TWO cowboy builders ran a “dysfunctional and chaotic” business which left customers out of pocket because of their shoddy work.

Carly Prosser, 35, and Thomas Barnard, 32, from Caerphilly firm TC Building & Landscaping carried out substandard work in the Blackwood area.

They admitted wrongdoing in respect of two customers who lived in Argoed and Fleur-de-Lys.

Their offences were committed between August 2, 2022 and December 9, 2022, prosecutor Tom Roberts said.

One of them was a recently widowed woman, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

Barnard pleaded guilty to being involved in aggressive commercial practices.

He had shouted at and threatened one victim that the work that had been done would be “smashed up” unless they handed over more money.

A male customer lost more than £12,000 after he had hired the pair.

Prosser and Barnard both admitted to being involved in misleading commercial practices and being involved in unfair commercial practices.

The defendants had previous convictions but none that were relevant.

Emily Jermin for Barnard said in mitigation: “It was offending borne out of complete naivety.

“He’s making efforts to change his ways.”

Martha Smith-Higgins representing mother-of-one Prosser said: “She wishes to apologise to the complainants in this case.

“This was a defendant who was out of her depth and didn’t know how to run a business properly.”

Her client had battled alcohol and class A drug addiction problems and had recently suffered a heart attack.

Judge Vanessa Francis told Prosser and Barnard: “This was a dysfunctional and chaotic business in which you were both out of your depth.

“There should have been a point where you should have stopped digging yourself into a deeper hole.

“When a person runs a business, the law requires them to run it in a particular way to protect the people you're dealing with and the people you are taking money from.

“You left your victims significantly out of pocket because of your substandard work which they had to put right.”

Barnard, of Duffryn Street, Pontlottyn, Caerphilly was jailed for six months.

Prosser, of Highfield Crescent, Aberbargoed, Caerphilly was jailed for three months but her sentence was suspended for 12 months.

She must complete a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement and was made the subject of a two-month electronically-monitored curfew between 10pm and 6am.

Prosser will have to pay the victims £500 and £100 in compensation.