Patrick Damien Hartley, 52, has been sentenced to three years and nine months in jail after defrauding 13 households out of more than £700,000. Described by Lancashire County Council as 'one of the most prolific and heartless' fraudsters they have encountered, Hartley's unfinished work left victims with extensive damage, including water pouring through ceilings and unfinished extensions.

<![CDATA[IMAGE10]](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/21/10/111373591-16147693-image-a-1_1789982965054.jpg "Patrick Damien Hartley, 52, left homeowners thousands of pounds out of pocket after refusing to finish construction works") An investigation began in September 2022 after homeowners contacted the local council. Investigations revealed that Hartley repeatedly failed to complete work that cost thousands of pounds. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to fraud and consumer protection offenses committed between 2020 and 2023. Victims reported paying substantial sums for incomplete projects, with some forced to spend up to £89,000 to rectify Hartley's botched jobs and bring them up to standard. Phillippa Edgar, from Stockport, paid Hartley nearly £100,000 for a garage extension that was never completed. She described the situation as extremely stressful, impacting her children's schooling and her marriage. "He left our roof open to the rain, which flooded into our house to the point we set up a pump to suck as much out as possible," Edgar stated. <![CDATA[IMAGE4]](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/21/10/111373021-16147693-image-a-5_1789983269546.jpg "Hartley left Phillippa Edgar's house in a state of ruin after he was handed £100,000 to build a garage extension") <![CDATA[IMAGE7]](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/21/10/111373023-16147693-image-a-6_1789983463957.jpg "Tarpaulin is seen over Ms Edgar's home, leaving the roof open to rain and the home's interior susceptible to flooding") Another victim, Joanne Dagostina, paid Hartley £64,216 for an extension and kitchen fitting. After sacking him in August 2022, she discovered that no steel beams had been installed in the extension, leading a structural engineer to warn that the ceiling could collapse at any moment. "The blatant lack of care and disrespect to put my family in danger is unforgivable," Dagostina said. She expressed disappointment with the sentence, deeming the actions premeditated. <![CDATA[IMAGE5]](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/21/10/111373029-16147693-image-a-2_1789983713249.jpg "Ms Dagostina eventually decided to sack Hartley having already paid him £64,216") <![CDATA[IMAGE2]](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/21/10/111373031-16147693-image-a-1_1789983708110.jpg "Joanna Dagostina's kitchen in Oldham, Greater Manchester, is seen in a state of disrepair") Pelin Akin and Wellington Tsang lost over £105,000 for a loft conversion and driveway. Hartley quoted £48,000 for the work, which began in April 2021 and was expected to take eight weeks. However, construction slowed significantly, and he left the site in early 2022, leaving the couple with no completed roof or attic. They later paid an additional £59,000 to have the work finished correctly. <![CDATA[IMAGE3]](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/21/10/111373043-16147693-image-m-4_1789983936636.jpg "Dirt and rubbish is left strewn across the ground in Pelin Akin and Wellington Tsang's property") Hartley was charged with criminal offenses involving 13 households across Lancashire and Greater Manchester in 2023. He initially pleaded not guilty to 26 offenses but later changed his plea, admitting to six counts of fraud and three counts under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. In addition to his prison sentence, Hartley received a seven-year criminal behavior order prohibiting him from owning a business involved in private building work. Confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 are currently underway. <![CDATA[IMAGE6]](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/21/10/111373059-16147693-image-m-3_1789983017613.jpg "Video footage showed how the cowboy builder left cracks in his victims' ceilings") <![CDATA[IMAGE9]](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/21/10/111373057-16147693-image-a-1_1789983122908.jpg "In other cases he left extensions totally unfinished. Some homeowners were forced to spend as much as £89,000 rectifying Hartley's botched jobs") <![CDATA[IMAGE11]](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/21/10/111373019-16147693-image-a-4_1789983218122.jpg "Poorly attached tarpaulin on the roof of a home in Lancashire which the cowboy builder worked on") <![CDATA[IMAGE8]](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/21/10/111373045-16147693-image-a-2_1789983187367.jpg "A light fitting at one of the homes which Hartley was hired to work on is pictured")