A SELF-employed handyman has been ordered to repay $16,000 he took from a client on the promise to build a shed in Irymple six years ago but failed to start the job.

Christopher Monk, 33, pleaded guilty to obtaining $16,000 by deception from December 14, 2014, to February 5, 2015, before Mildura Magistrates' Court on Monday.

In early December 2014, the victim contacted Monk to inquire about buil...