Here's your Friday update, covering: Convicted fraudster ordered to pay just under £133,500 to his victims or face a further three years in prison; Are you recycling your coffee pods?; and new kennels for Cardiff Dogs Home after £500K fundraising success.

Convicted fraudster ordered to pay just under £133,500 to his victims or face a further three years in prison

Alan Lee was sent to prison in December 2021 for six years and ten months for scamming elderly and vulnerable victims out of over £500,000 for shoddy building work which often left buildings unsafe to live in.

The case involved Mr Lee coning elderly people out of their money by inventing problems they had with their properties, before carrying out unneeded building work, at massively inflated prices and making threats against those who questioned him.

The crime spree took place between September 2018 and December 2020 - targeting properties in Roath, Barry, Ely, Thornhill, Newport and Llanishen.

At Cardiff Crown Court yesterday (26/04/23) a Proceeds of Crime Hearing heard that Mr Lee, 49, from Wentloog Road in Rumney has just under £133,500 in assets, of which, Alan Lee agreed that £100,000 had been hidden.

A full confiscation order was granted by His Honour Judge Jeremy Jenkins which will give each of Mr Lee's 24 victims a 35.74% share for every £1 that they lost. The full payment must be made within three months or a further three years of imprisonment will be added to his existing sentence.

Cllr Dan De'Ath, Cabinet Member responsible for Shared Regulatory Services at Cardiff Council said: "Alan Lee claims to be a builder, but he is a dishonest conman who targets elderly, vulnerable and disabled people out of a lot of money. He has been offending for years and often mocked our trading standards officers that were investigating him.

"He thought he was above the law, but he is still in prison for the crimes that he has committed. Now, we have gone after his assets, and it isn't surprising that he tried to hide £100,000 from the authorities. So, when he gets out of prison, he will have no money and we will be monitoring any work that he does, so we can take appropriate action if he re-offends."

Are you recycling your coffee pods?

A new council recycling service, funded by Podback, has been launched in Cardiff which gives resident's living in houses across the city, the opportunity to recycle their plastic or aluminium coffee pods used in most coffee machines.

The new on-demand collection system requires residents to sign up to the scheme via the Podback website - https://www.podback.org/. A roll of 13 bags will be delivered to the property by Podback with instructions of how to use the scheme.

When a bag is full, residents are asked to book a kerbside collection by visiting:
www.cardiff.gov.uk/podback 

Kerbside collections will take place in Cardiff from May 2nd. 

Cllr Caro Wild, Cabinet Member for Climate Change at Cardiff council, said: "Since the scheme was launched in Cardiff on April 17th, over 1,000 households have signed up to the scheme so far, which is very encouraging. Recycling items which are made from multiple materials is often difficult, so is great to see the manufacturers of these products taking the initiative to put processes in place so that they can be recycled. The council will continue to work with ‘waste producers' so we can continue to find new ways to recycle more of Cardiff's waste." 

The pods collected through the new service will be recycled in the UK, with plastic and aluminium being used to make new products, including packaging and car components with the coffee grounds used to create renewable energy and soil improver. 

Rick Hindley, Podback Executive Director said: "We are excited to welcome Cardiff residents to Podback. Research we carried out found that more than half of the coffee pod drinkers in Wales were not aware that pods can be recycled, so we hope to change that, and help Cardiff improve their recycling performance. Where Podback is operating in other local authorities it has been warmly received by residents, so we hope that Podback will quickly become established as part of Cardiff residents' recycling routine." 

To find out more about signing up for the new Podback service and what coffee pods can be recycled please visit:
www.podback.org 

New kennels for Cardiff Dogs Home after £500K fundraising success

Lost and stray dogs from across Cardiff will soon be able to live in luxury while they wait to be reunited with their owners or permanently rehomed, after a fundraising campaign spearheaded by local charity the Rescue Hotel, and Cardiff Dogs Home Ambassador, Sam Warburton, raised more than £500,000 to refurbish the kennels at Cardiff Dogs Home.

The success of the campaign, which will see larger and more comfortable kennels installed in the Cardiff Council operated Dogs Home, comes on the back of a significant Pets at Home Foundation Grant of £180,000.

Speaking about the fundraising campaign, former Wales Rugby captain Sam Warburton, said: "Cardiff Dogs Home and its charitable arm 'The Rescue Hotel' is very close to my heart. As somebody who has adopted and lived with dogs from a young age, the work of the dogs home and their staff are truly amazing. The grant awarded from the Pets At Home Foundation of £180,000 will allow us to create a home that the dogs and staff deserve whilst searching for their forever home. I can't thank the Pets at Home Foundation enough, as well as all the other contributors to making this dream happen."

Cardiff Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for Cardiff Dogs Home, Cllr Dan De'Ath, said: "This doesn't spell the end of the fundraising effort, there's still much more we're hoping to be able to do for Cardiff's dogs in the future, but reaching this target is fantastic news and means we can move forward with the much-needed refurbishment of the kennels.

"The team at Cardiff Dogs Home already do a fantastic job of looking after the dogs in their care but this will really make a difference. A massive thank you is due to everybody who donated, particularly the Pets at Home Foundation, and to our charity partners at the Rescue Hotel for their tireless efforts."

Amy Angus, Pets at Home Foundation Charity Manager, said: "Cardiff Dogs Home works tirelessly to care for and rehome pets in need, and was the extremely worthy recipient of a grant to help with its extensive building project. We're delighted to be able to support the rescue in its efforts to improve its facilities."

To make a donation to Cardiff Dogs Home, The Rescue Hotel, visit:
www.therescuehotel.com