A PLYMOUTH businessman clocked up debts of more than £265,000 while illegally running a business while bankrupt, a court heard.

Nicholas Robert Bennett was yesterday banned from being the director of a limited company, given a suspended jail sentence and ordered to pay more than £25,000 prosecution costs.

Bennett, 46, of Lucas Lane, Plympton, had previously pleaded guilty to managing NRB Construction Ltd between January 30, 2004, and March 23, 2005, while bankrupt.

But his co-defendant, Lisa Rosewarne, 41 and of the same address, was formally acquitted after the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, who brought the prosecution, said they were not proceeding against her.

Plymouth Crown Court heard that until 2002, Bennett was a builder operating as a sole trader, but ran into debt.

In April that year, he was declared bankrupt for three years, owing £67,800.

In 2004, he set up a new company called NRB Construction Ltd and obtained trade credit to enable him to keep operating.

But the company eventually went into liquidation owing £265,154.84.

His girlfriend Lisa Rosewarne, who was nominally in charge of running the front office, sold her home, but creditors were paid out at only 12.5p in the pound, with £124,000 still outstanding.

Judge Francis Gilbert QC told Bennett his conduct had been thoroughly dishonest, and he had deliberately set out to avoid a law intended to stop him obtaining credit and causing loss to others.

He said: "You set up a corporate front, but it was clearly your business and you were in sole control."

Judge Gilbert said Bennett's creditors would no doubt never see their money, adding: "If it happened to you, you'd be pretty upset."

He said a pre-sentence report from the Probation Service made it clear he was unrepentant, telling Bennett: "You remain dishonest and trying to minimise what you did.

"Your attitude is deplorable and you continue to deny responsibility."

Judge Gilbert said that had the offence happened recently and not five years ago, he would have sent Bennett straight to jail. As it was, he sentenced him to 10 months in prison suspended for two years, with a condition of residence for 12 months, disqualified him for 10 years from becoming a company director and ordered him to pay £25,587 costs.