A tradesman accused of trying to scam an 83-year-old woman out of £6,000 will face a crown court trial.

Henry Pidgeley, of Lucks Lane, Chart Sutton, Maidstone denies fraud by false representation after allegedly carrying out “worthless” work on the pensioner’s roof.

The 30-year-old had been at a property in Sandy Mount, Bearsted on August 3 to power wash the woman's patio, when he claimed to have noticed loose tiles on her roof.

He quoted her £6,000 to fix the problem, which she agreed, despite having no staff working with him and no formal qualifications, Maidstone Magistrates’ Court was told.

Mr Pidgeley and an associate, who was not named, spent two days on the project before the homeowner handed over a cheque for his work.

However, her gardener then raised concerns over the job to a community warden on August 7 and the defendant was arrested the following day.

Kristy Harkett, prosecuting, told the court the job was “worthless, due to the poor quality of the work” and that even though the cheque was cancelled, she incurred a fee as a result.

In police interviews, Mr Pidgeley refused to comment or provide a defence.

He was then bailed until January 31, when he will appear at Maidstone Crown Court. He was given a condition not to contact the pensioner.

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