A bookie who placed bets on dog races that had already started may be forced to stump up more than £150,000, a Black Country court heard.

Neil Boyle handed over £20,000 shortly after admitting fraud and being jailed for 12 months for cheating thousands of pounds out of Totesport while managing their shop in Lower Villiers Street, Wolverhampton.

He believed the payment would rule out action to recover further cash but now the prosecution want more than £150,000 confiscated from him.

The new figure came after checks by Totesport revealed that the betting shop he ran lost more than £80,000 rather than making an expected £20,000 profit during the fraud.

There had also been a close examination of 47-year-old Boyle’s bank accounts and assets, prosecutor Mr Ian Strongman told Wolverhampton Crown Court at a proceeds of crime hearing.

It is now claimed Boyle made over £230,000 from his crime, the court heard.

Mr Philip Bradley, defending, insisted: “This man was told by his lawyers that there would be no proceeds of crime proceedings against him if he pleaded guilty and repaid £20,000.

“He has served his sentence and paid back that money but now the prosecution are pursuing a benefit figure of £232,220 of which the realisable amount is said to be £157,487.”

He argued that the court action should not be allowed to continue because of the agreement made at court before Boyle was dealt with in July.

But Mr Strongman said that the defence had misunderstood the deal and that this had been cleared up in a letter sent to solicitors acting for Boyle before they handed over his cheque.

“They did it with their eyes open knowing the consequences that could follow,” he maintained.

Judge Rose Bush reserved judgment on whether the proceeds of crime case should be allowed to continue until February 12.

Boyle, of Helming Drive, Wednesfield, exploited the bookie’s electronic sale system to place bets on dog races after they had started.