Builder jailed 14 years after $1.69M fraud funding gambling habit case

A builder who swindled dozens of customers out of about £1.25 million ($1.69 million) has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after a court heard he used some of the money to fund his gambling habit.

Mark Killick, 56, from Paulton in England, who also went by the name Marc Cole, was found guilty of 37 counts of fraud by false representation following a 14-week trial at Bristol Crown Court.

A rogue builder who defrauded dozens of customers out of approximately £1.25million has been jailed for 14 years.

Mark Killick was found guilty of 37 counts of fraud by false representation after a 14-week trial at Bristol Crown Court.

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— Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) December 23, 2025

Operating under the business name TD Cole Ltd, Killick took large upfront payments for building work that was never finished or, in many cases, never even started. The fraud took place between 2019 and 2021 and was investigated by Avon and Somerset Police alongside Bristol City Council’s Trading Standards team.

Builder carried out fraud to fund personal spending and gambling habit

Jurors were told the scale of the scam was similar to winning the lottery. Prosecutors explained that Killick used money from new customers to pay for earlier jobs, running what they described as a “Ponzi scheme.” He also failed to pay suppliers and contractors and spent some of the cash on personal expenses, including gambling.

During sentencing, several victims spoke about the serious financial and emotional toll the fraud had taken on them.

One victim said the loss of approximately £75,000 ($101,000) was “unbearable and is something that haunts me every day.” He said he had to extend his mortgage to pay for another contractor to complete the unfinished work.

Another victim, who lost around £17,000 ($23,000), said: “My husband was due to retire soon due to some health issues, unfortunately due to the criminal actions of Killick he can no longer do this.”

Several victims said they were forced to move out of their homes because unfinished building work left their properties unlivable.

One victim told the court: “The worst thing was that he just kept telling us lies, making endless false promises, giving fake excuses, and demanding more money for himself. He knew, moreover, in doing this, that he was endangering the health and safety of our children. He knew that our damaged flat roof at the rear was on the verge of collapse, and he knew it was above my son’s bedroom where he sleeps.”

Another said: “We no longer feel as confident in ourselves, as we did. We both had responsible jobs before we retired and thought we were good at being able to judge people. When we discovered that Killick had already been convicted for similar crimes, we realised we had been dealing with a very clever, professional, and competent criminal… Our financial loss means there could be less security for us in old age and less to pass on to children and grandchildren. As we are living on our pensions, we are less able to make up for our financial loss.”

A further victim described living for months without a functioning kitchen, saying: “I was living with the entire contents of my kitchen in my lounge, holes in the walls and floor and no cooking facilities for four months with no line of sight to when it would be done, and it always been ‘next week’… I had to use my bath and bathroom sink for washing up for weeks and weeks and the entire thing was just incredibly frustrating and stressful. Then finding out I would not have a kitchen rebuilt, and with all the money gone, I was obviously distraught.”

Mark Killick ‘a master of deception’

Detective Constable Charlotte Suter, the officer in the case, said in the press release: “Mark Killick defrauded dozens of his customers by taking huge sums of money from them while knowing he would not be using their money to do the work he had promised them.

“The financial impact of his crimes is clear with it being valued at about £1.25million. We are seeking to recover what we can via the Proceeds of Crime Act.

“Building projects are stressful times, even when they go all to plan, so it’s hard to adequately put into words what it’s been like for Killick’s victims.

“It has led to countless sleepless nights for them, as well as detrimental affected their health and future plans. While no sentence can undo the toll it’s caused, we hope they can take some comfort in Killick’s prison sentence.”

The court also heard that Killick had a history of similar offences. Between 2008 and 2014, he was investigated and prosecuted twice for fraud linked to building work, including convictions in 2008 under the name Killick and again in 2014 under the name Mark Jenkins. He was also declared bankrupt in the 2000s.

In January 2019, he changed his name by deed poll to Marc Cole and later set up TD Cole Ltd. Prosecutors said this made it much harder for potential customers to uncover his past when looking him up online.

DC Suter said: “Mark Killick was a master of deception who talked the talk to convince trusting people he was a legitimate.

“In fact he is a serial fraudster who took people’s money and lied to them time and time again.”

Killick was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He will also face a 15-year ban from being a company director and a five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order once he is released.

Senior Investigating Officer DI Hadley Rides said: “This result is the culmination of an exhaustive, multi-agency three-year investigation.

“We would like to thank our partners at Trading Standards for their continued support. I would also like to commend DCs Charlotte Suter, Kelly Pinsker and Rachael Webb for their meticulous work.

“Over the course of the five month trial, our specialist fraud and financial investigators navigated a complex web of banking records and alias names. Their dedication in tracing multiple bank transfers and debunking the defendant’s ‘honest businessman’ narrative was instrumental in securing those 37 guilty verdicts.”

Featured image: Avon and Somerset Police via press release

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