Dyfed-Powys Police is continuing to make criminals pay following the sentencing of Andrew Hawke for a string of burglaries.
Hawke, 31, from Merthyr Tydfil, was arrested on 7 October 2010 following a series of burglaries carried out in Pembrokeshire and Whitland.
When he was apprehended he was found to be in possession of £1,870 for which he offered no reasonable explanation.
Following consultation with the Financial Crime Team (FCT), officers seized the cash under the civil provisions of POCA 2002. Hawke eventually made full admissions of the burglaries and was given a 40-month custodial sentence at Swansea Crown Court on 7 January 2011.
However, his punishment didn’t end there. On 16 February 2011, Llanelli Magistrates Court, on application from the Financial Crime Team, ordered the forfeiture of the whole sum of £1,870 as they were satisfied that it represented the proceeds of Hawke’s criminal activity.
Detective Inspector Anthony Griffiths said: “Thanks to effective policing this protracted investigation yielded an excellent result. This sentence sends out a clear message to criminals who come to Dyfed-Powys to commit crime. In addition, this successful outcome in the courts will reassure our communities that offenders will be caught and dealt with appropriately.”
