A “MENACING” rogue trader who intimidated vulnerable victims to pay him for shoddy building and gardening jobs has been jailed.

James Mochan, 35, ripped off elderly and disabled people in Newport and Caerphilly after carrying out poor or unfinished work in May 2021.

Thomas Stanway, prosecuting, said one of the victims was a wheelchair user who handed over £1,400 after she felt bullied by him.

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The woman, from the Rogerstone area of Newport, said in a statement: “He stood over me in my wheelchair.

“I paid him because I was frightened.

“The moment he left, I called the police.”

The second victims were an elderly couple from Bedwas, Caerphilly, who were asked to pay him £900 for shabby patio and gardening work.

When they told him they weren’t prepared to hand over the full amount he telephoned them.

“He was very annoyed and threatened to put them all over Facebook,” Mr Stanway said.

In a victim impact statement, one of them said: “We were very intimidated by him and he has caused us a huge amount of stress.

“One night I had a very bad panic attack and I thought, ‘How have I allowed this horrible man to do this to me?’”

The third complainant was from Maesycwmmer, Caerphilly, who lost £520 over substandard gardening work.

Investigations into Mochan were carried out by Newport and Caerphilly trading standards.

Mr Stanway told Cardiff Crown Court: “The defendant targeted vulnerable victims and this happened in three separate cases over the period of a month and there were repeated visits.

“There was intimidatory behaviour, the victims were pensioners and they no longer feel safe in their own homes.”

Mochan, of Bridge Street, Aberdare, pleaded guilty to unfair trading.

Timothy Evans, representing the defendant, asked for his client’s guilty pleas to be taken into account and said he was a “family man”.

He is a father-of-three and cares for his visually impaired uncle who uses a wheelchair, the court was told.

The judge, Recorder Andrew Hammond, told Mochan: “These were repugnant offences.

“You deliberately targeted vulnerable victims and you bullied them into compliance.

“You are a disgrace.

“You stood over one victim menacingly when she was in her wheelchair.

“The work you carried out was inadequate and substandard.

“You have shown a lack of responsibility for your offending."

Mochan was jailed for two years.

He was also ordered to fully compensate all his victims.