**Victims Speak Out After Rogue Builder’s Fraud Leaves Them Hundreds of Thousands Out of Pocket**
For several families in south Wales, an encounter with a seemingly trustworthy builder named Michael Anderson turned dreams of home ownership into a prolonged nightmare, resulting in considerable financial and emotional harm. Victims including Jessica Reader, Andrew and Denise Fitzgerald, and Andrea Phillips and Richard Booth have come forward to share their experiences in the hope of warning others — and to explain the devastating personal impact of falling prey to a fraudster.
Jessica Reader, a veterinary surgeon from Wenvoe, Vale of Glamorgan, had set her sights on constructing an eco-friendly home on her parents’ land near Wenvoe Golf Club. In January 2022, she found an advertisement in the local paper for Anderson, who touted more than half a century’s experience in the trade. “He presented himself as a grandfatherly figure, very warm and knowledgeable—especially about planning matters, where I needed expert help,” Jessica reflected. Trusting his assurances, she soon handed over £131,000, convinced he was capable of bringing her dream home to life.
It wasn’t long before serious concerns began to surface. Anderson wrongly assured her that no planning permission was necessary, and eventually Jessica watched in despair as work on her home ground to a halt. The structure left behind was little more than a flawed shell—its roof sagging and collecting water—while Anderson spun a collection of excuses, from repeated Covid illnesses to weather and staffing problems, to explain his absence. “In the end, he simply stopped answering my calls,” Jessica described, adding that she had “lost everything [she] had saved, including inheritance money.”
The emotional toll of this experience has been severe. Jessica withdrew from additional training at work, stopped handling complex medical procedures, and suffered a significant decline in her mental health. At her lowest ebb, she acknowledged that she even had thoughts of ending her life. She attributes her eventual resilience to a “sense of rage,” which inspired her to seek justice—not only for herself but for other victims, too.
Jessica’s isolation ended when Andrew and Denise Fitzgerald contacted her, having tracked her down after suffering a similar fate at the hands of Anderson. Their vision was of a new life in Porthcawl, with a seaside home built by the same builder. The Fitzgeralds had initially agreed to a quote of £219,500 for the project. Almost immediately, Anderson was demanding invoices, including £13,833 in VAT—despite the fact that new builds are VAT-exempt and Anderson was not VAT-registered. As the months wore on, little progress was made, and a survey eventually found that only 40% of the promised work had been completed, with serious faults such as water ingress and a dangerously collapsing roof.
To make matters worse, the Fitzgeralds began to be pursued for payments by subcontractors who should have already been paid, including a window supplier owed £25,000. “He persuaded us to pay everything through him to get discounts and warranties, but he was simply pocketing the money,” Denise recounted. After losing over £43,000 directly to Anderson, and far more in remedial repairs, the couple are now forced to remortgage their home to cover the losses.
In Porthcawl, Andrea Phillips and Richard Booth’s ordeal mirrored that of the Fitzgeralds. Their “mortgage-free dream” quickly turned sour as Anderson left their home in disrepair and contractors unpaid. At one stage, Andrea had to take out an additional loan to pay a kitchen supplier from whom Anderson had already pocketed funds. “He was always friendly, even tearful, and played on people’s emotions, especially women’s. In hindsight, we were easy targets,” Andrea admitted. The sense of betrayal has forced the couple to put their house up for sale, with Andrea noting, “We no longer feel we can live in this area after all that we’ve been through.”
In a rare glimmer of resolve, the group of defrauded customers banded together, working alongside Bridgend trading standards to build a case. Their persistence paid off—Anderson was brought before Cardiff Crown Court, where he faced charges including four counts of fraud. The court heard he had stolen at least £263,000, with little hope of full restitution for his victims.
Presiding Judge Eugene Egan described the “trail of misery” Anderson had left, imposing a prison sentence of three years and six months, half of which will be served in custody. Anderson’s wife, Sandie, received an 18-week suspended sentence after being convicted for involvement in money laundering.
For Jessica Reader, the emotional damage eclipses even the staggering financial cost—her eco home eventually amounted to £200,000, exceeding her original budget by £130,000. “It’s not about the prison sentence or the cash—this has broken my trust in people,” she reflected. Andrew and Denise Fitzgerald now face an uncertain retirement, while Andrea Phillips and Richard Booth are preparing to leave their community behind.
As these survivors piece their lives back together, their stories stand as a stark warning about the profound consequences of falling victim to fraud—and the importance of vigilance, support, and tenacity in the search for justice. For anyone affected by similar crimes, support is available from organisations such as Mind Cymru, Samaritans, and C.A.L.L., reminding victims that help is always at hand.