Crime couple told to cough up £300k

A COUPLE who lived the high life at the expense of victims from Greater Manchester have been ordered to pay back nearly £300,000.

A court found that Tommy ‘Hot Dog’ Smith and his wife Mary had each benefited from criminality to the tune of £1 million – splashing their ill gotten gains on a Range Rover, fancy clothes, jewellery, property and land.

The Smiths were both involved in a multi-million pound stolen goods crime network which orchestrated the theft and sale of high value items across the north of England between 2016 and 2018. Cars, clothes, trucks and vans and plant machinery were stolen from victims in Greater Manchester, Carlisle, Leeds and Bradford before being sold on.

The married couple were both jailed in August 2019 after admitting conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

Tommy Smith, 43, who owned a scrapyard in Great Harwood, Lancashire, was jailed for six and a half years, while Mary Smith was jailed for 15 months.

Now, following a Proceeds of Crime (POCA) investigation, the couple have been ordered to pay back some of their ill gotten gains.

A judge at Preston Crown Court ordered Tommy Smith to repay £55,000 within three months.

If he fails to do so, he could face a further 18 months in prison.

Mary Smith must pay back £225,000 within three months, or face a 30-month custodial sentence.

After the hearing, Detective Sergeant Andrew Osbaldeston, of Lancashire Police, said: “It is important to point out that this money will be used to repay the victims, who through no fault of their own were left out of pocket because of the greed of all those involved in the conspiracy.”