Home / Crime and Justice / Rogue Trader Jailed for £120K Scam
Rogue Trader Jailed for £120K Scam
20 Feb
Summary
- Daniel Footman received a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
- He defrauded 31 vulnerable customers and tradespeople, stealing £120,629.53.
- Footman preyed on sick and elderly victims, using fabricated excuses for non-completion.
A serial rogue trader, Daniel Footman, has been sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for defrauding 31 vulnerable customers and tradespeople out of £120,629.53. Footman, aged 46, cynically waited for a previous suspended sentence to expire in 2015 before re-offending.
He targeted sick and elderly individuals, fabricating elaborate excuses such as personal illness, car crashes, and the death of his dog to solicit sympathy and advance payments. His victims experienced severe distress, including one who became suicidal and another who suffered a suspected heart attack.
Footman admitted to two charges of fraudulent trading between 2016 and 2020, operating from Redditch, Worcestershire, with a fake London address. His previous offenses in 2015 involved ripping off 11 customers. The court heard how victims like Alistair Barlow and Philip Axelson suffered significant financial losses and emotional trauma due to shoddy workmanship and non-completion of contracted work.
Judge Martin Jackson criticized Footman's repeated deception, noting the pattern of demanding upfront payments and delivering sub-standard work. The judge highlighted the aggravating factor of his prior conviction and his cynical exploitation of the justice system. Footman was also disqualified from acting as a company director for ten years.
