A businessman who defrauded eight families of more than £200,000 through shoddy and incomplete building work has had his prison sentence suspended on appeal.
Michael Haslam, director of M and J Builders, pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading and was sentenced to 28 months in prison in July. However, his sentence has now been suspended for two years.
Haslam took money from families between 2021 and 2022, often charging for work or materials that were never supplied. In some cases, the work undertaken was of such poor quality that it had to be demolished and rebuilt.
One woman, who has a partner and a baby, paid Haslam over £47,000 to his personal account in the spring of 2022. Work ceased after less than three months, leaving her property unsafe and without running water. She was later informed by Haslam that his company was likely to go into liquidation.
Another victim, a woman with two adult children with special needs, paid nearly £18,000 for work that was never completed and materials that were never ordered.
M and J Builders faced financial difficulties starting in 2019, ultimately becoming insolvent and being wound up in November 2022.
During an appeal hearing, it was argued that Haslam had an expectation that he would not go to prison, as suggested in earlier hearings. Lady Justice Whipple acknowledged that the initial sentence was borderline between suspension and immediate custody. While judges are entitled to change their minds, she stated that the subsequent custodial sentence created a sense of injustice because it did not align with Haslam's expectations.
As part of the suspended sentence, Haslam is required to complete 160 hours of unpaid work and participate in rehabilitation activities over the next two years.