Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Rogue tradesman approached victims in Broughty Ferry pubs as part of £11K scams

Ian Wilson leaving Dundee Sheriff Court
Ian Wilson leaving Dundee Sheriff Court

A rogue tradesman scammed clients out of more than £11,000 before fleeing the country.

Using a fake name, self-employed joiner Ian Wilson introduced himself to potential customers in pubs around Broughty Ferry, between September 2015 and January 2016.

The conman then asked five victims, including an 81-year-old pensioner, to part with thousands of pounds for house renovations that he completed partially or not at all.

When he was rumbled, the 59-year-old left Dundee without a trace and is now in England, where he is said to be living in fear for his safety after receiving threats.

Wilson pled guilty to five charges of fraud amounting to £11,500, involving victims in Broughty Ferry, Monifieth and Edinburgh.

Dundee Sheriff Court heard Wilson currently has £6000 that he plans to return to his victims and is trying to sell possessions to raise the remainder of the money owed.

Prosecutor Howard Duncan said: “In February 2015 he moved to Broughty Ferry.

“Whilst there he met a number of victims while socialising in the local pubs.

“He stated he had moved from the west of Scotland and introduced himself as Ian Howard.”

When one of his new acquaintances said he needed to replace his kitchen and bathroom, Wilson offered him a “good deal”.

He took a £2600 cash deposit for the work on the property at Leemont Drive.

At around the same time the man’s son also asked Wilson to do work on his home in Cross Street and handed over £2200 for a new shower pod.

However, the work was not completed and the shower pod never arrived.

Wilson also took £1000 from an 81-year-old woman for work on her bathroom at Redcastle Crescent, but failed to carry out the renovations or supply the building materials promised.

Other victims included a woman from Waterside in Monifieth, who was defrauded of £2700, and a woman from Abercorn Terrace, Edinburgh, who lost £3000.

When the victims tried to contact Wilson, who had been staying at Abertay Guest House, they could not reach him on his mobile phone and hotel staff told them he had checked out.

His exact whereabouts were not revealed publicly in court due to “threats to his wellbeing”.

Defence solicitor Judith Hutchison said: “He did have a period of custody in 1992.

“He suffers from anxiety and potential heart issues.

“His partner was involved in a serious car accident and he is looking after her, her home and her dog.”

Sheriff Carmichael deferred sentencing for background reports until March 2 and told Wilson that he is facing jail but alternatives may be considered.