A rogue trader from Suffolk who swindled nearly £600,000 from customers to finance a lavish lifestyle has been jailed.

Alan Middleton, 45 and of Merlin Close in Warwickshire but formerly of Saxmundham, traded as GK Builders, G&K Builders, Middleton Building Services, AGM Custom Construction, and AGM Bespoke Construction Limited. 

He operated across Suffolk and it is calculated he received £592,000 from customers before being brought to justice when he was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court in London. 

East Anglian Daily Times: The investigation uncovered Middleton was using various tactics to extract more money from customers, including falsifying supplier invoices and using a fake VAT number.The investigation uncovered Middleton was using various tactics to extract more money from customers, including falsifying supplier invoices and using a fake VAT number. (Image: Suffolk Trading Standards)

Middleton and his wife Katie enjoyed holidays to Gibraltar and the Italian Grand Prix, regular visits to London, hiring caravans at a holiday park and shopping trips. 

He even paid for a Gibraltar holiday for the people who worked for him. 

He admitted five counts of fraud by false representation, one of theft, one under the Insolvency Act for obtaining payments over £500 whilst an undischarged bankrupt, and one offence under the Company Directors Disqualification Act for setting up limited company as a bankrupt. 

Middleton also used a forged Federation of Master Builders insurance document to suggest he was insured to perform works.

He was jailed for a total of four years and six months and disqualified as a director for five years.

East Anglian Daily Times: Mr and Mrs Middleton pretended not to be in a relationship and that Mrs Middleton earned a salary of £108,000 to obtain a mortgageMr and Mrs Middleton pretended not to be in a relationship and that Mrs Middleton earned a salary of £108,000 to obtain a mortgage (Image: Suffolk Trading Standards)Middleton and his 34-year-old wife also pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulently obtaining a mortgage for themselves worth £400,000. For these offences he was jailed for 12 months, to run concurrently.

His wife received a nine-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £140.

The couple pretended they were not in a relationship and that Mrs Middleton earned a salary of £108,000 to obtain a mortgage, something that would not otherwise have happened because of Mr Middleton’s poor credit history.

The Trading Standards investigation began after receiving reports of customers who had paid for building work only for it to have been never completed. 

Graham Crisp, head of Suffolk Trading Standards, said: "Middleton is a greedy man who thought nothing of exploiting his customers."