Locksmith Mark Makowski jailed for ‘bullying’ vulnerable people on doorsteps

Published: 2 September, 2010
by CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS

A LOCKSMITH who conned a Kentish Town man out of nearly £1,000 when he carried out an emergency lock change has been jailed for four years.

Mark Makowski, 40, was found guilty on 15 counts of fraud at the Old Bailey on Tuesday and described by His Honour Judge Morris QC as a “thoroughly dishonest man”.

The locksmith, who operated across the capital, was caught following a sting operation by Trading Standards officers, who identified 88 potential victims. Eleven cases were taken to court.

Makowski, from Hertfordshire, quoted between £100 and £200 for a job and then hit some customers with bills between £500 to £1,000.

Lance Tuckett, 72, who lives off Fortess Road, told the New Journal he felt depressed and suffered sleepless nights after his dealings with Makowski three years ago.

Mr Tuckett, a retired manager for stationers Smythson, said he had returned home from a holiday abroad when he discovered he was locked out. 

He called Makowski’s company, Pronto Locks, to let him in and change the locks, and was quoted an out-of-hours emergency fee of £290. 

When Makow­ski arrived that ­figure began to increase because, he claimed, he hadn’t included the cost of the locks in his quote, or the price of installation. The final bill was more than £1,000.

“I was outraged, but the thing is, I needed security, so I said, ‘oh ok’,” said Mr Tuckett. 

He added: “I was also 69 when it happened, and I had just got off a very long flight. I was tired and felt vulnerable.”

After Mr Tuckett asked for locks from manufacturers Chubb and Yale, Makowski told him they would cost around £700.

“It wasn’t until the next day that I noticed the five lever lock was a cheap Chinese piece of rubbish that didn’t even have a kite mark,” said Mr Tuckett. “It was bastardised, which didn’t comply with my insurance, I knew – plus he had damaged the door.”

It cost Mr Tuckett, who moved to Kentish Town seven years ago after caring for an elderly relative following his retirement, a mere £160 to replace the locks and get the door repaired by a reputable locksmith.

After giving evidence at Makowski’s trial, Mr Tuckett said: “I felt such a bloody old fool. I felt it was my fault that I got conned. 

“I was just feeling depressed and had difficulty sleeping sometimes. 

“Knowing I wasn’t the only one he conned does make one feel better, but it also makes me feel better knowing he’s been locked up and will be kept out of the way for a little while.”

Makowski was given three and a half years for fraud and an extra six months to run consecutively as one of his scams took place while he was on bail. He stands to be released on licence after two years.

His Honour Judge Anthony Morris QC, told Makowski: “You’ve shown a total lack of remorse and shown yourself to be a thoroughly dishonest man. You deliberately targeted a substantial number of members of the public – persons who had been burgled or were locked out, and usually in a desperate and vulnerable state.”

He added that Makowski was an “unpleasant bully” who was “riding roughshod over any opposition to your business methods”.

Sue Jones, Head of Trading Standards at neighbouring Westminster City Council, which set up a sting operation along with the DTI-backed Scambusters that helped trap Makowski, said: “We are delighted that justice has finally caught up with this trader, who charged his customers large sums of money for a very poor quality and often totally unnecessary work. 

“We hope the fact that his activity was proved to be fraudulent sends out a clear message to other traders who may be tempted to behave in this way.”

• Mark Makowski will feature in the BBC’s Watchdog programme later this month