Brighton and Hove betting fraudsters must pay £7m or spend more time in jail
The Brighton and Hove gang behind a multimillion-pound betting scam have been ordered to hand over more than £7 million or spend years longer in prison.
The ruling came after a judge made a series of confiscations orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) at Hove Crown Court.
Judge David Rennie ended the final hearing today (Wednesday 23 July) having told the five crooks to pay back £7.6 million.
The five men were
- John “Jock” McCracken, 48, unemployed, of Whitehawk Road in Brighton
- John Brice, 41, self-employed, of Sandringham Drive in Hove
- Matthew Thole, 41, a company director, of Cefn Mably Park, Michaelston-y-Fedw, Cardiff
- Paul Spicer, 36, of Dyke Road in Hove
- Gregory Spicer, 36, of The Drove in Hove
Sussex Police said: “All five men had been convicted at trials in 2010 and 2013 after investigations into linked horse race betting brochure frauds by the Sussex Police Major Fraud Unit and the London Borough of Merton Trading Standards and were sentenced to terms of imprisonment.
“Paul Spicer received seven years, Gregory Spicer seven years, John Brice five years, Matthew Thole four years and John McCracken four years.
“The confiscation hearings followed detailed inquiries then carried out by Sussex Police financial investigators working with the London Regional Asset Recovery Team (RART).
“Paul Spicer was assessed by the court as having a criminal benefit of £9,994,566.26 and a confiscation order of £3,050,000 was made, to be paid within six months. In default of payment he will get an extra sentence of eight years.
“Gregory Spicer’s criminal benefit was assessed as £11,304,519.61. A confiscation order of £3,050,000 was made, to be paid within six months. In default, an extra sentence of eight years.
“Thole’s criminal benefit was £2,742,536.92. A confiscation order of £850,000 was made, to be paid within six months, with a four-and-a-half-year extra default sentence.
“Brice’s criminal benefit was assessed as £3,231,564.80. A confiscation order of £414,000 was made, to be paid within six months, with a four-year extra sentence if in default.
“McCracken’s criminal benefit was assessed as £3,090,970.72. A confiscation order for £240,749.90 was made to be paid within six months, with an extra two-year-and-nine-month sentence in case of failure to pay.
“Out of the confiscated monies the judge ordered compensation to be paid to the individual victims who assisted the prosecution. Their combined losses amounted to £132,286.
“In addition to the confiscation and compensation orders each defendant has also been ordered to submit an annual report of all of their financial affairs to Sussex Police under the provisions of section 76 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.
“Each defendant will have to comply with this order for the next five years – and further imprisonment and fines will be imposed if a defendant fails to comply with this order.”
Detective Inspector Mick Richards said: “These are the biggest POCA confiscation orders in terms of value ever achieved by Sussex Police.
“After payment of the compensation to the victims, half of the confiscated money goes to the central government exchequer.
“The remaining 50 per cent comes back to law enforcement and is shared between the courts, the prosecution authority and the investigating agencies.
“The confiscated money given back to Sussex Police is used to help support the work of the force’s financial investigators and as donations to local Sussex-based crime reduction and diversion projects.
“The force supported 13 such projects last year with money returned in previous years through grants under the Sussex Police Community Cashback initiative in partnership with the Sussex Community Foundation.”
