A serial fraudster who posed as a builder, leaving a trail of financial ruin and half-destroyed homes across the country, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. Mark Killick, 56, from Paulton in Somerset, deceived dozens of families out of more than £1.25 million, spending the money on global travel and a gambling addiction while his victims were left in desperate situations.
A Dream of Fostering Turns into a Nightmare
One of his victims, single mother Wendy Bell, 53, had planned to convert her loft to create space to foster children. She found Killick, who was using the alias Marc Cole, on the website Rated People, where he was advertising for a company called Pro Fit Builders. "He was friendly, flirtatious even," she recalled. After agreeing a £30,000 quote for a 12-week job, she paid a £10,000 deposit.
Work began, and her roof was removed during the summer. However, as winter approached, the project stalled catastrophically. "On one occasion in the winter, I had no covering over my roof," Wendy said. "We had a terrible storm. I called Mark at about 2am." A young man without proper safety equipment was sent the next day, but Wendy refused to let him work in the dangerous conditions.
Killick repeatedly requested more money for materials, which she provided, until a building inspector declared the work dangerous. The inspector gave her a phone number for another victim, revealing a pattern of fraud affecting around 20 families.
A Web of Lies and Evasion
Killick operated a complex web of deception to avoid completing jobs and evade angry customers. He used multiple aliases, including Mark Jennings and Mark Jenkins, to hide his previous fraud convictions from 2008 and 2014. This prevented potential clients from discovering his criminal past through simple checks.
His excuses to victims were elaborate and manipulative. He falsely claimed to have been in car crashes, said his father had suffered a heart attack, and even lied about having ‘Covid-19’ in his foot. To Wendy Bell, he showed photos of a smashed-up van and spoke of a suicidal builder he needed to help.
"I think one of the reasons I trusted him so much was that his partner was apparently in the police," Wendy added, highlighting how he cultivated a veneer of trustworthiness.
Lasting Trauma and a Final Reckoning
The emotional and financial impact on victims has been profound. Families having granny flats built for dying relatives were targeted, and some victims were battling serious illness like cancer simultaneously. Wendy Bell lost her entire £30,000 and more to rectify the damage, had to move house, and suffered ill health requiring time off work.
"It’s still very raw," she said. "I still don’t trust workmen now. I still have nightmares. I haven’t been fostering ever since... I don’t think I’ll ever really get over it."
Justice finally caught up with Killick at Bristol Crown Court. In December 2025, a jury found him guilty of 37 counts of fraud by false representation. Detective Sergeant Louise Sinclair stated: "Mark Killick sold his customers a housing redevelopment dream. He left them with a nightmare and thousands of pounds out of pocket. He is a serial fraudster." The court heard that all the stolen money had been gambled away, leaving little hope of restitution for the devastated families.
