Howard’s way round part one

Howard Williams likes to tell people he is a ‘leader’ but doesn’t tell them he had his legs broken when a drug deal went wrong

A convicted South Wales conman who had his legs broken when a drug deal went wrong, and now poses as a successful estate agent stole from his own parents, before his father spent part of a Christmas outside the walls of Cardiff prison so he could be near to him, The Eye can reveal.

Bill Williams, whose son has spent years in jail, has told us of his family’s suffering and we are about to publish his story.

In his ‘business’ Howard Williams is putting the same properties on the market at different prices.

Removing the double-counting, Williams has many fewer properties than he proclaims.

On The Eye today we have also shown how he set up a charity with a man jailed for drug offences.

One house Williams is ‘selling’ near Manchester is listed on the house-moving website Zoopla, three times.

The first says a deposit is needed of £6500, with monthly payments of £327.08 for three, five or seven years, and with the remainder paid at the end.

But the second and third has monthly payments of £328.53, with the buyer to pay legal fees.

Another listing has a monthly payment of £337.77 and rental income of either £675 per month or £625.

Williams deals in lease ‘options’ which are contentious schemes whereby it is agreed a property will be bought at a future date, and a rent is paid in the meantime.

Prescoed prison near Usk, where Williams spent part of his sentence

Martyn Morgan, a lawyer at Quality Solicitor Talbots, said: “It is a very dangerous process, particularly for sellers, to grant options to investors to buy a property.”

But Williams says he can undertake more than 20 such transactions a week with a profit on each one of at least £2,500.

He alleges his approach: “… allows (me) to turn over deals very quickly and means (my) area of expertise is more on marketing and lead generation rather than being a project manager or a landlord”.

Bill Williams, told The Eye: “My wife and I have had enough.

“I think about Howard every minute of every day, but after what he did to us we can no longer support him.

“The people I feel really sorry for are the ones that gave him money without knowing his background.”

Howard Williams’ background is certainly disturbing.

We have shown exclusively how he has a string of offences, and was jailed for deception.

The total jail sentences for Williams are four years and four months, involving 25 counts of deception stretching back more than a decade.

Williams does not tell clients he is a convicted criminal

The Eye have also disclosed how he has been a dealer in illegal drugs and ended up in hospital, after one deal went sour.

Williams is a bankrupt too, yet claims to own properties in Spain.

Apart from spending several years in prison Williams has ‘knocked’ a number of people by not paying his bills.

One, a real property expert who knew him well, told us: “He owes me thousands of pounds.

“I should have been wiser, but he can be very convincing.”

Another said: “It is people like him who give us all a bad name”.

Williams’ father has revealed to The Eye the plight of parents whose children have been jailed, and next week we will publish more details of his family’s suffering.

Further evidence about Williams’ methods has also now been uncovered by us.

A number of the properties he ‘sells’ are marketed multiple times.

Apart from the house near Manchester, Williams is selling two properties in Lancashire twice.

His ‘official’ Facebook site shows how he is still luring unsuspecting individuals.

On social media Williams calls himself ‘The Shoes’

Much of his work is through social media.

On his Facebook page this year he urges readers to be prepared for important “property tips, deals and opportunities”.

He appears to go from strength to strength and it seems other organisations are failing to check his background.

Williams advertises the following:

“Norfolk Property Networking event 15th Feb 2017 6:30pm for a 7pm start

“We look forward to seeing (sic) at Norfolk’s largest Property Networking event And don’t forget it’s FREE FREE FREE!

“With over 50+ property enthusiasts in the room & high profile guest speakers at every event, it’s not to be missed.

“This month we have a very special Guest. Howard Williams. Howard runs the largest property sourcing and deal packaging companies (sic) in the UK.”

In a recent trade article Williams is described as having built an “unbelievable property sourcing company”.

Putting the same property on the market at different prices is also unbelievable — and the comments from Williams’ father show the pain his family are enduring.

Also on The Eye, Williams and the housing charity for ex-convicts he set up with a man who served a jail sentence for illegal drugs.

Next week Howard Williams father Bill tells of the family’s suffering knowing their son has led a life of crime.