THE boss of a rogue double glazing firm who targeted elderly people has been jailed for more than two years.

Andrew Roberton, 40, who traded under the company name AJR Home Improvements, was jailed for 26 months after he pleaded guilty to 19 offences against ten elderly customers, aged between 65 and 89.

Roberton, of Alred Court, East Bowling, Bradford, failed to provide legally required cancellation rights to four consumers and falsely claimed to be a representative/registered installer/agent of Pilkington Glass, Leeds Crown Court heard today.

He also falsely claimed that a customer could get a discount because of a fund that Pilkington’s had set up to remedy faulty installations.

He failed to respond to complaints, failed to carry out work and did not show reasonable care and skill and poor quality workmanship.

Roberton said work was guaranteed, but no guarantees were ever received by his customers.

He also failed to refund customers who had legally cancelled their contracts, the court was told.

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According to West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service, one of Roberton's customers called him 53 times to get him to rectify faulty work that had been carried out before pursuing the matter at the small claims court.

Another threatened to cancel a cheque if faulty workmanship was not fixed.

Roberton promised to send a team around to put right the work.

They said the first cheque had not been cashed and requested another cheque. Both cheques were cashed by Roberton and despite promises that he made, the 81-year-old disabled man has still not received a refund, the court was told.

The victims were first called by Roberton, often being told that AJR Home Improvements were working on behalf of Pilkington Glass to rectify problems with windows fitted by other West Yorkshire companies.

Roberton had connections with these other companies, having previously worked at a number of double glazing companies in West Yorkshire.

West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service have found that it is a common practice with window salesmen to move around companies taking customer details with them.

Those customers are often contacted time and time again by these salesmen moving around rogue double glazing companies in West Yorkshire.

Roberton was sentenced to 26 months for five Fraud Act 2006 offences and 20 months for offences under Trading Standards legislation to be served concurrently.

He was previously jailed for 12 months in 2012 for similar offences, while trading under the company name SAS Roofline.

Sentencing him, Judge Christopher Batty said: "You realised how easy it was to sell to the elderly, how they would take your word on face value and that they were easier to ignore and fob off.

"You ran a shoddy business, targeting elderly consumers and either de-frauded them or failed to comply with Trading Standards Regulations.

"The offences were aggravated by deliberately targeting vulnerable, elderly victims, and further aggravated by previous convictions and that you were out on licence from prison when you committed some of the offences in this case."

After the case, David Lodge, head of West Yorkshire Trading Standards, said “This is another good result in our fight against those rogue traders who deliberately target elderly, vulnerable consumers on their doorstep.

"Doorstep crime remains a very high priority for the service and let this sentence be a warning to other rogue traders.”