A property developer has been sentenced to prison for endangering lives by falsifying building work documents and selling unsafe flats. Wayne Murfet, director of Lors Homes, provided 36 fraudulent building control completion certificates for a complex known as The Grosvenor, located on High Street in Newmarket. The case was heard at Ipswich Crown Court.
West Suffolk Building Control inspected the flats and discovered numerous breaches of building regulations, along with serious fire safety concerns. Stefanie Seaton, a buyer of one of the flats, described her experience in court, stating she “felt powerless, vulnerable, and kept in the dark.”
Recorder Emma Nash sentenced the 41-year-old Murfet, of Freckenham Road, Chippenham, Ely, to three and a half years in prison and disqualified him from serving as a company director for seven years. Murfet faced multiple charges, including fraud by dishonesty and failing to disclose information he was legally obligated to share.
The investigation revealed that he also supplied a fake certificate for another property in Cambridgeshire through his other company, Murfet (Burrough Green) Limited. Although Murfet denied the charges, he was convicted in July after Suffolk Trading Standards presented the case to magistrates in Colchester.
The court was informed that buyers had purchased their properties under the impression they had been approved as safe. However, due to the breaches, West Suffolk Building Control was compelled to implement a 24-hour waking watch at the property.
Ms. Nash remarked on the case, acknowledging Murfet’s previously good character but emphasizing that he had been “fundamentally dishonest” with buyers, prioritizing quick sales over safety. Prosecutor Andrew Copeland characterized Murfet’s actions as showing “flagrant disregard,” resulting in an “intolerable level” of risk to life.
Defense attorney Julian Christopher KC acknowledged the distress caused by the development, but argued that Murfet had anticipated legitimate certificates would eventually be issued. The court also noted that Murfet could have potentially made around £5 million had he successfully sold all 36 flats for which he created fake documents.
