Moment cowboy traders are caught fleecing frail woman, 83, out of £18,000 by posing as workmen to fix her roof

By JAKE HOLDEN, UK NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:58, 16 June 2026 | Updated: 10:09, 16 June 2026 A covert camera caught two cowboy traders fleecing a frail 83-year-old woman out of £18,000 by posing as workmen to fix her roof. Conmen Charlie Lee, 57, and James Cunningham, 41, posed as workmen carrying out repairs on the victim's roof. Over five months, the pair swindled more than £30,000 from the woman, called Christine, leaving her struggling to pay her bills. They were finally nailed after hidden camera footage caught them persuading Christine to write a cheque for £18,000. Cunningham even tells Christine that if her bank calls her, to tell them she is 'happy for it [the cheque] to go through'. He then adds chillingly: 'We need to keep this between ourselves Christine.' During a police probe, it was discovered that the pair had only replaced some mortar on Christine's roof. In a victim impact statement, Christine said: 'I felt like I was being bullied and had no choice but to write them out the cheques. James Cunningham, 41, was jailed for five years and 10months for his involvement in the fraud gang which swindled £880,000 from 11 victims over nearly two years A covert camera captured the moment Lee and Cunningham persuaded their victim to hand over a cheque for £18,000 'They intimidated me and would not take no for an answer, so I felt little choice but to give them what they wanted. 'They have left me feeling unsafe in my own house and financially it has hit me hard as they have emptied my bank account. 'I hope nobody else has to go through what I have and that these men do not get to treat people the way they have treated me.' Sadly, Christine, who lived in the Aspley area of Nottingham, died last April. She was the first of 11 victims who were conned into paying for shoddy or non-existent roofing repairs. Police uncovered a wider fraud ring which conned around £880,000 from elderly victims between August 1 2021 and July 1 2023. One 67-year-old man from Nottingham lost £376,284 of his life savings after he was visited on numerous occasions. In a victim impact statement, the man said he felt he 'had no choice' but to continue paying the men. Other vulnerable victims included a 97-year-old woman from Coventry who lost £186,000. She has since died. Lee was arrested in Coventry on November 18, 2022 while Cunningham was caught in Essex on January 10, 2023. Both admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation when they appeared at Nottingham Crown Court. Cunningham, of Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, also pleaded guilty to six money laundering offences. Lee was jailed for three years and 10 months, while Cunningham was sentenced to five years and 10 months. But Lee was told he was eligible for immediate release on licence due to time already served. Lee's son Ben, 28, also admitted a role in the fraud after being identified by several victims. He was jailed for four years and 11 months. Charlie Lee, 57, was jailed for three years and 10 months but was released when he was sentenced because of time already served between his arrest and trial The pair swindled more thant £30,000 off her in three months. She was the first of the 11 victims In a victim impact statement, Christine said: 'I felt like I was being bullied and had no choice but to write them out the cheques' Lee's son, Ben (pictured), was jailed for four years and 11 months. He also part of the grifting gang alongside Stephen O'Rourke, 56, Michelle Fox, and Lee's younger brother, Cole, 23 Other members of the gang included Stephen O'Rourke, 56, Michelle Fox, and Lee's younger brother, Cole, 23. The court heard O'Rourke's name was given to victims to make cheques payable to - amounting to more than £143,000, which was paid into his bank accounts. O'Rourke then used the money to buy seven Rolex watches. These were later seized by police during a raid. O'Rourke was sentenced to a year and nine months in prison, suspended for two years, with 200 hours of unpaid work. Michelle Fox was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and 150 hours' unpaid work. Cole Lee got a 12-month community order with 40 hours of unpaid work Detective Constable Rich Evans, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'This conspiracy involved a substantial number of victims who were collectively conned out of around £880,000. 'This group used relentless high-pressure tactics and intimidation to defraud these householders. 'Some of them led lavish and luxurious lifestyles as a direct result of their criminality after bleeding their victims dry of their hard-earned savings without any remorse whatsoever. 'They were put through very traumatic experiences, leaving them feeling helpless, alone, anxious, under significant financial pressure and feeling unsafe in their own homes.' The comments below have been moderated in advance. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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