Lancashire couple ordered to pay back £280k over stolen goods

Tommy and Mary Smith were jailed in 2019

A married couple who were jailed for their roles in a £1m stolen goods operation have been ordered to pay back £280,000 or spend more time in jail.

Tommy and Mary Smith from Great Harwood in Lancashire were jailed in August 2019 over the thefts, which included a forklift truck, two road rollers and clothing stock.

They both admitted conspiracy to handle stolen goods and money laundering.

Police said the couple had lived a "luxury lifestyle" before being caught.

During a covert investigation which targeted high-value thefts officers found the couple had enjoyed shopping trips to Harrods in London and had many assets including property, land, jewellery and Range Rover.

The money would be paid back to their victims, police said.

Tommy Smith's scrapyard was closed by police in 2017

A judge at Preston Crown Court ordered Smith to repay £55,000 within three months or face a further 18 months in custody. Mary Smith, of Meadow Street, Great Harwood, was ordered to pay back £225,000 within three months or be jailed for 30 months.

Smith, 43, a scrap dealer, was jailed for six and a half years in August 2019. Lancashire Police said he was the "brazen" boss of the stolen goods operation that sold machinery and vehicles.

His wife, 44, was sentenced to 15 months for her part in the thefts.

Five other associates received sentences ranging from an 18-month community order to 25 months in prison for similar offences.

Smith's scrapyard was closed by police in 2017 when about 100 officers raided the site.