Kidderminster plumber stole 4,000 from pensioners

A self-employed plumber duped almost 4,000 out of five pensioners, causing 'a menace to the community', a court heard.

Steven Greenaway faces sentencing and a possible antisocial behaviour order after admitting to 13 counts of fraud at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The 41-year-old overcharged the five customers by 3,835 over a three year period from 2010 - despite being convicted for similar offences in 2012.

At a hearing yesterday, prosecutor Mark Jackson said: "He is a convicted confidence trickster who uses his status as a self-employed plumber responding to emergency call-outs to defraud customers in their own homes by grossly overcharging them for work."

He added: "He is a menace to the community. The fact he has been sentenced has made no difference at all to going and duping members of the community in their own homes.

"There can be no doubt his activities have caused harassment, alarm and distress."

Greenaway's victims included Lynne Watkins, of Cradley Heath, who was billed 1,527 to stop leaks from burst pipes and supply and install a new toilet system.

But her insurance company only gave her 200 after inspecting the work, carried out in December in 2010.

In the same month, he charged June Gilliam, of Halesowen, 787 to repair a leak to a downstairs toilet.

He continued the following the month when he billed Irene and Raymond Perry 817 to repair a leak in their kitchen.

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Kidderminster plumber stole 4,000 from pensioners