Football boss left waiting as sentence delayed on fraud charges involving Fleetwood energy firms

And a judge has been urged to be lenient when the Fleetwood Town chief is finally sentenced for mis-selling energy contracts involving three of his companies.

Pilley, 53, his sister Michelle Davidson, 49, and two other associates - 52-year-old Lee Qualter from Cleveleys and 38-year-old Joel Chapman from Willerby in Yorkshire - were told on Monday afternoon that Judge Graham Knowles will not now be ready to pronounce sentence until 2:15pm on Tuesday.

Pilley's barrister Jonathan Laidlow urged the judge not to come down too hard on the club owner, saying his client was "fundamentally a good man who has led and is capable of leading a productive and worthwhile life." He added: "Mr Pilley is the first to admit he is not without fault and he is undoubtedly scarred by the mistakes he has made."

Mr Laidlow said Pilley had "built a business which provided huge employment and economical benefits to the people of the area." He had "remained true to his roots by being committed to the area in which he grew up." And he added that the convictions would be "humiliating and humbling for him and a very severe punishment.

"He will not be able to face this fall from grace in privacy. Yet he remains upbeat in the face of adversity that might cow others."

The court was told Pilley had been helping other inmates while on remand in Preston Prison who were illiterate to write letters to loved ones.

"The regime there is tough, 20 hours a day in a cell 14-feet by seven-feet, with one hour recreation. He can't ask for pity, of course he can't. He is not entitled to special treatment, he must serve his time like anyone else, he knows that.

"The truth is that any period (of time inside) is a huge punishment for Mr Pilley. His time on remand has been a sobering experience."

All four defendants were charged with offences relating to a multi-million pound fraud involving the mis-selling of energy contracts. They were found guilty by a jury on May 19.

The prosecution was brought by National Trading Standards. Pilley was found guilty of fraudulent trading, fraud by false representation and being involved in the acquisition, retention, use or control of the proceeds of fraudulently mis-sold energy contracts.

The court heard that at the heart of the fraud was a web of interconnected companies that misled innocent small businesses across the UK. Through sham company structures associated with Business Energy Solutions Ltd, BES Commercial Electricity Ltd and Commercial Power Ltd, Pilley and his associates were responsible for targeting small business owners and deceiving them into signing long-term energy contracts between 2014 and 2016.

After the convictions in May Lord Michael Bichard, chair of National Trading Standards, said: “Small business owners were deliberately deceived and locked in to contracts that were long-term and expensive, leaving many businesses struggling to pay the bills and sadly driving some business owners into making the difficult decision to cease trading.

“This is not a victimless crime – small business owners have lost vast sums of money to this fraud and many businesses have gone under.”