A three-year investigation by police financial investigators will see hundreds of victims of a Midlands clamping firm compensated after they were conned out of funds running into thousands of pounds.
The owner of Midland Parking Contracts, Andrew Minshull, aged 40, of Hatfield Close, Redditch, was last year ordered to pay out £121,262 to 480 people who were threatened into handing over money to the firm after their vehicles were clamped.
Minshull has now handed over the money to the court and the money will be distributed to victims over the next few weeks, each receiving about 82 per cent of their total loss.
The matter first came to light in 2009 when West Mercia Police, Worcestershire Regulatory Services’ trading standards team and the Security Industry Authority launched an investigation after hundreds of motorists complained about the company.
Minshull – along with five of his employees – admitted conspiracy to defraud between January 2006 and September 2009. In February 2012, all six were given jail terms, with Minshull receiving a 32-month sentence.
Following the case, staff from the Warwickshire and West Mercia Police Economic Crime Unit investigated Minshull’s finances in an attempt to recover money under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Application was made to Worcester Crown Court last May where His Honour Judge Juckes was told Minshull had benefited by £311,084 from his crime and that a figure of £121,262 was available. The judge granted the police a confiscation order for the full amount available.
Mark Bancroft, a financial investigator with the Economic Crime Unit, said today: “It’s excellent news that all those who suffered at the hands of Minshull’s company will shortly be receiving the bulk of their money back.
“Our confiscation investigation spanned three years and successfully ended with the offender’s assets being stripped to compensate the victims of his criminal activity.
“Once criminal proceedings are finished, wherever possible, the force financial investigators will strive to retrieve the proceeds of crime to reimburse those who have been taken advantage of”.
He added: “Minshull’s firm netted hundreds of thousands of pounds by effectively demanding money after clamping or removing vehicles right across the Midlands.
“People who complained about the firm’s tactics were sometimes offered refunds, but in most cases did not get their money back, so we are delighted the confiscation order was granted and that the victims are now being substantially compensated for their loss.
“We also hope it sends a clear message to criminals that crime does not pay and we will do everything within our powers to prevent them benefiting.”