She said: "I was up in the middle of the night collecting water in buckets while trying to look after my husband. I was in tears. I was constantly in tears. It was a nightmare."
The project had seemed to suddenly stall soon after it began in 2023. After handing Williams the job, they found he rarely attended the site himself, instead sending workers Shelley called "elderly and apparently unqualified to carry out much of the work". Despite the poor quality and apparent lack of progress, Williams kept pressing them for further payments.
However, it later transpired the suppliers of the extension's bespoke bifold doors were never paid, and they couldn't hand them over. The couple had no choice but to pay for them again.