A rogue builder nicknamed the ‘King of the Cowboys’ for ripping off families for hundreds of thousands of pounds while he boasted of his luxury lifestyle on social media has been jailed.
Cristopher Webber, 48, posted pictures online of his trips abroad on holiday and enjoying high dining – while he left his customers’ homes in dangerously unsafe states.
Webber was jailed after he pocketed £223,000 from two families for work on three properties, but left their houses in states of disrepair.
A court heard how he failed to turn up to the site, did not apply for building regulations, and did not purchase the material he had been paid for.
Investigators described Webber as a cowboy builder who ‘scammed residents out of hundreds of thousands of pounds through fraud and shoddy workmanship.’
They said Webber left homes so unsafe that families were left paying more than triple the cost for simple jobs.
Cardiff Crown Court heard how one victim lost £103,029, while another lost a combined £120,000 across two properties due to Webber’s work.
Rhondda Cynon Taf council said: ‘His victims were left struggling with huge debts and their lives in ruins, whilst he continued to live the “high life” on social media.’
Cristopher Webber, 48, posted pictures of his holidays abroad while he left his customer’s homes in dangerously unsafe states
The so-called ‘King of the Cowboys’ posted his life of holidaying, drinking, and dining on his social media
Webber pocketed £223,000 from two families for work on homes he left in disrepair, and has since been jailed for three years and four months
Webber was jailed for three years and four months.
Speaking after the sentence, Councillor Bob Harris, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: ‘Unfortunately, too many customers are being left in stressful and sometimes dangerous situations and considerably out of pocket due to their actions.
‘Mr Webber was indeed the “King of Cowboys” and it was sheer luck that nobody was physically hurt from his dangerous workmanship.
‘I would like to thank the team for all their hard work in making sure he was held to account!
‘We hope that by raising awareness of building fraud and the methods used by rogue traders, we will educate consumers, give them the confidence to make the right decisions and make it more difficult for fraudsters to operate.
‘Rogue traders can be very convincing, but their work will often be incorrectly priced, and shoddy and their actions can have a devastating impact upon the lives of their victims, many of whom are elderly and vulnerable.’
