Jailed Cambridge member of burglary gang that targeted 200 homes is ordered to repay £320,000

A second-hand gold shop owner from Cambridge who helped a gang to 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 role in a gang that burgled more than 200 homes across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

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

After Pateman was sentenced, the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) launched a financial investigation, which established that he 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 - in which case, he would still be required to repay the money.

Paul Fitzsimmons, senior financial investigation manager for ERSOU, 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.”