Rogue traders conned trusting customers across Newport and Bristol, leaving them out of pocket by thousands as they paid to fix shoddy and incomplete work. Jeremiah Connors, 25, Simon Connors, 28, and Ronald Connors, 49, worked under the names, Trade Price Pavings Ltd and Keyline and Co, and using a false address in Newport.
In a statement made at the sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court, Prosecutor Tom Roberts said: “All defendants obtained money from their customers for building work which was at best inadequate and incomplete and at worst dangerous.”
As reported by Wales Online, the court was told that at the time of the offences, Ronald Connors was already under constraint from a decade-long criminal behaviour order. It prohibited him from interacting with any residential property with occupants aged over 50 or of offering services on behalf of himself or another.
Between 2018 and 2021, the Connor family’s disreputable business operations conned eight victims. One victim described an uninvited encounter with Jeremiah Connors back in 2018, ending in a verbally agreed price of £1,600 to replace a retaining wall and decking.
The victim was asked to transfer £800 before the work was complete, and eventually progress came to a stop. More money was transferred but the work was unsatisfactory with the patio area lacking drainage.
When work was complete, the victim said he was unhappy with its quality but Simon Connors, who attended with five others, said the wall would be knocked down if full payment was not received. In total, the victim paid £1,600 and an independent surveyor concluded the work would cost £2,690 to correct.
The second victim was quoted £4,500 for building work and paving on his driveway to be completed by his wedding, and this was agreed with Simon Connors. No work was carried out for the first month, and the victim was persuaded to let additional work take place, at a new price of £8,500.
After the victim had paid some funds to the Connors, the pace of the work slowed down dramatically and had not finished by the time of the victim’s wedding. The victim contacted Simon Connors but was asked to pay more money, and having done that no-one turned up to finish the work. In total, the victim paid £6,500.
The third victims wanted to install a hot tub in their garden, with work involving digging up the garden and the building of retainer walls. Jeremiah Connors attended their home and provided a quote of £2,700 which included a patio installation, landscaping, building of a retainer wall, and removal of waste.
Money was paid to Jeremiah Connors but work was not completed. Attempts were made to contact Connors but these were unsuccessful, with paving slabs left loose and rubbish left at the property. The victims paid a total of £2,600.
The fourth victim spoke to Ronald and Simon Connors and signed a contract for work to be carried out on her garden, and was told it would take two weeks to complete before a significant family function. She was pressured into agreeing for a retainer wall to be built and she paid £2,000.
The victim became concerned about the quality of the work as the wall had structural issues, but she was coerced into paying more money, with the Connors saying work would stop if she did not pay.
She was told nothing was wrong with the work, but one of the walls later collapsed. The victim paid £12,500 in total, and it will cost £23,730 to repair the work, the court heard.
The fifth victim spoke to Jeremiah Connors and agreed for a retaining wall and shed to be built in his garden for a price of £4,800. After initially being told payment would be required when the job was finished, the victim had to borrow money to pay £800 and a week later a request was made for him to pay £1,000.
He became concerned about the quality of the work and the stability of the wall, but Jeremiah Connors asked for more money. The retaining wall later collapsed, which resulted in a wheelbarrow being crushed and bricks scattered across the garden. Jeremiah Connors said the wall would be rebuilt, but nothing happened for several days.
The victim said he was content to “call the job off” if the mess was cleared but the defendants failed to do this. The victim paid £2,800 and later spent £17,000 for the wall to be removed.
The sixth victim approached Ronald Connors about the building of a small extension and he provided a quote of £4,000. He heard nothing for some weeks until Ronald Connors turned up unannounced and was ready for work to begin. He coerced the victim into agreeing to further jobs at a cost of £35,000.
The victim paid £9,000, having initially been told payment was not required until completion, but work slowed down and he was required to pay more. When he questioned the payment policy, the victim was threatened by Ronald Connors to pay a further £5,000 or the job would stop.
Despite him paying, work stopped completely and the extension was open to the elements. The materials were said to be of a poor quality and rubbish had been dumped in a nearby park, which the victim had to pay to be removed at the behest of the council.
When he called Ronald Connors, the defendant was aggressive towards him and hung up. The victim lost a total of £25,000.
The seventh victim saw Jeremiah Connors carrying out work at a property near where she lived and was impressed. She agreed for the construction of a retainer wall and extension of her driveway for the price of £10,000.
A few days into the job, the victim became concerned about the foundations of the wall, but was told it was fine. She felt pressured into paying £2,000 but was asked by Simon Connors to pay more funds.
Once she was told the job was finished, she disagreed due to the state of the work and felt pressured into paying a further £6,000, but the issues were not repaired. It later transpired the whole job would need to be taken down and rebuilt. The victim paid £10,000 and it will cost £14,408 to repair the work.
The eighth victim was contacted by Jeremiah Connors and it was agreed work would be carried out on his patio and an outer building for a price of £6,700. There were issues with the installation of PVC doors and windows, and Connors asked for money to be paid before completion and the price increased to £8,150.
More money was paid but when the victim contacted Jeremiah Connors, he was told the workmen would not return until further funds were paid. The work was unsatisfactory and incomplete, with broken paving, loose slabs and PVC doors and windows that appeared to be used. The victim paid £6,000 and the cost of the repair works came to £3,000.

The court heard Ronald Connors, of Rembrandt Way, Newport, would often use the alias Bill to hide his true identity. He pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation, two counts of being a trader recklessly engaging in unfair practice, one count of engaging in aggressive commercial practice and breach of a criminal behaviour order.
The court heard he had previous convictions for engaging in aggressive commercial practice and fraud. He was sentenced by Judge Carl Harrison on Wednesday to two years and six months in prison – half of which he will serve behind bars and the rest on licence. As he was taken down to the cells he told his gathered family in the public gallery: “Be good.”
Jeremiah Connors, of the same address, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by false representation and two counts of being a trader recklessly engaging in unfair practice. The court heard he had a previous conviction for violent disorder.
He was sentenced by Judge Harrison to 55 weeks custody suspended for two years. He must complete a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 200 hours of unpaid work.
Simon Connors, also of the same address, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by false representation and two counts of being a trader recklessly engaging in unfair practice. The court heard he had a previous conviction for possession of an offensive weapon.
He was sentenced to 23 months custody suspended for two years and must also carry out a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement as well as 240 hours of unpaid work.
Newport City Council prosecuted the trio following an investigation led by the National Trading Standards and supported by Newport and Bristol city councils’ trading standards officers.
Lord Michael Bichard, chair of National Trading Standards said: “Taking thousands of pounds from homeowners for poor quality and unfinished work – much of it hazardous – shows a cruel disregard for customers and their safety. Victims were put in danger in their own homes and now face forking out vast sums to repair the damage done.
“This sentence sends a strong message that these sorts of crimes do not go unpunished. I would like to thank the National Trading Standards regional investigation team and all of the trading standards officers involved in this case for their work in bringing these fraudsters to justice.
“If you or someone you know has fallen victim to a fraud like this, you should report it to the Citizens Advice consumer service helpline by calling 0808 223 1133.”