Former customers of Canterbury pool company speak out against business owner accused of taking their money

“Every hot summer, it’s like, we wish we had our pool,” Nicole Ingram of Griswold said. 

For several Connecticut families, this week's heatwave is another reminder of the pools they say the owner of Roy’s Pools in Canterbury never delivered. 

“The worst part was that he stole from my family, you know he stole from my family, and I was not going to let him walk away with charges being dismissed,” said Bob Ingram, also of Griswold. 

Bob Ingram, his wife and two daughters were in a Danielson courtroom on Friday as Brian Roy and his wife Christina Hatch-Roy stood before a judge. 

The couple faces several counts of larceny after 20 families said they paid Roy’s Pools a combined total of more than $179,000. 

Ingram said he paid the company $27,000 for a pool, patio and fence, though the job was never completed. 

“I don’t even care about the money," he said. "It is about him being held accountable."

Another two former customers were also present and pleaded with the judge not to grant Roy accelerated rehabilitation, which could allow the Sterling man to avoid conviction and, eventually, to have a clean record. 

“To know that this happened to us and know that he could possibly walk away, it’s essentially an insult to injury, a slap in the face. Again, we have been dealing with this for years, we just want to see some kind of justice be served,” Meghan Millette of Canterbury said. 

Beyond the thousands of dollars lost, and the many pools that were never installed, families say the court process has been emotionally exhausting. 

“It takes an emotional toll, and you don’t want to lose your faith in people or the court system, so we are just hoping for the best outcome and that he will have to pay for everything he has done to so many people,” Darlene Patton of Norwich said. 

The Roy couple left the courtroom today without saying a word.

The court case was continued until July 26th.