A rogue trader serving a five-year prison sentence after a judge branded him “a dyed-in-the-wool criminal” has been ordered to stump up almost £50,000 of his ill-gotten gains.
David Martin, 62, of Parsonage Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford, amassed a £56,000 fortune while illegally pocketing benefits.
He was well known to Bradford criminals as a professional “fence”, Bradford Crown Court heard when he was jailed in April last year.
Martin fooled the authorities into believing he could hardly walk while busy counterfeiting DVDs and travelling to the continent to trade in tobacco.
Yesterday, he was brought back to court from prison for a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, who locked him up 20 months ago, ruled that Martin’s criminality netted him £62,862. His available assets were agreed at £49,689.
If Martin has not raised the cash in six months he will spend an extra 18 months behind bars.
He pleaded guilty to benefit fraud, handling stolen goods, selling counterfeit DVDs, possessing a computer hard drive for use in fraud and possessing money as criminal property. Martin dishonestly claimed £23,331 in Income Support and Disability Living Allowance between 2002 and 2008. He did not reveal he had savings and stated he could hardly walk and was unable to make a meal or dress himself.
In February, 2008, police searched Martin’s home and seized DVDs to burn copies from and £12,000 in Sterling and Euros that he admitted was from his criminal activities. A further £44,663 was seized from his three bank accounts.
Prosecutor Gerald Hendron said Martin was well known to criminals in the area for “fencing” goods from his back door to sell at car boot sales.
He sold copied DVDs in pubs and travelled to Spain, Brussels and Tenerife to bring back tobacco to sell.
After the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Mark McManus said: “The confiscation hearing today should act as a warning to criminals that we won’t tolerate people who handle stolen goods, abuse the benefits system and live off the proceeds.”
“The assets confiscated from Martin will help in the continued fight against crime.”
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