Fraudulent plumber fined

Alarm bells rang at Lynton convent

A crooked plumber who charged a pensioner three times the going rate for a bathroom that wasn't safe, and also conned a convent, has been sentenced to a total of 16 months in prison and told to pay more than £15,000 in fines, costs and compensation.

Former fireman Gary Henry, who's 57 and from Instow in North Devon pleaded guilty to fraud and consumer protection crimes and on Friday appeared at Exeter Crown Court for sentencing.

Mr Henry, trading under the names of Barnstaple Plumbing and Heating, and Gary Henry Ltd, has operated his business in various areas of North Devon, having retired from the Fire Service several years ago. 

It's not the first time former fireman Mr Henry's been convicted of fraud. In 2015, he went to prison for two years for overpriced dangerous work. While on early release from prison in November 2016, he invoiced a priest £10,000 for plumbing work he'd carried out at the Convent of the Poor Clares in Lynton in 2010. That huge, old bill rang alarm bells with the parish administrator whose checked uncovered Mr Henry's fraudulent past. Devon, Somerset and Torbay trading standards got involved, and began a prosecution that led to Friday's prison sentences.

Once more, it was found he'd been charging excessive fees for shoddy work. He invoiced an elderly lady nearly £8,000 for a refurbished bathroom and shower that wasn't installed correctly, in a way that could have contaminated the water in the rest of the house and was a scalding hazard. He now has to pay £1,362 to the victim, costs of £6,500 and a fine of £8,000. Mr Henry's new prison sentences were suspended for 18 months.