Three men in Wrexham have been ordered to repay only a fraction of the tens of thousands they made targeting families’ jewellery in burglaries, as reported by North Wales Live. A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Mold Crown Court on October 15 determined the repayment amount, which turned out to be just a few thousand pounds, with one defendant being asked to pay back only £1 of the £17k he earned from the criminal venture.
In April 2023, Todd Wickens and Kew Delaney, both 35, were jailed for conspiring to commit burglary with intent to steal in Wrexham, while their accomplice, 25-year-old Michael Berry, was jailed for handling stolen goods. The court heard that there was a minimal amount of money available from the crimes to reclaim. Wickens and Delaney were said to have benefited by over £53,000 each, with the prosecutor requesting compensation orders of £2,570 and £780, respectively. Berry was found to have benefited by nearly £18,000, but due to no funds being available, a £1 nominal sum was applied for. Vehicles seized during the case may need to be auctioned to recover the owed amounts.
The gang had specifically targeted Asian families’ gold in the Wrexham area, conducting burglaries worth thousands of pounds. One victim, a traumatised family, resorted to sleeping in the living room for safety after their home was raided, during which even a four-year-old girl’s room was ransacked. The criminals then traveled to Birmingham’s Bullion Quarter to sell the stolen jewellery, taking precautions like stealing gloves and using cleaning products to mask their DNA. Another gang member, Addie Piggott, was jailed separately for the same crimes. The judge, His Honour Rhys Rowlands, mandated the repayment within three months.
The gang’s sophisticated modus operandi involved meticulous planning and showed a callous disregard for the well-being of their victims. Despite their arrests and convictions, the financial implications of their crimes have left little to no restitution for the families affected. Such cases highlight the ongoing challenges faced in ensuring justice and reparations for victims of organised crime.