Man jailed after defrauding pensioner out of more than £10,000

A fraudster who conned an elderly man out of £10,500, for incomplete or non-existent work to his home, has been jailed for more than two-and-a-half years.

Ryan Macdonald, of Cambridge Road in Ellesmere Port, was handed the 34-month sentence at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 21st October 2025.

The 41-year-old had pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation.

On 17th December 2024, Macdonald attended the victim’s address in Ellesmere Port after going house-to-house in the area and asked if he needed any work completing.

The victim, aged 81, initially declined the offer but was then talked into having the arch above his side gate fixed.

Between late December 2024 and early January 2025, Macdonald returned to complete the work accompanied by several others but left the gate with no handle and only fixed it with two hinges, meaning it was not fit for purpose.

The drain outside had also been disconnected by digging up part of the patio and was replaced with incorrect piping.

Rubbish and rubble were dumped in the victim’s garden and not collected, meaning it was not usable.

Overall, the victim paid a total of £10,500 to Macdonald for work which was not completed, or completed to an incredibly poor standard.

The victim contacted his MP to report the issue, who in turn reported the matter to officers in Ellesmere Port.

Following enquiries, Macdonald was arrested and a search of his property uncovered paperwork linking him to numerous companies of a similar nature, all of which had been dissolved and re-branded. Macdonald Paving Driveways Patios Pathways was his latest venture.

Just one month before he defrauded the victim in this case, he was convicted of a previous offence in which he agreed to clear an elderly lady’s gutter of leaves and took £4,750 from her after initially agreeing to charge her £20. On this occasion he received an 18-month suspended sentence.

Following his most recent arrest, Macdonald was charged with fraud.

Detective Constable Martyn Smith-Aldous said:

“Despite Macdonald previously being convicted of a similar offence against an elderly individual and being spared prison on that occasion, he did not reflect on his actions.

“Instead, just one month later, he decided to target another victim, this time charging an extortionate amount of money for very poor or non-existent work.

“Macdonald thought he could prey on people to make a gain for himself, not counting on his victim speaking out about how he had conned him out of thousands of pounds.

“I hope this case serves as a reminder to people to report any similar offences if they believe they have fallen victim to fraud. You can report information online or by calling 101.”

Pictured - Ryan Macdonald of Cambridge Road in Ellesmere Port.