Builder tells court ‘it was a good job’

12:50pm Thursday 30th October 2008

A BUILDER accused of embarking on building projects he was unqualified to carry out, told a court he felt confident in carrying them out because he had “a lot of experience working for Wimpey’s and large companies”.

Father-of-three Martin Gumbrell, 53, of Taylor Drive, Bournemouth, told Bournemouth Crown Court he had qualifications in carpentry and joinery but admitted to failing an Institute of Carpenters practical exam.

Gumbrell told the court: “I wasn’t feeling well that day.”

When asked why he didn’t take the exam again, Gumbrell replied: “Because I’d just bought my first property. It was my aim to just move on and try and earn a good income.”

There is no requirement at all to have any qualifications to be a builder in the UK, the court heard.

When asked how he got work Gumbrell said that many people recommended him as “an accomplished tradesman”.

Describing his experience in the building trade, Gumbrell said he had worked on important projects including airport buildings and runways in Saudi Arabia, as a site supervisor in Iraq and helping to build an airbase in Israel.

When asked if he had ever made claims to his customers of having a university degree in building, Gumbrell replied: “No, not at all.”

When asked how he had felt about taking on the project to build a house for Terry Seabourn, who gave evidence earlier in the trial, Gumbrell replied: “I felt confident that I could do this project because of the experience I had had in the past. I wasn’t exactly a newcomer to the trade.”

He said that he had enjoyed a “good relationship” with the Seabourns and was surprised they were unhappy.

He added: “It was a great achievement. It was a good job and Terry and Sonia were great to work with. That’s why I find it so funny he’s walked across this floor and stood in the witness box.”

Gumbrell denies three charges of obtaining a pecuniary advantage between August 15, 2001, and December 14, 2005.

He also pleads not guilty to obtaining a money transfer by deception between July 1, 2005, and September 30, 2005.

The trial continues.