A builder who pressured a 70-year-old woman into paying him more than £60,000 has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Michael McDonald cold called the woman’s home in Newport in January 2018 and offered to cut the tops of some conifer trees for £400, Telford and Wrekin Council said.

He later returned, claiming the trees were dead and demanded £900 to remove them. He then persuaded her to pay for further work totaling £60,000, including a £10,000 driveway repair and a £17,000 extension.

According to the authority, the judge at Shrewsbury Crown Court said: “To call Mr McDonald a cowboy is an understatement.”

McDonald, 24, from Hodnet in Shropshire, had pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and was sentenced on Friday.

The court was told he failed to provide a written quote, invoice or receipt and failed to inform the woman of her legal right to cancel the agreement within 14 days.

She also heard he initially quoted her £20,000 for repairs to the unit and £20,000 for the extension, before lowering the prices.

When trading standards officers from Telford and Wrekin investigated, they valued the work carried out at around £4,000 in total.

Council deputy leader Richard Overton, responsible for enforcement issues, said: “This case serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of fraudulent trading and the exploitation of vulnerable people.”

His Honor Judge Taylor sentenced McDonald to 24 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered him to pay the victim £500 in compensation.

He said McDonald had defrauded and defrauded the victim, had behaved disgracefully and should be completely ashamed and remorseful.