Elaine Thompson wanted to create a memorial garden at her home in Gateshead for her granddaughter Jess, who died aged two
Kristy Dawson Multi-Media Journalist
00:52, 18 Oct 2025
Elaine Thompson (left) and Steven Lawrence Brown (inset)(Image: Chronicle Live )
A cowboy builder has been locked up after pocketing a grieving grandmother’s money and leaving her garden a wreck. Elaine Thompson, 62, wanted to create a memorial garden at her home in Wrekenton, Gateshead, for her granddaughter Jess Moore.
Jess had a rare genetic disorder called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, which meant she had to be fed through a tube. She was two years old when she passed away in November 2019 during an operation to fit a new tube.
Elaine paid £7,500 to Steven Lawrence Brown, who was operating as Tyneside Renovate and Build Ltd, after the business was recommended to her on social media. However her plans for a garage, patio and new driveway never came into fruition.
Elaine with her granddaughter Jess, who died in 2019(Image: Chronicle Live )
Brown, 44, dug up Elaine’s front and back garden but failed to return to her property to complete the work. Instead of a new garden, she was left with muddy craters and building rubble.
Elaine and four other people, who he had also targeted, reported him to the police. Brown, of Benton Close, Benton, Newcastle, was charged with five counts of fraud by misrepresentation, which he admitted.
On September 24 this year, Elaine watched as he was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court to 20 months in prison. However she still hasn’t recouped the money which she has lost.
Steven Lawrence Brown (Image: Northumbria Police )
The call agent, who has recently battled breast cancer, said: “My granddaughter died when she was two years old. I was still grieving. I wanted a little memorial garden for her and he knew that. It was still raw at the time when he was coming around.
“He knew I was excited to get it done. He had no intention of actually doing it. He just has no feelings.
“I’m pleased that he’s locked up and he has time to think about it. But I’m a bit disappointed that he does all this and he’s still won really – he’s not having to pay back the money.”
Elaine agreed to go ahead with building work to her home in February 2020 after obtaining a £14,000 quote to build a garage, paving and a patio. She said Brown undercut the other quotes she obtained by £500 and he said he could make an immediate start.
She paid £7,500 to cover materials before the work started but the company failed to show up on the agreed date. She said they arrived three days later with a digger, and dug up the back garden, leaving large holes and exposed gas pipes.
Elaine Thompson says her garden has been left in an unusable state(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
Elaine said that the garden was left with no further work for a fortnight and when Brown did not respond to calls, she and her daughter, Ashleigh, went to the address he had given on his estimate, only to discover he did not live there.
She said she engaged a solicitor, at a cost of nearly £2,000, when she asked for her money back and he refused to correspond with her. She said he agreed that he owed the money and he would pay back £500 a month. However she only received one payment.
Elaine said that she used a redundancy payment to cover the cost of the work and, five years on, she still cannot afford to fix the mess. She said she has had to reduce her hours at work due to issues with her health.
Elaine wanted to create a memorial garden for Jess (Image: Chronicle Live )
Elaine, who has had a pacemaker fitted, said: “It wasn’t money that I had spare, it was a redundancy payment. I did have a quote from somebody else and he said he would undercut that. It was just too good to be true.
“Financially it’s been a big burden. I have had to sell my car in order to try and get something done to the front garden, and the back garden still needs doing.
“I feel frustrated with it. I just think about what it could have been. I don’t think I’ll be able to save up. I’ll be stuck with the mess until I win the lottery or something. It’s just never going to get done.”
Brown previously told Chronicle Live in 2023 that he had no intention of not completing Elaine’s work at the time the money was paid. He said “things went sideways” when he split with his partner, lost his home and business and ended up in a hostel.
He said: “I have never denied that I owe Mrs Thompson the money and I have said I intend to pay her back. I know she has reported this to the police, but it is a civil matter.”
Elaine added: “In the last report he said it was a civil matter. As there was so many people coming forward, the police went in to prosecute him. It’s sending a message to other builders – it’s not a civil matter. If you continue doing this you can be locked up!”
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