Slight spoiler there – he got nicked. The police were reportedly on the case once they realised that apart from patching up the roof (so they could at least live inside) no real work had begun half a decade after the sale. By this time the total scam mounted up to £2.6 million and he was sentenced to 6 years in prison at Stockton’s Holme House jail after admitting to three offences of fraud. This was extended by a further 18 months in 2018 for failing to pay back money that was ordered to be confiscated from him. By my calculation, he should be released sometime around 2023.