Chippenham building firm boss Wayne Murfet jailed for falsifying completion documents for Newmarket flats

A building firm boss who ‘put lives at risk for profit’ by falsifying completion documents for flats in Newmarket has been jailed.

Wayne Murfet, director of Lors Homes and Murfet (Burrough Green) Ltd, was sentenced to more than three years in prison at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday.

Murfet, 41, of Rosewood Stud, Chippenham, was convicted of 14 counts of fraud plus two counts of making or making or supplying articles for use in fraud, having denied all charges after a two and a half week trial at Colchester Magistrates’ Court earlier this year.

The charges related to Murfet falsifying 36 fake building control completion certificates to people who bought flats at The Grosvenor complex on the site of the former De Niro’s nightclub in High Street, Newmarket, alongside another for The Paddocks, in Brinkley Road, Burrough Green.

Sentencing Murfet, Recorder Emma Nash said she would take his previous good character and the impact on his family of custody into account.

However, she felt it likely people would not have bought the flats had it not been for the certificates.

During the trial, Andrew Copeland, prosecuting, said the 36 false documents had been forged by Murfet or someone acting on his behalf.

He also said Murfet ‘cut corners and put lives at risk for profit’ when he sold off the flats.

Murfet claimed he didn’t know who completed the documents and that he did not make or intend them to be used for fraud and said he worked closely with West Suffolk Building Control.

Suffolk Trading Standards was alerted of potential fraud in 2019 by West Suffolk Building Control.

The certificates were supplied to buyers by their solicitors, who in turn had received them via the developer’s solicitors, the court was told.

They bought their flats in the knowledge they were safe for human occupation, the court heard.

Since the discovery, West Suffolk Building Control found breaches of building regulations and fire safety concerns at The Grosvenor and a 24-hour waking watch was set up.

The court heard that The Grosvenor had since been sold and West Suffolk Building Control are working with the new owners to fix the safety issues.

Murfet will spend three and a half years behind bars and was disqualified from being a company director for seven years.

Suffolk Trading Standards said a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act is set for next year so Murfet's companies can be sentenced.

Lors Homes has already been placed into liquidation.

Following the sentencing, Graham Crisp, from Suffolk Trading Standards, said: “Wayne Murfet’s actions caused significant distress to the purchasers of the flats, who had no idea the certificates they received were not genuine and that their properties had not been signed off.

“Murfet’s behaviour caused substantial loss to the purchasers and created a significant risk to people’s safety and property.”

Councillor Steve Wiles, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for public protection, said Murfet chose to ignore regulations, which were there to protect the public.

Cllr Wiles added: “He is now paying the price and I commend the diligence and hard work of Suffolk Trading Standards in him being brought to justice following what was a complex investigation.”