Staffordshire businessman must pay back £250,000 from fraud

A Staffordshire businessman has been ordered to pay back almost £250,000 after being jailed for his part in a multi-million pound fraud.

Brian Challiner provided false invoices and around £5 million was channelled through his accounts as part of a leasing scam.

Challiner has been given six months to pay the order, or face an additional three-year prison sentence.

A confiscation hearing, under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, was held at Stafford Crown Court yesterday following Challiner's sentencing in July for conspiracy to defraud.

The hearing determined that Challiner's benefit from the £25 million fraud was £5,135,375.

Following consideration of the financial investigation by DC Mark Kelsall, of Staffordshire Police's economic crime unit, and defence representation, Judge Mark Eades made a confiscation order in the sum of £243,714.

The order represents the amount which the court found 61-year-old Challiner, of Manor Road, Gnosall, had available to pay.

Earlier this year, Challiner was sentenced to 44 months along with Paul Cope, aged 45, of Barn Bank Lane, Hyde Lea, and Andrew Oxlade, 54, of Beverley Drive, Stafford, who were each jailed for 64 months.

Cope used his position as owner of Stafford-based Kingdom Finance - the shirt sponsors of Stafford Rangers until 2008 - to attract clients.

He dreamed up a scheme to dupe banks and finance houses in to paying for non-existent hospital equipment through bogus lease agreements.

His co-accused provided the false invoices with around £19m channelled through 54-year-old Oxlade's accounts and more than £5m through 61-year-old Challiner's.

After taking their cut, the money was sent back to Cope, who used it to provide personal loans to his clients at rates of interest of up to 25 per cent

All of them admitted conspiracy to defraud.

After the confiscation hearing, DC Kelsall said: "Staffordshire Police is committed to ensuring that crime doesn't pay. Working with our partners at Staffordshire Crown Prosecution Service, criminals will be pursued by the force's economic crime unit through the courts."

Cope and Oxlade will be the subject of a further confiscation hearing on Tuesday.