Chesterfield woman says con artist roofer swindled her out of £1,100 and sexually assaulted her

Terasa Campbell, 61, says she was groped and offered “sex” during the traumatic experience – which has left her feeling “sick” and “distraught”.

After hounding the grandmother-of-two into paying £1,100 in cash for “emergency” guttering work, Terasa says the scam artist grabbed her backside “hugged” her.

He then disappeared with the money and has not been seen since, however Terasa has spoken to Derbyshire Times to warn other women.

Speaking about the awful experience, she said: “I’m distraught, absolutely devastated. I thought I was more savvy than that. I don’t want this to happen to someone else.

"I feel if I had been home alone it could have escalated. Luckily my husband was there but if he had not been, I don’t know what might have happened.”

Terasa says on April 17 at around 10.20am she was working from home when there was a knock at the door.

The caller said he was a roofing contractor and while working on a house opposite he had noticed some misaligned roofing tiles on her home.

After repairing the tiles for £200 the workman told Terasa her guttering was on the brink of falling down.

She said: “He made it sound so much worse – I’ve had it looked at since and there’s nothing wrong with it.

"But he knew what he was talking about and I trusted him – he pointed out what was wrong and knew what he was talking about. He was quite persuasive.

"So, for some stupid reason I borrowed £1,100 from my son and gave it to this man.”

After saying he needed to inspect the roof inside the property, Terasa says the man followed her into the spare bedroom and then sexually assaulted her.

She said: “He was saying I look good for my age and asked if I was getting regular...then did a hand gesture suggesting sex.

"Then he said, ‘do you want to have sex with me?’ I ignored it and he grabbed hold of me and grabbed my backside.

"By this time my husband had arrived at home but he carried on and asked if the bed was comfortable and asked if I wanted to have a go. I was starting to feel quite sick by this point.”

Terasa says after quickly leaving the room the workman followed her outside, promising to return the following day to complete the work.

However, after multiple attempts to contact him during the following week when he failed to attend for the job, his phone was finally switched off and he has not been seen since.

Terasa, who works as a project manager for the NHS, now owes her son - who has a young family of his own - £1,100.

A spokesman for Derbyshire Constabulary said: “We’re appealing for information after receiving a report of fraud and sexual assault.

"He is described as white, 5ft 8ins tall and of large build with balding hair. He had a missing front tooth and was wearing blue Levi jeans, a jumper, and a cap.

“Anyone who recognises the description of the man, or who saw someone behaving suspiciously in the area on April 17 to contact Derbyshire Constabulary quoting 24*236090.”