In a dramatic conclusion to a spree of deceit, Mark Killick, dubbed Britain’s most notorious rogue builder, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. Killick, who masqueraded under the alias Marc Cole, swindled over £1.25 million from unsuspecting clients, using their money to indulge in extravagant vacations and feed his gambling addiction.

Operating from Paulton, Somerset, Killick left a trail of devastation, taking payments for construction projects that never saw completion. His victims were left with properties in a “truly shocking” condition, a testament to his deceitful practices.

The moment of his arrest was caught on camera, capturing the end of his fraudulent escapades. Investigations revealed that Killick’s abandoned projects amounted to a staggering £1,270,000, whereas the clients had collectively paid £1,473,191 to his company.

The scale of Killick’s fraud came to light after he faced over 100 complaints, leading to his indictment on 46 counts of fraud by false representation. These crimes occurred between 2019 and 2021 and were described during his trial as akin to winning the lottery, albeit through dishonest means.

Rather than fulfilling his contractual obligations, Killick funneled the money into a lavish lifestyle. His indulgences included high-end holidays and a £25,000 Rolex watch, which he laughably cited as a business asset amidst his company’s supposed financial struggles.

He spent the proceeds on a luxury lifestyle that included holidays and a £25,000 Rolex, which he claimed was an asset for the failing business. 

The 14-week trial at Bristol Crown Court found him guilty of 37 counts and he was sentenced on Monday.

Judge Moira Macmillan told him he had caused ‘serious and ongoing’ harm to his victims, leaving their homes in a ‘truly shocking’ state.

Mark Killick, who was known to his customers as Marc Cole, faces 14 years behind bars after callously fleecing dozens of customers out of more than £1.25million

This was the moment cowboy builder Mark Killick was arrested by police at his home

Killick will be made subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) and a 15-year order disqualifying him from being a company director.

Among his victims was Stephen Gledhill from Bristol, who told the BBC he had paid the fraudster £18,000 in advance of a new kitchen.

He said after the case: ‘I just feel really shocked that he could go through with something like that, telling multiple lies to so many people.’

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

The trial heard how the fraudster builder would request large sums of money upfront to enable him to pay for orders or materials.

He then stressed to customers they needed to pay their bills ‘urgently’ – but the court was told he was running 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 accused of failing to pay suppliers and contractors too – further increasing the company’s liabilities.

Killick’s company, TD Cole Ltd, began work for some of his customers, who would then see no progress for weeks or months at a time, even after having already spent tens of thousands of pounds.

The back garden of a home of one of Killick’s victims, which had been left unfinished 

The builder was found guilty of dishonestly taking payments for work that was never completed and which left his victims’ homes in a ‘truly shocking’ state

The prosecution said the victims were in a weak bargaining position, because their house had been turned into a building site and they were left waiting for Killick to return calls and messages to explain when work would restart.

When he asked for more money, they felt compelled to pay to avoid writing off their financial losses.

Other customers paid Killick and TD Cole for work that was never even started.

The jury found Killick guilty of 37 counts of fraud by false representation (33 unanimously and four by majority verdict) and not guilty on one count. He was not convicted of the remaining eight counts.

Detective Sergeant Louise Sinclair said after the case: ‘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.

Victims were in a weak bargaining position, because their house had been turned into a building site and they were left waiting for Killick to return calls

‘He is a serial fraudster.’

Killick’s victims were also unaware of the financial issues TD Cole Ltd was facing or his existing criminal record.

Between 2008 and 2014, Killick was investigated and prosecuted twice for fraud offences relating to failing to complete building work after asking for deposits.

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

In the 2000s he was also declared bankrupt.

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

Killick, when later questioned by police, said the business started well with customers sharing positive online reviews, but events outside of his control hugely impacted on how quickly jobs were able to progress, including Covid-19, fuel strikes and a collision he was involved in.

Killick, which is his birth name, was investigated by Trading Standards in 2020, following a series of complaints about the business.

Some of his customers would pay upfront then see no progress for weeks or months at a time

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

Killick chose to liquidate TD Cole Ltd at the start of November 2021 after building up liabilities he could not afford, but was continuing to take customers’ money in the days before.

He was arrested by detectives 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.

Victims were unaware of Killick’s past convictions and were not aware of his company’s financial troubles

‘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.’