Double murderer Ian Stewart among criminals repaying over £5m to victims and their families

A double murderer who inherited hundreds of thousands of pounds from the wife he killed is among the offenders who were forced to pay back illicitly earned cash last year.

Financial investigators targeting the wealth of convicted criminals in the East of England have reclaimed more than £5 million for victims and their families since April 2022.

It includes Ian Stewart, 61, who is serving a whole life term for killing Diane Stewart, 47, at their home in Bassingbourn in Cambridgeshire in 2010.

That case followed his conviction for the murder of his fiancée, the well-known children’s author Helen Bailey, 51, at the home they shared in Royston, Hertfordshire in 2016.

Stewart has been forced to repay more than £185,000 to his victim's family.

Other criminals have also been targeted by the Eastern Region Special Operation Unit (ERSOU) Financial Investigation Team.

Across 117 separate investigations, huge amounts of cash and expensive vehicles and items have been seized from drug dealers, fraudsters, murderers, and money launderers.

In Bedfordshire - Assets totalling £208,335 were confiscated from Gary Pickersgill, following his conviction for a £1.9 million theft of Chinese Jade and Ivory from an elderly woman in Bedford. He was jailed for eight years in September 2021.

Cambridgeshire – Following conviction for conspiracy to burgle, possession of a firearm and handling stolen property, Simon Oakley was ordered to repay more than £183,000. This will be paid in compensation to his burglary victims.

Norfolk – Following an investigation into commercial cannabis cultivation, two brothers – Adam and Andrew Gallagher - were convicted of money laundering. They were found to have made £200,000 through their crimes, which they were subsequently ordered to repay or face an additional two years in prison. The assets included property, Rolex watches, vehicles, and cash.

Suffolk – Miroslav Pesko ran an organised crime group which stole Mercedes Sprinter vans throughout East Anglia, London, and the Home Counties. He was convicted for conspiracy to steal and was found to have assets in Russia worth over £211,000.

Paul Fitsimmons, from ERSOU said: “Our teams’ work to strip criminals of their illicit earnings never stops; we have specialist financial investigators committed to confiscating the cash, assets and expensive belongings of criminals who have profited from the misery of others.

“Often our investigations can be protracted and complex, but we will continue to tirelessly target those behind some of the most serious criminality across the region."

In cases where individuals have been the victim of fraud, and where the team has been able to secure money back from the offenders who were responsible, this is often given straight back to the victim in compensation.

Where offenders do not pay back the money required as part of a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) court order, they face extended periods in jail and are still required to pay back the full amount.

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