Convicted Middleton drug dealer ordered to repay £200k
A convicted drug dealer must pay back more than £200,000 of his "ill-gotten gains" or face three years in prison.Lee Whiteley, of Alkrington Road North in Middleton, Greater Manchester, received a suspended prison sentence after admitting three counts of conspiracy to produce class B drugs, namely cannabis, in 2023.The money he must repay is significantly more than the £3,800 presented at the original court case following a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court.Greater Manchester Police said its proceeds of crime investigation proved three houses he bought were funded from his criminal activities and it also seized a vintage Ford Cosworth valued at £90,000 and a Transit van worth £50,000.
Whiteley has three months to repay £218,443.
'Ill-gotten gains'
Financial investigator Kelly Belfield said: "This case highlights that crime doesn't pay and we will come after criminals and take their ill-gotten gains."The case is unusual as Whiteley was only convicted of benefiting from £3,800 from his drugs business."However, using Proceeds of Crime legislation and carrying out a confiscation investigation, I have managed to bring this figure up to £218,443 which is a huge increase and a great result."She added: "If Whiteley fails to pay the money within three months, then he will serve an extra three years in jail - and still have to sell his assets and pay using the proceeds."Reclaiming cash this way not only disrupts criminal activity but it also directly benefits communities across Greater Manchester."These funds will be reinvested into vital community programmes and services through our asset recovery incentivisation scheme."
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
33 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Sexual assault and drink driving – cosy crime but not as we know it
A puzzle-setter turns sleuth in a quirky British crime series. Stop me if you think you've heard this one before. Murder Most Puzzling is trying to be Ludwig, which was a hit for the BBC last year. But it's a pale imitation. While that one was a five-star treat starring David Mitchell, this one is a two-star rip-off starring Phyllis Logan. The missteps start as soon as we are introduced to her character, Cora Felton. Cora is The Puzzle Lady, a crossword compiler whose job has made her so famous that she has her own range of biscuits and TV adverts. Let's not pause to ponder how unlikely that is. She is called in to investigate the case of a young woman found murdered in a churchyard, with a mysterious crossword clue in her pocket. Unfortunately, Cora can't make head nor tail of the clue when she first sees it because she's still sozzled from the night before. When we first meet her, she is passed out at the wheel of her car after a spot of drink-driving. Drink-driving? Really? We're supposed to find this quirkily amusing, but it strikes the wrong tone right away. It's a sign that the show doesn't quite know what it's supposed to be. This is cosy crime, yet having someone at a town hall meeting ask if the murder victim was sexually assaulted belongs in a grittier police drama. At least the mystery is wrapped up in a feature-length episode rather than being dragged out. The show is based on a book series by Parnell Hall and the failings of the TV series are odd because its writer, Dominique Moloney is a veteran of Father Brown and The Sister Boniface Mysteries. Some bits do conform to the cosy crime template: jaunty music, a picturesque setting in the fictional market town of Bakerbury (it's Lisburn in Northern Ireland), and the odd silly character, such as the blustering mayor in a cravat who runs the local police force. The programme's saving graces are the three lead performances. Logan, best known as Mrs Hughes in Downton Abbey, is a safe pair of hands and does her best with the material. Charlotte Hope is a bright spot as Cara's niece and right-hand-woman, Sherry. And Adam Best is, well, the best thing here as DCI Derek Hooper, who has never worked a murder case before and reluctantly turns to Cora for help. There is a twist halfway through relating to Cora's job, and if you didn't see it coming then I'm afraid your sleuthing skills are a little below par.
Telegraph
33 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Loophole that lets terrorists enter UK to be closed
Suspected terrorists will no longer be able to exploit a loophole that allows them to enter Britain despite being stripped of citizenship. Ministers are to pass legislation that will ensure citizenship is not automatically reinstated if terrorists successfully appeal against a decision to strip them of it. The loophole, identified by the Supreme Court, would mean that they could return to the UK while the Government sought to overturn the successful appeal. The terror suspects could then renounce any other citizenship that they had, which would mean that Britain would have no option but to allow them to stay in the UK and could not deport them. Under international law, governments cannot render a person stateless by stripping them of their citizenship if they are not citizens of another country. 'An essential tool' Official data suggests more than 1,000 Britons were deprived of their citizenship between 2010 and 2023, including Shamima Begum, one of three east London schoolgirls who travelled to Syria in 2015 to support the IS group. She fought a series of high-profile legal battles to return to the UK after being stripped of her citizenship in 2019, but has remained unsuccessful. It mirrors the case of two Pakistani members of one of the most notorious grooming gangs in Rotherham, whom the Government stripped of their British citizenship. Qari Abdul Rauf, a 55-year-old father of five and Adil Khan, 54, were jailed for their part in sexually assaulting 47 girls. They subsequently renounced their Pakistani citizenship, effectively declaring themselves stateless. Pakistan is refusing to take them back on the basis that they have renounced their citizenship and are regarded as dangerous criminals. Dan Jarvis, the security minister, said: 'Protecting our national security and keeping the British public safe is the first duty of this government and the foundation of our Plan for Change. The power to deprive someone of their British citizenship is an essential tool, and helps protect us from some of the most dangerous people. 