by Angela Cole
acole@thekmgroup.co.uk

A war veteran forced to pay thousands of pounds to rogue traders has received a national award for his bravery.
John Gale, 93, from Ringlestone, a POW in Germany during the Second World Warlso a prisoner in Auschwitz during the Second World War, was conned out of cash for unnecessary guttering and fascia work – and even escorted to the bank to hand over his savings.
He had already handed over £3,300 when Kent Trading Standards stopped the next payment of £3,100, but and was keen to help the agency in their bid to prevent others from falling for similar scams.
John Hanley and John Brien from Banstead, Surrey, later pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to a charge under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading regulations in the face of evidence which included fingerprints gathered by Mr Gale 2008 in the case brought by Kent County Council’s Trading Standards.
They each received a 12-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years, a two-month curfew, 275 hours community service, costs of £1,250 each, and were ordered to pay the victim back £3,300.
Mr Gale has now received a Trading Standards Institute Hero Award at TSI’s conference in Manchester.
He was given the award for his bravery throughout the case and his work in highlighting rogue traders.
He said of the conmen: “I feel sorry for them if that is the way they have got to live; I don’t know how they sleep at night.
“We were brought up a different way; we never locked our doors. We, as older people, are vulnerable from these creatures because we weren’t brought up in that way. I have lived through far worse.
“I would like to take the opportunity to thank Kent Trading Standards for all their help, as it has helped restore my faith in human nature. I did not realise that people could be so kind.”
Kent Trading Standards officer Rebecca Simmons said: “It is thanks to the co-operation of Mr Gale that we were able to secure this good result against these rogue traders. Mr Gale remained positive and confident and was always willing to help – with witness statements, police ID parades and court appearances.”
“Mr Gale has learnt from his experiences with these rogue traders and has been helping to educate others on how to prevent falling victim too. We are sure that his efforts will result in preventing others from falling for similar scams.”