Criminal to sell homes and cover court costs

A well-known Wolverhampton criminal who lived a life of luxury has failed to pay back a £500,000 court bill.

But he has offered to sell three of his properties to meet the costs. Roger Quintyne had a flash house in sun-soaked Barbados, top-of-the-range sports cars with personalised number plates and a property empire that includes houses across the Black Country.

In February, he was given six months to pay the half-a-million pound Proceeds of Crime fee or face an extra four years in prison following a conviction for money laundering.

Police explained today that the money had not been paid back but that Quintyne, aged 48, was in the process of selling three houses to raise the required funds.

Spokesman Deb Edmonds said it was hoped the payment would have been made within the coming weeks.

Detectives previously revealed Quintyne's dealings had allowed him to pay for the building of a house in Barbados, property in Coven Heath, cars including an Audi Q7, two Audi Quattros and an Aston Martin Vantage.

He was stopped by police in Wolverhampton in 2005 who discovered more than £20,000 in the boot.

It triggered a complicated investigation that resulted in Quintyne being jailed for 12 months in 2009 after he admitted five counts of money laundering.

Investigators found Quintyne had legitimate business dealings in a taxi firm and security company, and that he also owned and rented out properties around the region.

However, their probe soon found that he was only declaring to the taxman a small amount of the money.