Gambler is told to pay £299,000 made from bets scam

Leeds grandfather George Stott took bets from high stakes gamblers and either risked paying out winnings from his own pocket or laid off bets with genuine bookies.

Stott, 45, of Stonebrig Lane, Rothwell, lived a life of expensive cars and jewellery and exotic holidays.

In October last year, Stott was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to converting criminal property and conspiring to convert criminal property. He was also ordered to do 240 hours unpaid work.

Stott returned to Leeds Crown Court yesterday to face a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Michael Smith, prosecuting, said Stott made a total of £411,000 from his criminal conduct. The total amount of his available assets which can be seized was put at £299,000.

Judge James Spencer QC ordered Stott to pay the amount within six months or face going to prison for three-and-a-half years.

When police raided his home in March 2011, they seized two Rolex watches and 15 solid gold Krugerrand coins worth £12,000, along with £4,300 cash. They will now be sold in order to raise the sum.

Stott only declared earnings of £33,600 to the Inland Revenue in six years between 2003 and 2009 and didn’t claim any benefits.

In four of those years Stott declared no earnings at all to the taxman while in the other two years, the total earnings declared amounted to only £33,600.

Stott had given no explanation at the time to account for around £100,000 which appeared to come from unknown sources, £60,000 going into his accounts and £38,600 deposited into the account of a woman with whom he was having a relationship.

That was paid in to accounts in West Yorkshire when she or both of them were abroad.

During that period there was also “considerable expenditure on expensive motor cars, jewellery and exotic travel” and Stott withdrew only a modest amount in cash for day-to-day expenses. Only £634 was withdrawn for expenses during the entire six-year period.

Stott’s lawyer Simon Batiste said records of his client’s gambling enterprise were lost when a safe was stolen from his home during a burglary. The loss to the Inland Revenue was just over £14,000.