A shonky builder and convicted criminal who once ripped off Illawarra homeowners has been jailed for 21 months jail for contempt of court after he was busted in breach of Supreme Court orders prohibiting him from doing licensed residential building work in NSW.
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Matthew Rixon has been the subject of multiple public warnings and court proceedings from Fair Trading since 2012, which saw him permanently banned from working in the home building industry in 2013.
However, that hasn't stopped the serial conman from ploughing his trade up and down the east coast.
In July 2014, NSW Fair Trading received a tip-off that Rixon was operating in the Sutherland Shire and Illawarra areas.
At the time, Rixon was described as a serial offender who undertook unlicensed fencing, decking and minor building works under various names.
Also in 2014, the Supreme Court found Rixon falsely represented to owners of houses in Lake Heights, Mount Ousley, Dapto, Loftus and Eastwood that he was licensed to carry out building work, and in some cases, took deposits for the job and began the work.
Rixon was convicted of contempt of court for the first time in 2014 for breaching the no-work ban.
He was sentenced to an 18-month suspended jail sentence and ordered to perform 300 hours of unpaid community service work.
He found himself before the court again in 2018 on his second contempt charge, this time earning himself an 18 month prison spell.
Apparently unperturbed, Rixon was convicted of contempt of court for a third time last month following an investigation by NSW Fair Trading in response to consumer complaints.
He was sentenced to 21 months behind bars, to be served partially concurrently with another jail sentence relating to criminal convictions handed down by the NSW Local Court in December 2021.
NSW Fair Trading Minister Eleni Petinos said serial offenders such as Rixon would be hit with the full force of the law.
"Mr Rixon is a serial offender whose actions have caused significant distress to many consumers," Ms Petinos said.
"This prosecution highlights the importance of consumers checking the credentials of builders and other tradespeople before engaging a contractor for work and serves as a warning for other would-be offenders that they will be caught."
Rixon, who is also known by aliases Matt Andrews, Matthew Douglas, Matt Ewing, Joseph Geraghty, Scott Mandeville and Matt Rickson, will be eligible for release in August 2023.
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