A man has been jailed for money laundering after an 87-year-old from Watford was tricked out of more than £30,000.

Nathan Jordan was told his actions were “despicable” as he was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on Friday, November 19.

The court heard that in March 2018, City and County Roofing charged a vulnerable consumer, who lived alone in Watford, £33,500 for roofing work.

It would have been worth £5,700 if carried out properly but was done so poorly that it was deemed valueless.

The money was all paid into bank accounts belonging to Jordan.

The 87-year-old victim passed away in the last few weeks.

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Jordan, of Nash Lee Road, Terrick, Aylesbury, pleaded guilty to an offence under section 327(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 at the court on 11 October 2021.

On Friday he said he fully accepted the offence and offered his remorse.

In his closing remarks, HHJ Richard Foster described Jordan’s actions as “despicable”, taking account of the harm associated with the underlying offence.

He said Jordan was aware of the source of the money and happy to launder it, and added that with an increasingly ageing population, people like the consumer in this case were vulnerable to being defrauded.

He added: “The message has to go out loud and clear that people who get involved with defrauding old people and those who launder the funds, knowing full well what is going on, will go to custody.”

Watford Observer: The case was heard at St Albans Crown Court The case was heard at St Albans Crown Court

Including a 20 per cent credit for a guilty plea, the judge came to a sentence of 16 months, of which Jordan will serve eight months.

He also ordered that £9,000, which had been restrained by the court, be confiscated and used as compensation for the consumer’s estate.

He noted that if Mr Jordan comes into more money in the future, it will be open to the prosecution to re-apply to the court to order him to pay further compensation.

Cllr Morris Bright MBE, Cabinet Member for Community Safety at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “Hertfordshire Trading Standards will continue to investigate traders who carry out extortionately priced home maintenance work, as well as those who, as in this case, involve themselves by receiving money from activities that prey on the vulnerable, leaving them without their hard-earned cash. Investigators will use all means to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.”