A disgraced bank worker who was jailed after his extravagant lifestyle raised suspicions among his work colleagues could now be ordered to hand over money from his pension fund.
Ainley Top man Barrie Goldthorpe, who is serving a 42-month prison sentence imposed last November, was brought back to Bradford Crown Court today for a directions hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The former manager at HBOS abused his position of trust to swindle the bank out of more than £1 million using bogus or inflated invoices for computer services and equipment.
The 56-year-old, of Hill Top Avenue, used some of the money from a ''slush fund'' to go on foreign holidays and pay for lavish meals, electronic goods and even the use of a corporate box at Leeds United’s ground .
The scam came to light in late 2008 and a five-year police inquiry ended with the jailing of Goldthorpe and four other men.
The men were jailed for conspiracy to defraud the bank and the court heard last year that Goldthorpe had received payments totalling almost £540,000.
Goldthorpe and his co-defendants now face further proceedings into their financial affairs and at a directions hearing today prosecutor Michael Greenhalgh said Goldthorpe's case appeared to be capable of resolution at the next hearing September 8.
Judge Potter said,as he understood it, the Proceeds of Crime Act matter might be settled and told Goldthorpe: ''It's a straight forward matter in relation to sums of money held in your pension funds.''
The judge said he didn't expect the next hearing to take long and the exact terms of any order would be clarified on that date
Sentencing Goldthorpe last year Judge John Potter said it had been a professionally planned conspiracy which had realised large sums of money over a number of years.
He described Goldthorpe as being driven by dishonesty and greed on a ‘breathtaking’ scale.
“As soon as you were aware of the existence of the slush fund you wished to milk it for as much as you could with a view to living an extravagant and lavish lifestyle and so you did over a number of years living way beyond your means,” the judge told him.
Goldthorpe’s barrister Rodney Ferm said at the sentencing hearing that his client had previously led a blameless life as a family man, but he would now have to pay for his crimes.
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