A pair of rogue traders who bullied vulnerable customers have been jailed following a successful prosecution by Cornwall Councils’ Trading Standards team.
Tommy Aaron Chislett and Shane Lee took a pensioner with dementia to buy a £3,500 gold bracelet as upfront payment for roof repairs, after banks refused cash withdrawals.
The pair also demanded an additional £1,000 from a couple who had already paid them £300 for gardening work.
On Thursday, April 3, 2025, Chislett, aged 22, Lee, aged 31, both of Wheal Jewel, Redruth, were sentenced to two years in prison at Truro Crown Court after they each pleaded guilty to three charges of attempted theft and two charges of fraud at a previous hearing.
The case related to bogus gardening and roofing work at the homes of vulnerable victims.
On January 25, 2024, Chislett and Lee, accompanied by one other labourer, cold called at the home of a man living in Falmouth. The victim was living with dementia. The men told the householder that his roof needed cleaning. After they erected ladders and went up on the roof, they claimed the roof needed fixing. They gave the victim a verbal quote of £5,000, with no paperwork and said the money needed to be paid upfront.
The victim told Chislett and Lee that he did not have the money. He went to the branch of his local bank to withdraw the cash, but realising the request was unusual, the bank refused to release the funds.
Having returned home empty handed, the men then took the victim in their vehicle and drove him to a different branch and attempted to withdraw funds again. In the meantime, the bank had contacted the victim’s daughter to alert her of the withdrawal attempt. Unfortunately, by the time she arrived at her father’s property, the men had already left with her father. Not knowing where he was, the daughter contacted the police to report her father as a missing person.
Further attempts to withdraw money were refused by banks, so Chislett and Lee then took the victim to a jewellery shop in Camborne, where he was directed to buy a bracelet. The victim paid £3,500 for the bracelet, which was taken from him as payment for the work.
The victim was then returned home. The police arrested Chislett, Lee and the other male shortly afterwards, although the bracelet was never recovered.
In June 2023, Chislett and Lee had delivered flyers to houses in the Truro area advertising their gardening business. One customer called to enquire about having some hedges cut back and was persuaded to get the work done.
Chislett and Lee turned up at the property shortly after and cut back the bushes. They gave no paperwork or any form of cancellation period. Upon completion of the work, they demanded £300 in payment.
The customer felt confused and pressured by the situation. Chislett and Lee asked him to give them his bank card and PIN number, which he did. The two men took the card to a local supermarket and withdrew £300. However, when they returned, they demanded a further £1,000.
Panicked, the victim called his father who bank transferred the money and Chislett and Lee left. Unknown to them at the time, the payment was blocked by the bank.
Gary Webster, Trading Standards Group Leader at Cornwall Council, said: “These incidents are truly shocking examples of how some of the most vulnerable people in our community can be exploited for financial gain. It is clear that both Chislett and Lee operated solely with the intent of identifying the most vulnerable consumers, with little interest in completing any meaningful work.
“Thankfully on this occasion the police and Trading Standards were alerted to these incidents; however, we know that there are many more that are not reported. It is vital that communities are vigilant and look out for friends and neighbours and report any suspicious activity.”
Press release issued on April 07, 2025