Rogue trader jailed for breaching Serious Crime Prevention Order

William King, of Tonley Lane, Newark, pleaded guilty to five counts of failing to comply with a Serious Crime Prevention Order at Chester Crown Court on 13 March 2026.

He returned to the same court on Tuesday 16 June, where he was jailed for five years and eight months. He was also handed a five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order, which will come into effect upon his release from prison.

In court, it was heard that King had previously been jailed in 2022 for defrauding a number of elderly people out of a combined total of over £200,000 through unnecessary and substandard building work.

The 48-year-old was also given a five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO), which was set to commence upon his release from prison. Among a number of conditions under the SCPO, King was required to notify Cheshire Police of any businesses he had set up and was prohibited from using any alias names.

In November 2024, Cheshire Police were contacted by a woman whose mother had received poor-quality building work at her address in Cheshire.

She conducted online research into the builder who carried out the work and subsequently identified King, who had been released on licence, from an online news article relating to his previous offences involving the defrauding of elderly people through poor construction work.

As a result, Cheshire Police launched Operation Propped, a dedicated investigation into King’s latest offending.

Officers uncovered that, between October 2024 and April 2025, King had established three different companies focusing on roofing repairs and maintenance and had been involved in 13 individual building projects for elderly people across Cheshire, North Wales, Devon and Cornwall.

King failed to notify Cheshire Police of these businesses, which was a clear breach of his Serious Crime Prevention Order. During their investigation, officers also obtained video footage of King carrying out cold calls for roofing work and introducing himself as John Myles, which was another breach of his order.

As a result of these breaches, King was recalled to prison.

When interviewed by officers, King admitted to setting up the building companies and being responsible for completing the work. However, he told officers that he had not been served with the Prevention Order and was therefore not aware of any conditions imposed on him.

When shown the video footage of him introducing himself as John Myles, King exercised his legal right to remain silent.

Detective Constable Gareth Yates, who led the investigation into King’s offending, said:

"Despite previously being convicted, sent to prison, and being handed a crime prevention order with strict conditions, William King clearly thought he was above the law and would face no consequences for defrauding 13 more vulnerable people by carrying out substandard construction work. He was gravely mistaken.

"After receiving information that King had struck again in Cheshire and had clearly breached his Serious Crime Prevention Order on multiple occasions, officers working under Operation Propped launched enquiries to locate him and swiftly return him to prison.

"It was the overwhelming amount of evidence they found and presented to King that left him with no choice but to plead guilty to the charges he faced. I hope this case makes it clear that Cheshire is not a place for rogue traders or cold callers looking to exploit anyone into handing over their hard-earned money for poor-quality work.

"If you suspect that you, or anyone you know, has been the victim of rogue trading, do not hesitate to contact Cheshire Police. Our officers will do all they can to get you the justice you deserve."