A painter who bragged online about "sitting on the job" after reportedly 'wrecking' a disappointed customer's home has been branded 'cheeky'.
Single mum Jessica Burton was outraged after hiring Paul Trythall as he left her home in a "shocking" state and posted selfies bragging about his supposedly poor efforts - but he says he was only paid for half the job and claims he was made to feel "uncomfortable".
The 37-year-old had saved up to redecorate her home and hired painter Paul to do the job, but soon was left disappointed as he only turned up on two days and left with the job 'unfinished', she says.
Looking him up online, Jessica found a picture of him laying in bed bragging about having done "absolutely f**k all", despite being too busy to return her calls or texts.
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Speaking last year, Jessica, from Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, said: "It's horrendous and so upsetting. It's been really stressful for me and it's costing me more money now to try and put it right.
"Basically, he came, turned up on the Wednesday [April 27] and Thursday at 10.30 and he left by 4pm. It wasn't a full day's work.
"While he was there, he was uploading selfies while I was in the next room saying 'sitting down on the job'. He was sat on my sofa covered in paint - I thought it was really cheeky.
"I saved really hard for it and I just thought I'd be done like he said in those couple of days. Over a week later, me and my children couldn't sit down. It was a mess.
"The photos I have of the work are absolutely shocking. You would never leave someone's home like that even if you weren't a professional."
The mum-of-four arranged for Paul to start work on Wednesday April 27 but claims she was disappointed when the trader left the following day at 4pm.
She claims he then didn't show up and made his excuses on Friday and Saturday, before being completely unreachable the next day.
Jessica said: "I got up Sunday, waited, rang and text. I couldn't get anything out of him but he had the cheek to put a post on Facebook of him in bed saying 'I've done f**k all all day'."
Jessica claims she was so upset at her home being left in a mess that she broke down in tears in front of a carpet fitter who had popped over with samples.
Jessica said: "Me and the kids couldn't keep living like that.
"The carpet fitter came with samples and I burst into tears. I said 'come in, take a look. This painter has left me and the children in this state'.
"He felt sorry for me and got in touch with a mate of his. Fair play to this guy, he only had one day off and came on Bank Holiday Monday and did quite a bit of work in the house."
The following day, she claims Paul then arrived to work but was annoyed that the other tradesman had used his gear and eventually left before she believes the job was completed.
Jessica said: "All of a sudden he started wrapping his trays up. I said 'you're going now, are you?' He said 'yeah, the job's finished'.
"It wasn't. The doors were still yellow. I went to check the ceiling upstairs and I said 'you can't leave it looking like that?'
"He hadn't painted any of the ceilings up the stairs like we agreed, my bannister was half painted. The photos are shocking.
"He sanded the ceiling over a freshly glossed bannister so there was all bits stuck to it.
"He told me I needed three tins of paint, he only used one. He'd barely given it a coat.
"There were parts of the walls that had the old colour on. There wasn't a single wall there that was finished - nothing.
"I said 'you can't leave my home looking like this'."
She claims Paul hadn't finished what he started and she has since had to pay another tradesman to finish up the work.
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When approached for comment, Paul bemoaned he was made to 'feel terrible' after Jessica refused to leave him alone in the house.
He also claims he was only paid £200 and after finishing the job, waited around outside Jessica's home for 15 minutes before leaving, realising he wouldn't be paid the rest of the money.
Paul said: "She didn't [fully] pay me for the job. She paid £200 of it the week before even after saying that she was happy with it as she checked the standard of work up to that point. If she wasn't happy she wouldn't have paid half.
"I know she didn't have the money, this is what all this is over.
"On my first hour of the very beginning of this job I was made to feel really uncomfortable after me saying 'what's your plans today are you going anywhere' for her to reply saying 'no I won't dare let you alone in my house'.
"It made me feel terrible if I'm honest as [if] I was untrustworthy.
"I'm good at my job, I work quick, so I'm entitled to sit down whenever I feel. Anyone else would have taken about six or seven days to do that work.
"I would have completed in two to three days but when she said about not leaving me in hers alone it hit me right off balance."
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