A "cunning" businessman whose cost-cutting led to a near-fatal accident involving one of his workers has been jailed for six months.

Shah Nawaz Pola had denied being responsible for running a Bradford building site where a Slovakian man suffered what were thought to be non-survivable injuries when he was struck by a concrete lintel.

But Pola, 36, of Springcliffe Street, Heaton, has been convicted at the end of a two-week trial of two breaches of Health and Safety regulations and also of breaching a prohibition notice.

Today he was jailed, fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £90,000 compensation to workman Dusan Dudi, who survived despite his life support machine being turned off.

Bradford Crown Court heard Mr Dudi was one of several migrant workers paid £30 a day by Pola to build an extension at a house in Allerton Road. There was no proper scaffolding in place and workers were not given protective clothing or training.

Passing sentence, Judge Peter Benson said Pola had decided to have the work done as cheaply as possible, regardless of the consequences.

The judge told Pola: "This was stunning callousness and insensitivity on your part.

"You had no concern about their safety, all you were concerned about was getting the job done and getting it done as cheaply as possible. You showed a callous disregard for the safety of your workers.

"You are a very capable, clever and cunning individual who is completely ruthless about pursuing your own aims at the expense of those to whom you have a duty of care."

Judge Benson was told how Mr Dudi was now back home in Slovakia but unable to claim any benefits. It was extremely unlikely that he would ever work again and needed constant care.

The judge ordered Pola, whose wife is due to give birth next month to their fifth child, must pay 25 per cent of the compensation within six months.

After the hearing, Pola's solicitor Abdul Iftikhar said an appeal was being lodged against both conviction and sentence.