THE Former deputy mayor of Winsford ‘fobbed off’ the current town mayor with a ‘series of lies’ after botching £1,600 building work on his garage roof.

During various points of a three-year saga, Paul Jones claimed he was undergoing treatment for testicular cancer, had been sectioned, and had lost his building materials in a fire.

The 36-year old, formerly of Esk Road, Wharton, also conned a Winsford woman out of £730 for guttering work he never started.

Jones pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud by false representation at Chester Magistrates on Wednesday, April 2.

Prosecuting for Cheshire West and Chester Trading Standards, Adam Simpson, said: “The defendant never had any intention of completing the work.

“He set up to make money and fobbed his victims off with a series of lies and deceit; sending text messages saying he had testicular cancer and was in hospital.”

In January 2013, Jones was paid £300 for materials upfront in £20 notes by a Winsford woman to replace guttering, fascias and soffits.

“She had gone to him knowing him to builder and a town councillor. She believed that he would provide a trustworthy service,” said Mr Simpson.

“He made an excuse about the poor weather and said he would start on March 3.

“On the 21st he called to her house and said he was ill and undergoing tests for testicular cancer and said he wouldn’t be able to make money if he had to go into hospital.”

Jones was paid the remaining £430 but still failed to complete the work, after which the woman reported him to the council at Wyvern House.

B y then, Jones’ methods had already fallen under the suspicion of fellow town councillor, Mike Kennedy – now the current mayor of Winsford – who had paid £1,600 for a garage roof replacement, due to start in September 2011.

“He came up with numerous excuses, claiming he was receiving psychiatric treatment and was in hospital; throughout which Councillor Kennedy showed great patience,” said Mr Simpson.

Jones told Cllr Kennedy that the materials he needed to complete the works had been damaged in a builder’s yard fire.

The work was cancelled. Cllr Kennedy hired a surveyor to assess the situation, who said it would cost up to £4,000 to fix the damage Jones had done.

Mitigating, Guy Dodd said: “This is not a case where Mr Jones has set out to target his victims. Both approached him because they knew him in his capacity as a councillor who had previously run a building firm, which in fact had by then gone out of business due to financial difficulty.

“Mr Jones’ general mental health by this time was not good. He had become quite ill due to depression and anxiety.

“During the course of all this he made a serious suicide attempt by means of trying to poison himself in his car by carbon monoxide. He also self-harmed on a number of occasions.

“He gets very panicky in public. His judgement in all sorts of ways has been affected. He’s registered with mental health services.”

Jones will be sentenced on April 28.