A rogue builder and conman who tried to scam a Kenilworth couple out of £40,000 has escaped jail after pleading guilty to fraud.

Builder Patrick Noel Doherty, 23, of Salter Street, Earlswood, Solihull has been handed a three-year suspended prison sentence, ordered to undertake 120 hours unpaid work and attend 25 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.

Doherty - who traded as Shakespeare Driveways & Patios Ltd - had already been in prison on remand for ten months for other matters, prior to the sentence.

A Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards Service investigation found he exploited the trust of an elderly Kenilworth couple, aged 89 and 91, by misleading them about the condition of their property and persuading them to pay for overpriced, unnecessary and poor-quality work.

He left the couple with financial worries and feeling insecure.

One described Doherty as a 'conman', after he had claimed he would never cheat her because he 'wouldn't want it done to my Granny'.

The Kenilworth couple employed Shakespeare Driveways & Patios Ltd after a flyer was posted through their door that included the Guild of Master Craftsmen logo and a reference to Checkatrade.

It was later discovered that the business had never been a member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen.

What started as a verbal quote of £600 for weeding, cleaning and sealing their driveway quickly escalated as Doherty repeatedly claimed to discover serious defects with the property.

Over the course of several days, Doherty told the couple that water had damaged the damp course, concrete above a patio door was crumbling and in danger of causing the doors to fall out, and the roof had cracked tiles, a damaged chimney (that would fall if not repaired) and other defects requiring urgent attention.

Trusting his apparent expertise, the couple agreed to the additional works despite receiving no written quotations, contracts or cancellation rights.

Doherty also exploited the vulnerabilities of the victims.

Despite knowing that one of the couple suffered from memory issues and was deaf, Doherty later claimed he had agreed further work with him by a simple handshake.

The couple felt compelled to agree to the works because Doherty presented them as necessary and urgent repairs.

Work that had started with a verbal quote of £600 ended in Doherty demanding a staggering £39,000.

He falsely told his victims that the sum included £4,000 of bank charges because they were writing two cheques.

Finally, after the couple had written several cheques, some of which had been cancelled by their bank, Doherty made off with £18,450.

A worthless 10-year guarantee was also given.

Doherty appeared before Recorder Mason KC at Warwick Crown Court on Monday 19 October 2026 for sentencing.

The court placed significant weight on the fact that Mr Doherty had paid his victims back the sum of £18,450, that he was only 21 years old at the time of the offence and that it was his first offence.

Letters of mitigation were shown to the court stating that he had been struggling emotionally with various drink and gambling issues.

Patrick Noel Doherty was handed a 27-month sentence for the Trading Standards fraud offences together with a consecutive nine months for a section 20 offence (Offences against the Person Act 1861) and a concurrent three months for the offence of having a bladed article (suspended).

He was ordered to undertake 120 hours unpaid work and attend 25 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.

A five-year director's disqualification order was also made.