Cowboy builder took £1.25m off customers then travelled the world in luxury

Britain's most notorious rogue builder embarked on a jet-setting life of luxury after swindling more than £1.25million from dozens of customers.

Mark Killick, who introduced himself to clients as Marc Cole, fraudulently accepted payments from customers and then squandered it on himself - jet-setting around the globe in luxury and bankrolling his gambling addiction.

Video shows the instant the serial conman, from Paulton, Somerset, was finally brought to justice and apprehended by officers.

It is estimated the value of the work not completed by Killick across his 37 victims was approximately £1,270,000.

They paid a total of £1,473,191 to the company.

It was only when Killick attracted more than 100 complaints that he was subsequently charged with 46 offences of fraud by false representation between 2019 and 2021 - worth the equivalent of a 'lottery win', his trial was told.

The 14-week trial at Bristol Crown Court found him guilty of 37 counts and he was remanded in custody to be sentenced on Monday 22 December.

Speaking after the case, police described Killick's offending as "fraud on an eye-watering scale."

The trial heard how Killick would demand customers pay substantial sums of money upfront to enable him to pay for orders or materials.

He then pressured some customers that they needed to settle their bills 'urgently' - but the court was told he was operating a 'ponzi scheme' and effectively using that money to fund the work for customers who had paid him months before for jobs he had not completed. He was also charged with neglecting to pay suppliers and contractors, thereby escalating the company's liabilities.

Killick's firm, TD Cole Ltd, would commence work for some clients, who would then witness no progress for weeks or even months, despite having already shelled out tens of thousands of pounds.

The prosecution argued that the victims were in a weak bargaining position, as their homes had been transformed into construction sites and they were left hanging, waiting for Killick to respond to calls and messages explaining when work would resume.

As a result, if he requested additional funds, they felt obliged to comply to avoid writing off their financial losses.

Other clients paid Killick and TD Cole for work that never even got off the ground.

After several weeks of deliberation, the jury found Killick guilty of 37 counts of fraud by false representation (33 unanimously and four by majority verdict) and acquitted him on one count. He was not convicted on the remaining eight counts.

Following the guilty verdict, Detective Sergeant Louise Sinclair commented: "Mark Killick sold his customers a housing redevelopment dream.

"He left them with a nightmare and thousands of pounds out of pocket.

"It was fraud on an eye-watering scale.

"The change of name prevented any of Killick's customers who researched his credentials from seeing the media reports of his previous fraud convictions.

"He is a serial fraudster."

Killick's victims were oblivious to the financial troubles TD Cole Ltd was facing, as well as his previous criminal record. Between 2008 and 2014, Killick was investigated and prosecuted twice for fraud offences related to failing to complete building work after taking deposits.

In 2008, he was convicted under the name Killick, and in 2014 under the name Mark Jenkins, which was his grandfather's name.

He was declared bankrupt in the 2000s.

In January 2019, Killick changed his name by deed poll to Marc Cole and subsequently created TD Cole Ltd the following month. He told the jury that this name change was due to family reasons.

When later questioned by police, Killick said the business started off well with customers leaving positive online reviews. However, unforeseen events, including Covid-19, fuel strikes and a collision he was involved in, significantly impacted the speed at which jobs could progress.

Trading Standards launched an investigation into Killick, his birth name, in 2020 following a series of complaints about the business.

The case was then referred to Avon and Somerset Police, who worked alongside the Crown Prosecution Service, to secure the 46 charges.

Killick decided to liquidate TD Cole Ltd at the beginning of November 2021 due to mounting liabilities he couldn't afford, but continued to take money from customers in the days leading up to this.

Detectives arrested him a few weeks later.

He told police during interviews he was starting a new company called Cole Design, which would be a sole trader, and that this business would have finished any unfinished TD Cole Ltd work.

He said his arrest prevented that from happening.

DS Sinclair added: "Lots of companies took a big financial hit because of the Covid-19 restrictions.

"Lockdowns and self-isolation meant it was a really difficult environment for businesses and the struggles Killick faced were replicated across the country.

"Had he explained to customers Covid-19 was impacting on when the work could be started, I've no doubt most, if not all, would have understood that.

"But that's not what he chose to do, because he wanted their money.

"He chose to lie time and time again, putting pressure on customers to hand over large sums of cash to secure orders for them, when he knew the money they were giving was not going to be used for their work at all.

"Killick was paying himself a commission for every job secured, and therefore some of the cash customers were handing over expecting to be paying for their construction projects and orders, was instead going to his personal account and being used on hotel stays and gambling.

"The perilous financial situation was such that Killick was using a pawnbrokers for cashflow, unbeknown to his victims, and he was continuing to ask for payments a few days before liquidating TD Cole Ltd.

"Killick's claim he would have completed the work through a new company does not bear up to scrutiny when you consider the lies he had already spun to customers and the fact the money he'd been paid for those jobs had already been spent. He did not have the funds to do that."

Martyn Nicklin, Trading Standards Investigator at Bristol City Council, commented after the case: "The conclusion of this trial is also an opportunity for us to remind anyone considering building works to do their research to make sure they are employing a trader that is competent and responsible.

"There are many excellent tradespeople out there, but there are also a significant number of rogue traders that offer what sounds like an excellent service and price but will be unable to deliver either on time or on budget."