Following the imprisonment of two brothers and two other men in relation to a roofing scam which saw tens of thousands of pounds stolen from elderly victims in south west Birmingham, West Midlands Police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a fifth man they believe to be involved.
Errol and Timmy Flynn, along with Steven Craven and Karl Bean, were jailed by Birmingham Crown Court on 18th September.
The four were found guilty of defrauding pensioners in Northfield and Selly Oak out of around £57,000 in 2016 when they carried out scams claiming to be roofers. The four paired up to strike at two separate properties – one in Northfield and one in Selly Oak, just weeks after the Flynns were released from prison for an earlier ‘rat catcher’ con.
Now investigating officers are asking the public to help them find a fifth man, Steven Craven’s brother, Brian Williams-Craven. He is believed to have joined his brother and Timmy Flynn in defrauding the Northfield couple who paid out £24,000 after being told their roof needed urgent repairs.
Detectives found that some of the stolen money appeared to have been paid into Williams-Craven’s bank account and he was arrested for questioning. However, Williams-Craven failed to answer bail and is still unaccounted for, despite covert work and attempts to arrest him.
Detective Sergeant Jackie Morrin from West Midlands Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “I’d urge anyone who believes they may have seen Williams-Craven or has any information on his whereabouts to get in touch.
“Up until about a year ago he was living in Glebe Farm Road, Stechford, and is well known in and around the Northfield area. The latest photo we have of him is about 18 months old and there is a chance his hair may have since been cut much shorter.
“It’s important we know what’s happened to him as he’s wanted in connection with a truly awful fraud that left an elderly couple traumatised, not to mention hugely out of pocket.”