Cowboy builder wrecked woman’s memorial garden for two-year-old granddaughter

A dodgy tradesman has been locked up after pocketing a grieving grandmother’s money and wrecking her garden.

Elaine Thompson, 62, wanted to create a memorial garden at her home in Wrekenton, Gateshead, for her granddaughter Jess Moore.

Jess had a rare genetic disorder called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, which meant she was fed through a tube.

She was two years old when she passed away in November 2019 during an operation to fit a new tube.

Elaine paid £7,500 to Steven Lawrence Brown, who was operating as Tyneside Renovate and Build Ltd, after the business was recommended to her on social media.

But her plans for a garage, patio and new driveway never came to fruition.

Brown, 44, dug up Elaine’s front and back garden but never returned to her property to complete the work.

Instead of a new garden, she was left with muddy craters and building rubble.

Elaine and four other people, who he had also targeted, reported him to the police.

Brown, of Benton, Newcastle, admitted to five counts of fraud by misrepresentation.

On September 24 this year, Elaine watched him being sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court to 20 months in prison.

However, she still hasn’t recouped the money that she lost.

The call agent, who has recently battled breast cancer, said: ‘My granddaughter died when she was two years old. I was still grieving.

‘I wanted a little memorial garden for her and he knew that. It was still raw at the time when he was coming around.

‘He knew I was excited to get it done. He had no intention of actually doing it. He just has no feelings.

‘I’m pleased that he’s locked up and he has time to think about it. But I’m a bit disappointed that he does all this and he’s still won really – he’s not having to pay back the money.’

Elaine agreed to go ahead with building work on her home in February 2020 after being quoted £14,000 for a garage, paving and a patio.

She said Brown, who offered £500 less than other firms, said he could make an immediate start.

She paid £7,500 to cover materials before the work started but the company failed to arrive on the agreed date.

She said they came three days later with a digger and dug up the back garden, leaving large holes and exposed gas pipes. Elaine said no further work was done for a fortnight.

When Brown did not respond to calls, she and her daughter, Ashleigh, went to the address he had given on his estimate, only to find he did not live there.

She said she engaged a solicitor, costing £2,000, when she asked for her money back and he refused to correspond with her.

She said he agreed that he owed the money and he would pay back £500 a month. However, she only received one payment.

Elaine said that she used a redundancy payment to cover the cost of the work and, five years on, she still cannot afford to fix the mess.

She said she has had to reduce her hours at work due to issues with her health.

Elaine, who has had a pacemaker fitted, said: ‘It wasn’t money that I had spare, it was a redundancy payment.

‘I did have a quote from somebody else and he said he would undercut that. It was just too good to be true.

‘Financially it’s been a big burden. I have had to sell my car in order to try and get something done to the front garden, and the back garden still needs doing.

‘I feel frustrated with it. I just think about what it could have been. I don’t think I’ll be able to save up. I’ll be stuck with the mess until I win the lottery or something. It’s just never going to get done.’

Brown previously told Chronicle Live in 2023 that he had intended on completing Elaine’s work when the money was paid.

He said ‘things went sideways’ when he split with his partner, lost his home and business and ended up in a hostel.

He said: ‘I have never denied that I owe Mrs Thompson the money and I have said I intend to pay her back. I know she has reported this to the police, but it is a civil matter.’

Elaine added: ‘In the last report he said it was a civil matter. As there was so many people coming forward, the police went in to prosecute him.

‘It’s sending a message to other builders – it’s not a civil matter. If you continue doing this you can be locked up!’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.