Michael Haslam, director of M and J Builders, has had a 28-month prison sentence suspended after being convicted of fraudulent trading involving more than £200,000 taken from customers. The case matters because eight families were left with incomplete, unsafe or substandard home work, often requiring costly rebuilding, while the company was already unable to meet its debts.

Haslam took upfront payments during 2021 and 2022, including more than £47,000 from one family whose home was left without running water, and nearly £18,000 from another customer for work and materials that were never provided. The Court of Appeal said immediate custody had been a borderline decision, but suspended the sentence for two years because earlier judicial comments had created an expectation that he would avoid prison; he must also complete rehabilitation and 160 hours of unpaid work.