Member of prolific burglary gang ordered to repay £320,000

A second-hand gold shop owner from Cambridgeshire who helped a gang sell stolen items from hundreds of burglaries has been ordered to repay more than £320,000.

Thomas Pateman, 59, of Fen Road, Chesterton, was jailed for eight years in 2018 for his part in a gang which burgled more than 200 homes across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

He was found guilty of being part of a sophisticated criminal network which stole more than £2 million of goods including jewellery, cars and cash between February and December 2017.

Following his sentencing, the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) launched a financial investigation which established that Pateman had benefited by more than £440,000 from his involvement in the crimes.

At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Norwich Crown Court on Monday (4 March), Pateman was ordered to repay £320,091 within three months or face a further spell behind bars. He would also still be required to repay the money.

Senior Financial Investigation Manager for ERSOU, Paul Fitzsimmons, said: “We will maximise every opportunity we can under POCA legislation, alongside our colleagues in police forces, to strip those who seek to benefit from their ill-gotten gains.

“Pateman will now be made to pay for his actions, and we hope that this serves as a strong deterrent to anyone who thinks that they can profit financially from invoking misery on other people’s lives.

“Whilst this cannot make up for the impact felt by the victims of Pateman and his fellow gang members, we hope that it can provide some consolation to them.

“We will also continue to monitor his finances so that, should he come into any further money or assets, these are also used to meet the full amount of his criminal earnings.”