Convicted crime boss Terry Adams loses debt court case

A man who became notorious as the boss of a London gang has lost a High Court battle over how much he has to pay back from his days of crime.

Terry Adams, of the north London gang the Adams Family, claimed he was too poor to pay a £650,000 debt.

Adams, who has completed a seven-year jail sentence for money laundering, said he felt "like a ponce" living off his actress wife Ruth's wages.

But Mrs Justice Nicola Davies rejected Adams' claims about his assets.

She said she was "not satisfied" he had "provided full and frank disclosure to the court" of the assets "which fund his life and that of his wife".

Adams, who has been described in the courts as once heading one of the most feared organised criminal gangs in the UK, was jailed in 2007 for money laundering.

Hotels and flights

He owes the balance of a confiscation order of £750,000 imposed after his conviction at Blackfriars Crown Court. Interest is accruing at a rate of £83 a day.

He applied to the High Court for a "certificate of inadequacy" to show he lacked funds to pay the crime-linked debts. This would be the first step in getting them reduced or written off.

The Crown Prosecution Service opposed his application, saying there was a "strong case" that Adams possessed "substantial undisclosed assets" that continued to fund a luxury lifestyle.

The court heard that the couple's average "identifiable" spending in the three years from September 2010 was £97,000 a year - "nearly four times the national average".

Mrs Adams, who recently appeared in Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, spent £12,044 on dental treatment.

The couple also spent nearly £15,000 on flights, hotels, restaurants and entertainment from August 2009 to September 2013.

Barrister Ivan Krolick said on Adams' behalf that his client had "paid his price to society".

Judge Davies refused Adams permission to appeal against her decision.