A rip-off roofer has failed to secure the early end of an Asbo he received for his crime.

Charles Henry Rico Evans was said to have used aggressive tactics to secure repair work at the west Cumbrian home of a 79-year-old widow back in 2008.

Evans, then aged 18, charged the pensioner £1,100 for simple renovations worth just £100 - before driving her to the bank to withdraw cash.

Evans admitted two fraud crimes and, in 2009, received 18 months' youth detention and an anti-social behaviour order.

This banned him for 10 years from making unsolicited calls at houses, and obtaining building and repair work without express prior consent.

At Carlisle Crown Court today, Evans, now 27, lodged an opposed appeal for the revocation of an asbo which, he claimed, would stop him obtaining work.

He had been offered opportunities to pursue ground, roofing and gardening employment - all involving door-to-door calls - but couldn't accept any due to the antisocial behaviour order.

"He has been struggling to find work," said barrister Kim Whittlestone, defending the married father-to-be.

"What he is saying is: 'I have done eight-and-a-half years; I have not breached my asbo.

"He has grown up. He wants to ensure he can provide lawfully for his family."

Judge Peter Davies heard Evans had been offered scrap metal work by his father-in-law which would be unaffected by the order.

As a result he ordered the asbo to remain in force until 2019.

"What is important is making sure old people aren't bothered by you," Judge Davies told Evans.

"That is in your interest. You don't want to be bothering old people, do you Mr Evans?"

Evans, previously of St Helens and now of Kelty, Fife, replied: "No, Your Honour."

The incident happened at Kells, Whitehaven, on July 5, 2009.

The original court case heard how Evans knocked on the 79-year-old’s door and told her that her roof needed fixing.

He arrived in a van with the name Weatherseal written on it, and his clothing also displayed the Weatherseal logo.

Neither Evans nor his gang is associated with Weatherseal, a local company.

Evans targeted the widow and used aggressive tactics to try and secure work, but she was unsure whether to employ him and he agreed to return two days later.

Over the weekend, she decided that she did not want the work doing, but was woken at 7am on Monday morning to the sound of men clambering on her roof.

Despite telling Evans that she did not want the work doing, the rogue trader and his gang continued to work on the roof. Then once they had finished Evans demanded £1,100 and drove the pensioner to her local bank to withdraw the money.

The court heard that after police and trading standards were alerted, a local surveyor carried out an inspection of the work. He concluded that the pensioner had been ‘grossly overcharged’.

The judge at the time said Evans "was a member of a gang from Merseyside travelling around the north west targeting elderly and vulnerable people".