A conman carried out botched road and roof repair work during a three week spell touring the Highlands in his white pick-up last Spring.
In total, 22-year-old Frank Docherty fraudulently obtained £9,132 from five people, including three elderly victims.
The money was repaid by Docherty’s father after police caught up with him.
Yesterday, Docherty appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court and admitted five charges of fraud and another of using aggressive language and behaviour to demand payment.
Sheriff David Sutherland deferred sentence until May 3 for a background and Docherty had his bail continued.
Fiscal depute Fraser Matheson told the court that Docherty, of 20 Lochside Crescent, Montrose, had been in Strathspey and Badenoch and Moray during April last year.
He had a vehicle and paperwork declaring he represented Tarstone Construction – but charged up to 10 times what would have been the cost of each job.
The court heard his first victim was Archibald Slimon, from Laggan.
Mr Matheson said: “He said he would fill Mr Slimon’s pot-holes in his roadway with a five year guarantee for an agreed price of £8 a square metre.
“However, Mr Slimon noted the work had been done to a very poor standard, with only a thin layer of chips and hardly any bitumen. Docherty demanded £2032 for the job and threatened Mr Slimon with being taken to court if he did not pay it.”
Mr Matheson said Mr Slimon eventually gave him a cheque despite insisting the work was only worth £400.
Victim number two was Jennifer Taylor of from Isch, near Kingussie, who agreed to pay Docherty £800 for similar work which proved to be sub-standard.
He later demanded £2,400 but settled on £1,650, which the surveyor said was four times what should have been paid.
Docherty’s third victim was 84 year old John Milne of Kincraig who had to pay £2550 for driveway work and moss removal from his roof – five times the correct price for acceptable work.
Sheila Fraser, an 85 year old from Newtonmore was forced to pay Docherty £1,400 for roof moss removal – 10 times what it should have been – plus an additional £600 to repair her roof after he had finished.
Stanley Boys, a 79 year old of Forres changed his mind about having Docherty remove moss from his roof. But Docherty became aggressive when Mr Boys wouldn’t pay.
His final victim was James Findlay of Forres who was induced to pay £1,500 for filling in pot-holes.
