Jailed gang robber ordered to pay £9,000
A man who was jailed for 17 years for his part in a series of violent robberies across the Midlands has been ordered to pay £9,000 or face a further spell in prison.
Craig Reginald Clarke, formerly of Fareham Road, Birmingham, and four other men, were sentenced at Worcester Crown Court in December 2011.
The gang had plotted a series of robberies across the region, the first in North Worcestershire at Barnt Green in April 2010 where several men tied up the occupants before escaping with firearms worth more than £100,000.
Further violent raids were carried out at Solihull in May 2010 and a week later in Lichfield. Cars, cash, jewellery and valuable pottery were among items stolen.
The judge, in sentencing Clarke and the others, said it was 'professional criminality of the utmost seriousness with terror inflicted on the victims'. Clarke admitted conspiracy to commit three robberies at homes in Barnt Green, at Hampton Lane, Solihull, and Raikes Lane, Lichfield.
West Mercia Police, who led the investigation into the robberies, has now successfully applied for a confiscation order against Clarke for known assets of £9,000.
He reappeared at Worcester Crown Court and was given six months to pay or face a further five months imprisonment.
Mr Pat Kelly, from the West Mercia Police Economic Crime Unit, said: "It was found Clarke had benefited from the crimes to the value of £45,000 and was ordered to pay back £9,000 representing one-fifth of the total outstanding. Others in the gang have previously faced similar orders. The rest of the stolen property was recovered by the police.
"We will always seek to recovery criminals' assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act to ensure they don't retain money made from their criminal activity."
