A ROGUE roofer who told police he was a victim of modern slavery has been jailed after travelling to Dorset to target the elderly.

George Stanley, 29, persuaded a Christchurch man to have a dry verge system fitted to the roof of his property at a cost of some £900. Stanley told the victim the work was necessary to prevent weather damage.

Once work had started, Stanley told the victim some of the roof urgently needed to be replaced. When the work was done, Stanley charged the man £2,900, insisting he needed to be paid in cash.

A chartered surveyor who later inspected the roof found there had been no damage to it before Stanley started work. However, the roofer had damaged the property so badly that extensive repairs were then required.

The dry verge system was also "totally inappropriate" for the type of roof on the victim's home. The victim was eventually forced to pay a reputable roofer £3,400 to repair the damage.

Stanley failed to attend a court hearing in April 2017, but sent a message to say he was in hospital after falling out of bed and hurting his back. He turned himself into police a year later, and said he was a victim of modern slavery and had been forced to commit the offences.

The defendant, of Streethay in Lichfield, was sentenced to 13 months in prison at Bournemouth Crown Court in June after admitting one count of fraud and two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.

A judge was urged to take the slavery allegation into account in mitigation. The defendant accepted the "despicable and shameful" offences had "left the victim with an enduring loss of confidence", it was heard.

Stanley told the court he had been addicted to heroin at the time of the offences, and had been paid in drugs by his captors.

Judge Brian Forster QC said: "This was serious offending.

"You were part of a group of men working in the area, identifying older, more vulnerable people."

The case was brought by Dorset County Council's trading standards service.

Officer Martin Thursby said: "When there is sufficient evidence, we will always take action against dishonest workmen who set out to defraud people.

"The victim was very upset by this incident and the fact that Stanley had travelled to the area to commit crime was an aggravating factor in this case."