Rogue builders fleeced a vulnerable man out of more than £300,000 for unnecessary work on his home - almost twice the property’s value, a court heard.

Former Pfizer scientist Albert Wood, 69, was given the massive bill for creating a basement at his £160,000 house in South Eastern Road, Ramsgate, and fitting a new roof to his shed.

Police checked his bank accounts and discovered he had handed over £301,080.

Prosecutor Richard Barton said experts stated the work would have cost less than £4,000. The work that was actually carried out was worth £1,599.

Mr Barton said Mr Wood, who was involved in the development of viagra at the company formerly based in Sandwich, had a number of difficulties, including memory loss and functioning generally.

“The plan represented a cynical ploy for an extended period of time to enrich yourselves at the expense of innocent victims who because of their ages and personal circumstances were especially vulnerable” - Judge David Griffith-Jones QC

Now two men who were involved in the heartless con - Anthony Rossiter and Danny Lee - as well as targeting two other elderly victims have been jailed for a total of almost nine years.

Rossiter, 67, of Sandwich Road, Ramsgate, was sentenced to five years and four months after admitting three offences of fraud and one of theft.

Lee, 34, of Bryant Close, Nettlestead, Maidstone, admitted two offences of fraud and was sentenced to three years and seven months.

Neil Page, 29, of Woodlands Road, Ditton, was spared jail after admitting money laundering. He was given a community order with supervision for two years, 150 hours unpaid work and a curfew from 8pm to 5am for three months.

Judge David Griffith-Jones QC told Rossiter, who has twice before been jailed for similar offences and is subject to a lifelong ASBO banning him from working as a builder: “It is plain you played a role of some seniority within the enterprise.”

He told all three: “The offences arise from a concerted premeditated joint enterprise involving the identification and targeting of various elderly home owners and duping them into paying inflated sums of money for remedial work which was unnecessary or not carried out as contemplated.

“The plan represented a cynical ploy for an extended period of time to enrich yourselves at the expense of innocent victims who because of their ages and personal circumstances were especially vulnerable.”

Mr Barton told Maidstone Crown Court the callous builders also preyed two pensioners in south east London - Francis Pedro, 78, of West Dulwich, and Pauline Gallivan, 76, of Lewisham - between January 2010 and May 2012.

Mr Pedro was duped into paying £800 and also had a cheque stolen with which there was an attempt to obtain £6,700.

Mrs Gallivan handed over £2,000 towards the cost of repairs she was told would cost £6,800. The correct cost was just over £3,000. The actual work carried out was worth no more than £230.

Judge Griffith-Jones said Mr Wood, who suffered from a significant degree of cognitive impairment, was duped into paying “an extraordinary sum”.

Rossiter played a lead role acting as “a senior foreman” and was experienced in such offending.

In January 1998, he was jailed for six years for conspiracy to obtain a pecuniary advantage and four-and-a-half years in 2007 for similar offences.

The judge said he took into account Rossiter’s poor health, but added: “There is frankly little mitigation.”

Lee was lower down the chain of authority but nevertheless played an integral and crucial role.

Page, who had “significant cognitive deficiencies”, money laundered £7,282 from Mr Wood and Mrs Gallivan through his bank account.

“I have no doubt you were brought into this by others who exploited your deficiencies and vulnerabilities,” the judge told him.

“You were used and manipulated by others. You, therefore, fall into a different category. It is to your credit you have obtained employment.

“I take the view it is not necessary to impose custody and will give you another chance.”

Detective Sergeant Susan Marsden from Kent Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit said: "This was a long investigation by my team, ignited by the diligent actions of two local PCSO’s and a financial investigator, and supported by our partner agencies.

"The offenders sought out vulnerable and elderly homeowners with the intention of defrauding them out of large sums of money, and it appears there was no limit to the amount they were prepared to take from the victims, including more than £300,000 from one victim alone.

"They would cold call innocent members of the public, informing them of non-existent urgent remedial work required on their houses, and then charge grossly inflated prices for poor and shoddy work.

"Their success relied upon such victims being vulnerable and isolated and not having anyone to turn to for a second opinion."