A Morecambe man who was jailed for 18 months for hiding assets from his wife during divorce proceedings, has now been ordered to pay her £47,611 under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA.)
Stephen Hughes, 49 was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in July 2012 for the offences of Perjury and Forgery, he has now been released.
On Tuesday March 5th 2013, at Lancaster Crown Court, following a continued financial investigation carried out by Lancaster CID and the Proceeds of Crime Unit (POCU), Hughes was subject to a POCA Confiscation Order.
The money will be used to pay compensation to his former wife.
Stephen Hughes will be subject to a further 18 months imprisonment if he fails to pay this sum within the next 12 months.
PC Stephen Dixon, Financial Investigator, said: “ We are pleased with the outcome of this investigation. Perjury and Forgery is a criminal offence and we hope that the substantial amount that Mr Hughes has been ordered to pay back, may work as a warning to anybody else thinking about doing the same thing.”