Jailed cafe owner ordered to pay back criminal earnings

by Chris Bradley. Published Mon 19 Dec 2011 10:26

A jailed bootlegger who earned over a quarter-of-a-million pounds using his cafe as cover for a double life of crime has been fined £50,000.

Police and customs officers raided Dale Hitchen's home after they were tipped off he was bringing in cigarettes from abroad and selling them illegally.

The dual taskforce of officers from Lancashire Constabulary and HMRC discovered Hitchen was using his Cornerstone Kitchen Cafe in Blackpool as the base for illicit trading.

He was arrested after the raid in July 2009 and sentenced to 20 months in prison for mortgage fraud and money laundering offences in February this year.

At a Proceeds of Crime hearing at Preston Crown Court, Hitchin was revealed to have benefited by £389,411.92 from his illicit trading.

Based on his current available assets he was ordered to pay back £54,062.28 - or face a further 12 months in prison.

Alan Todd, financial investigator for Lancashire Constabulary, said: "It is highly likely that Hitchin will now have to sell his home and an apartment that he has in Turkey in order to meet this requirement.

"Both of these assets were funded by his criminal activities and it is only fair that these luxuries are then taken from him.

"Law abiding residents do not want to see criminals living a lavish lifestyle that is financed by their ill-gotten gains, which is why we use the Proceeds of Crime Act to strip them of the money and possessions they have amassed through their offending behaviour."