Auction bidders bag bargains with a decidedly shady past
Gucci shoes, Cartier watches, Christian Louboutin shoes and Louis Vuitton belts were among the top-end designer items for sale at an auction in Newport where goods seized by police were sold under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Jessica Walford reports
THE auctioneer announces: “Let’s start the bidding at £100. £100 for a Prada handbag. I have £100 in the room. £150 now online. You sir? £200 back in the room. £200. We all done at £200? Going once. Going twice. Sold. A Prada bag for £200.”
Cheap handbags at half the price? No, it is not some backstreet sale. In fact, it is quite the opposite. This auction is selling off designer goods acquired by crime.
Now the criminals are behind bars, the goods can be sold to help refund the victims they scammed. That is why, on a cold, dark weekday evening in February, this auction room is full of top-end designer gear and people hoping to buy it cheap.
Nestled in the back streets on an industrial estate on the edge of Newport, hundreds of bargain-hunters have gathered. Under red electric heaters in a building at the back of a car park that’s half-garage, half-auction house, people wrapped in coats, scarves and hats look at the goods on offer – iPads, handbags, games consoles, jewellery and even cars. They are on sale with no minimum bid. Anyone can win.
But this is no ordinary auction. The unreserved government sale at Wilsons Auctions is being held to pay back the victims of crime.
Around 90% of the 113 lots on offer – most with tags still on – come from one criminal couple in Scotland.
They had pretended to be bank staff and called victims on the phone, telling them their accounts had been compromised and that they should transfer the balance of their accounts to supposed “safe” accounts. In reality these were private accounts held by others involved in the conspiracy.
When they were arrested in January 2015, stolen property, counterfeit goods and £10,000 in cash were seized from their home in Glasgow, along with a mountain of designer shoes, handbags, clothing, and expensive jewellery valued at over £100,000.
Investigations into the couple’s finances showed that more than £250,000 cash had been paid into their personal bank accounts at a time when they were supposedly dependent on benefits. This money was used to fund a luxurious lifestyle, including holidays in Dubai.
Those goods were seized by police and are now being sold under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Auctioneer and group asset recovery manager at Wilsons Aidan Larkin said: “Wilsons Auctions act as the contractor for various law enforcement agencies across the UK, especially in Wales and the south west [of England]. Anything seized under Proceeds of Crime legislation is often, after a criminal trial – and after a number of years in some cases – identified by the court as being available to sell. Our job is to take these expensive assets and put them on the market for the highest possible price.
“Whatever we achieve at auction, that money is then put back into the public purse.
“In some cases, like in the assets we’re selling this evening, people who were victims have been identified, and anything raised tonight will eventually make its way back to them.
“We’ll often move the assets from the jurisdiction where they were received, so that we’re not rubbing people’s noses in it, and to make sure we get the highest possible price.”
Warming up over cups of tea and coffee, and eating chips in polystyrene trays, the public gather around the glass counters, eyeing up the lots.
Sitting in the front row on a blue plastic chair, 15-year-old Shauna Thomas from Cardiff is on the hunt for more designer goodies. Wearing a Moschino belt, Versace top and a black, puffy Moncler coat she bought on a trip to New York, the teenager is after one thing in particular: a Louis Vuitton brown and gold buckle belt.
With a retail value of £415, Shauna’s here for a bargain. Armed with leftover Christmas money, she has hundreds to spend and is determined not to leave empty-handed. After hearing about the auction from her mum, Ann-Marie Jones, who works at the auctioneers, Shauna has waited a long time for this type of auction, which often takes place in other UK cities.
“I’ve always liked designer clothes,” she says. “I’ve been to an auction before, but not for designer clothes. When I saw this, I needed to come. I have some money from Christmas and my mum said she’ll pay the extra. It’s nice to know somewhere like this offers designer clothes for young girls.
“The best advice I was given was by my mum – to not go over what it’s worth.”
Shauna isn’t alone in eyeing up the Louis Vuitton belt. Sitting in Christian Louboutin nude heels, a Gucci belt and a Chanel brooch, 18-year-old Mandy Connors, from Cardiff, is also ready to add to her designer wardrobe.
“I’m probably after the leopard print Christian Louboutins and the pink Jimmy Choos. Dad’s paying, so I don’t have a budget. But you don’t necessarily need to be all in designer. I’m wearing Primark jeans and a cardigan. You can always dress things up.”
It’s a long wait until lot 105 – the Louis Vuitton belt – is up for sale. But in the meantime, bargains are to be had under the hammer.
Picking up a Cartier watch worth over £10,000 for around a quarter of the price – an impressive £2,620 – was 42-year-old Natalie Payne, from Cardiff. There with her 11-year-old daughter, Faith, the pair are keen to grab a good deal if they see one.
“We’re here to get some bargains and, really, for the atmosphere,” mum Natalie says. “At the end of the day, it’s nice to have this near Cardiff. I’ve seen a nice pair of Gucci shoes and I had my eye on the Cartier watch. There are bargains to be had.
“Things go for more in the secondhand market, especially if you get a Rolex, you’re not going to lose money. It’s a future investment.”
Sporting a black beret, a single earring and perfectly-trimmed moustache is Bilal Ali, 28, from Birmingham. He has made the near 100-mile trip especially to see the goods in person.
“I’ve had a look at a couple of lots,” he says. “And I’ve got my eye on a couple of watches.
“It’s what comes along at the right money – them I’m willing to buy.”
Although this is Bilal’s first auction in Wales, he is no stranger to sales around the country. By the end of the night, it seems the trip was worth it – he’s going home with a load of designer clothes and a watch.
Just before 10pm, the belt is finally going under the hammer and Shauna and Mandy are on the edge of their seats, clutching their bidding cards.
Starting at a bargain £50, the demand for the belt suddenly becomes palpable. Bids, numbers, cards and voices fill the room with a sense of anticipation as compere Aidan conducts the sale.
Within seconds, the bid is up to £250. This is Shauna’s last chance.
As the hammer is raised by auctioneer Aidan, Shauna raises her card – number 875.
“We have a bid in the room for £275. Going once, going twice, sold.”
Shauna beams with delight. The belt is hers. The night is a success.
“I’m so happy. “I’m going to wear it a lot!” she says, as she takes off her Moschino belt and replaces it with her new purchase.
Sitting in the back office, auctioneer Aidan reveals that over £100,000 has been taken at tonight’s sale. “On to the next one,” he says. Unreserved Government auctions will be held monthly at Wilsons Auctions in Newport. For more information, visit www.wilsonsauctions.com