£1.5 million Confiscated from Cowboy Builders after Financial Investigation

A gang of cowboy builders who defrauded vulnerable and elderly homeowners have been served with a bill for more than £1.5 million.

Financial investigators from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) have secured confiscation orders against the principal members of the organised crime group whose offending targeted elderly and vulnerable homeowners across England and Wales.

The gang, headed by father and son Lawrence Newbury Snr, age 55, of Bridge Street, Wolverhampton, and Lawrence Newbury Jnr, age 35, of Wintern Court, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, ran a long‑running operation involving fraudulent building and home maintenance work.

More than 20 vulnerable victims were defrauded, suffering a collective loss of £1.2 million through deliberate, targeted exploitation.

An investigation by National Trading Standards led to six people being jailed and a further four receiving suspended or non-custodial sentences.

Following the convictions in 2024, the case was referred to the YHROCU financial investigation unit to pursue asset denial under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).

After analysing years of financial activity, property holdings, bank accounts, cash movements, and hidden benefit, the financial investigation team secured the following confiscation orders that concluded at Teesside Crown Court last week (13/1):

• £550,000 confiscation order against Lawrence Newbury Snr
• £750,000 confiscation order against Lawrence Newbury Jnr

A further £181,000 has already obtained in earlier confiscation orders against additional gang members.

These orders mean that the full financial loss to the victims has now been covered in confiscation, enabling funds recovered to be returned as compensation.

Speaking after the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Jon Hodgeon, head of economic and cyber crime at the YHROCU, said: “The vulnerable victims of this crime were deliberately targeted. Through detailed financial investigation and the use of Proceeds of Crime Act powers, we have ensured they will now receive meaningful compensation and that the offenders have been deprived of the benefits of their criminality.

“The Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit is committed to ensuring organised criminals are not only brought before the courts, but stripped of the profits of their offending.

“I’m pleased that by working in partnership with National Trading Standards we have been able to deliver this outcome.”