'We must close this gap in the law and prevent British citizenship being reinstated to individuals until all appeals have been determined. This is the right thing to do if we believe someone is a threat to our national security, and it will make Britain safer.' For the public good The Home Office said deprivation decisions on 'conducive to the public good' grounds were taken only in the most serious cases by the Home Secretary, where it is in the public interest to do so because of the individual's conduct or the threat they pose to the UK. About 222 of the those deprived of citizenship between 2010-2023 were for the public good. In 2018, the number of appeals reached a record high of 88 as the UK sought to counter the threat from Islamic state fighters returning home. That was up from just five in 2011. The change in the law follows the similar approach taken in asylum and human rights appeals cases, where asylum is not granted to a person appealing a rejection until all further appeals, up to the Court of Appeal, have been determined. Home Office officials said the narrowly focused Bill, consisting of two clauses, made no change to a person's existing right to appeal any decision to remove their British citizenship, and did not widen the reasons for which a person could be deprived of their citizenship.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
‘Mastermind' behind murder of man who was found naked bound with duct tape sent joke texts about attack, court hears
THE alleged mastermind behind the murder of a man who was found naked and bound with duct tape texted jokes about the attack, a court heard. Thomas Campbell was ambushed on his doorstep in an attack allegedly orchestrated by his partner's ex-boyfriend. 9 9 9 His body was discovered by his neighbours the morning after three men "pounced" on him as he arrived home late on a Saturday night, a court heard. Manchester Crown Court was told the 38-year-old was killed on July 3, 2022 after "very careful planning by a team of highly organised criminals". The alleged "mastermind" of the plot is John Belfield, 31, who is on trial and denies murder. Thomas was dating Belfield's ex-girlfriend and he was "hostile" about the relationship, the court heard. The victim's glam ex Coleen was previously convicted for manslaughter after his death, and she was jailed for 13 years in 2023. The mum-of-four passed on information about her ex husband's movements - including details she learned from her children. Manchester Crown Court heard today how Belfield sent texts after the alleged attack which read the victim "must have bled everywhere". The 31-year-old travelled to South America after the victim was found. He was extradited from the former Dutch colony of Suriname, to stand trial over the "harrowing and violent assault", a court heard. Jurors were told today of messages sent to Belfield by his alleged "right-hand man" Reece Steven. Steven, 29, was previously found guilty of Thomas's murder with conspiracy to rob and he was sentenced to life in prison. Belfield's driver Stephen Cleworth, 38, was also convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob and was jailed for 12 years. The identity of the third attacker remains a mystery. In a conversation about Thomas' horror injuries, Steven wrote: "Tommy crumble. Dripping in tom juice everywhere." 9 9 9 Belfield replied: "Must have bled everywhere." Steven answered: "I didn't say blood mate. I said juice, U're crazy, bro." Belfield: "Tom juice." Steven: "A little bit of Tommy ketchup." Belfield: "All the lights on but no one at home. Actually, the lights have been smashed out of him." Steven: "He ran out of sauce. Empty bottle. No lid on." Belfield: "He didn't believe the team." Steven: "He's just crum now. In the graveyard." In another message Belfield wrote how the police "know I'm the one in charge" but had "next to f***-all on me". He added: "Got a chance of getting away with it." In further texts while Belfield was in Suriname, jurors heard how the 31-year-old wrote to another recipient: "Just looking like what it is going to be to like for me. "If I have an alibi, I cannot get found guilty. "There is no evidence. I could have just been naive." He told the unknown person to "check if they have got warrants for the phones because if they haven't, then they cannot be used". Belfield also sent a message to another recipient which read: "If the evidence is not strong enough against them, they cannot use it against me. "The trouble is getting a not guilty. Got a chance of getting away with it." The defendant then sent one person called Pacheco a text which read: "We did not use a blowtorch. We used hot liquid in a flask to burn him." He added: "Funny, innit. Police know I'm the one in charge but they know there is next to f*** all on me. "I don't even put the tracker on. "They have no evidence to back up what they are saying. Just some story books." The jury heard Steven told Belfield: "I reckon you could squeeze a manslaughter. Accidents happen, bro." He also said in a voice note: "If you put all the cuts on his face aside and the burns that was off whatever. "He's got a f****** wound to the arm what got tarted up and a few bangs to the head. "And he was f****** breathing when they called 999." Prosecutors argued Belfield was looking for "items of value" in Thomas' Mossley home, in Greater Manchester. Dr Philip Lumb told Manchester Crown Court yesterday that Thomas was discovered in the hallway of his home, lying on his back after the savage attack. "He was naked apart from a pair of socks," he told the court. Dr Lumb said his ankles were "bound together tightly" with duct tape. Injuries to the head and neck suggested a "sustained blunt sharp force physical assault". Dr Lumb argued that burns on Thomas's body had been caused by a "hot liquid such as hot water", MEN reported. His arm was found with a "makeshift tourniquet" after an injury that would have bled a lot. Dr Lumb concluded that Thomas's cause of death included "multiple sharp force injures, blunt force head injuries" and "pressure to the neck". The court heard that there was a tracking device placed on Thomas's car and "reconnaissance" was carried out in the days before he died on July 2, 2022. The court was told that Belfield was responsible for putting the tracker on Thomas's car and he was involved in the "reconnaissance" at his home. He was not present at the scene of the death, the trial heard. Belfield denies murder and conspiracy to rob. The trial continues. 9 9 9
