A cost-cutting Bradford businessman who put his house on the market to pay off a £90,000 compensation bill to a severely injured worker has not yet completed the sale, a Court heard yesterday.

Shah Nawaz Pola, 38, of Springcliffe Street, Heaton, was ordered to pay the compensation to Slovakian Dusan Dudi in August 2007 by Judge Peter Benson, who also jailed him for six months.

Mr Dudi suffered what were thought to be non-survivable injuries when he was struck by a concrete lintel on a building site in Allerton Road, Bradford.

He was among migrant workers paid £30 a day by Pola to build a house extension. Mr Dudi survived, despite his life support machine being turned off, and was returned to Slovakia, where he is understood to be in a Persistent Vegetative State.

Earlier this month Judge Benson ruled that he could not increase magistrates’ powers to imprison Pola for more than 12 months in default of payment.

But he heard that, at that stage, less than £50 in compensation had been paid.

He condemned Pola’s “derisory and deplorable lack of compliance” to compensate someone who had suffered the most severe head injuries due to Pola’s neglect of duties.

Today Pola appeared again at Bradford Magistrates Court before District Judge Susan Bouch. He said that at the last hearing he had told her he had made arrangements to sell his house privately, with the proceeds to pay off the compensation.

Pola’s solicitor, Yousaf Khan, told the judge that the sale was ongoing and would take a further two weeks.

Mr Khan raised concerns about the jurisdiction of previous proceedings.

Mrs Bouch said that at the last hearing she had indicated she was willing to allow time for Pola to make payments.

The court heard there had been none made and the matter had been properly adjourned for enforcement proceedings.

The District Judge agreed to release Pola and said the court would either issue a warrant for his arrest or a summons to bring him back to court at a later date if no payments are made.