A PAIR of scammers who extorted over £71,000 from elderly and vulnerable customers have been jailed following a two year investigation.

Jeffery Tawse, 52, and James Tawse, 25, appeared in Newport Crown Court in July, and pleaded guilty to multiple charges of conspiracy to defraud.

At a hearing at Cardiff Crown Court, the court heard how the pair used “aggressive sales tactics” to con around 15 people, aged 50 to 97.

They operated in locations ranging from Monmouthshire, Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent, to Carmarthenshire, approaching customers and offering to carry out work.

One service involved cleaning between paving stones with a water jet and refilling the gaps with sand and sealant — but tests later revealed the sealant formula used to be an ineffective saltwater solution, meaning weeds grew back weeks later.

The duo, from Cardiff, extorted a total of £71,520 from their victims before being apprehended in Cwmbran as part of multi-agency investigation called ‘Operation Genesis’.

Newport City Council brought the prosecution on behalf of ‘Scambusters Wales’.

Lee Reynolds, prosecuting, outlined the individual cases of 15 victims of the scam which involved cold calling, using different business names, directly approaching houses, and distributing fliers.

When customers agreed to take up the services of the Tawse pair, they were often encouraged to pay in cash and go to nearby cash points to withdraw money immediately.

The senior Tawse also admitted money laundering, using his grandson’s bank account to cash cheques before transferring it to his own account.

One victim was a 71-year-old man who had short term memory loss after suffering a brain injury in a cycling accident.

The pair charged him £64,500 for the three-course brick wall around his front lawn, with police being alerted after the victim withdrew £100,000 from the bank.

After acting on intelligence, the investigation team worked with the Gwent Police and South Wales Police to arrest the pair in the Oakfield area of Cwmbran.

The bust occurred during the middle of a scam with an 87-year-old man, who had gone to a cash point to withdraw £1,000 to pay for works when the officers showed up.

Judge David Wynn Morgan said the average age of victims targeted was 81, and noted evidence that several customers felt bullied by the pair.

“You targeted the elderly and the vulnerable and at least one of your victims had short term memory loss,” he said.

“You identify and prey on the vulnerable in the community in a deliberate, persistent, cold-blooded way."

The court sentenced the elder Tawse to six years and his son to two years. Both defendants will serve at least half of their sentences before being released on licence.

The Gwent Police officer in charge of the investigation, detective constable Hannah Lawton, credited a “a joint agency approach” and the “diligence shown by Scambusters Wales” as the reason for the convictions.

“This was a lengthy investigation involving individuals who deliberately targeted vulnerable people in our communities,” she said.

“These men showed no remorse for the suffering they caused, their only concern was how much money they could get from their elderly victims.

Investigations team leader for Scambusters, Andrew Bertie, also welcomed the sentence.

“We’re pleased that a two year investigation has concluded and that they received the appropriate sentence," he said. "This now gives some closure to the victims.

“If customers are cold called or offered immediate maintenance work they should treat it with some caution.

“More people need to be aware of this and the best advice is to take recommendations from friends and family."

For more information on Scambusters, visit www.tradingstandardswales.org.uk/scambusters