Cowboy builder jailed after baby exposed to gas leak

A prolific rogue trader who used a fake name to dodge his criminal past has been sent back to prison for six years after defrauding victims out of nearly half a million pounds across south Wales.

Lee Slocombe, of Delhi Street, Swansea, targeted nine people – including elderly and vulnerable homeowners – by offering building services ranging from rendering a shed to constructing a two-storey extension. What they got instead was a nightmare.

The fraud

Slocombe had already been banned for life from carrying out building, maintenance, or gardening work anywhere in the UK. He was also disqualified from serving as a company director until 2031, having previously been jailed twice for fraud – once for 43 months and again in 2023 for five years and five months after conning seven families out of £150,000.

To get around this, he posed as “Lee Lewis” when dealing with customers so they wouldn’t uncover his history.

Cardiff Crown Court heard on Wednesday that Slocombe pleaded guilty on 20 October 2025 to two charges of participating in a fraudulent business between March 2021 and May 2023. One charge was brought directly against him, with a further charge against his company, LSP Developments. He was on bail for separate offences at the time.

Dangerous and “appalling” work

The court was told Slocombe routinely left jobs unfinished, saddling victims with enormous bills to put things right. Work he did complete was done to a dreadful standard, and he frequently persuaded homeowners that additional work was needed when it wasn’t – driving up costs further.

In two cases, he brought in an unqualified fake gas engineer to carry out work at properties, leaving them in a “potentially lethal state”. At one of those homes, a 10-month-old baby was living when a carbon monoxide leak occurred as a direct result of the botched gas work.

Judge Christopher Felstead described Slocombe as a persistent rogue builder who operated dishonestly. He said Slocombe falsely inflated costs and that any work carried out was to an “appalling standard”, with some homes left “virtually destroyed”.

The human cost

In total, Slocombe’s victims lost £547,000 – but the court heard they could also have lost their lives. Many were forced to take out loans and overdrafts, with some withdrawing money from their pension pots just to fix the damage he had caused.

Council response

After sentencing, Cllr Norma Mackie of Cardiff Council said: “Lee Slocombe caused immense misery to his victims, carrying out sub-standard work and leaving some properties in such a state of disrepair that they were open to the elements, not watertight and simply dangerous.

“The stress he caused is unimaginable and he deserves to be sent directly back to prison. I would like to thank all the staff who enabled us to bring this case to court. Hopefully, this outcome provides some closure for the victims, knowing that he is where he belongs – back behind bars.”