Drug Traffickers, Solicitor and Estate Agent found Guilty of Money Laundering Offences
At Warwick Crown Court, on 19th July 2006, before His Honor, Judge Coates, Donna and Peter DAVIS (Drug Traffickers), Leslie John PATTISON (Estate Agent), and Phillip Jon GRIFFITHS (Solicitor) were found guilty of Money Laundering offences and received lengthy sentences for their trouble.
On 26th July 2004 Donna and Peter DAVIS from Yardley, Birmingham, were convicted of conspiring to supply Class A and B drugs & respectively sentenced to 7 & 12 yrs imprisonment.
The convictions resulted from an investigation conducted by the West Midlands Police. A financial investigation was conducted by DS Turner & other officers from the Regional Asset Recovery Team who work as part of the Regional Task Force to tackle organised crime groups operating across the four Police Forces from the West Midland's Region.
During the course of enquiries to identify assets held by the DAVIS’ for confiscation it was found that a property in Yardley owned by the DAVIS and believed to be criminal property, had been sold following their conviction for less than a third of the market value. The property was purchased by Leslie John Pattison an estate agent operating his own business in Shrewsbury, Pattison paid £43,000 for the property (the outstanding mortgage on the property) which had been purchased two years earlier for £83,000. The conveyance of the property was handled by Phillip Jon Griffiths a solicitor practicing in Shrewsbury.
Donna & Peter DAVIS, Griffiths and Pattison were all arrested on suspicion of money laundering. All four were charged with money laundering offences and Griffiths in addition was charged with failing, as a member of the regulated sector, to make a disclosure to the authorities knowing or suspecting money laundering offences were taking place.
Following a trial at Warwick Crown Court, on 19th July 2006 Pattison was found guilty of entering into arrangement to acquire criminal property and acquiring criminal property, in sentencing him to 3 years imprisonment, his honor, Judge Marten Coates said that Pattison had been motivated by greed. Griffiths was cleared of being concerned in the actual arrangement and was convicted of failing to disclose a suspicious transaction and sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, his honor, Judge Coates stated that he had clearly closed his eyes to the obvious.
Donna and Peter DAVIS had earlier pleaded guilty to money laundering and sentenced to 18 months and 3 years imprisonment respectively to run consecutively to the sentences for drugs trafficking.
Confiscation proceedings in respect of assets held by Pattison were adjourned to a later date.
Detective Chief Inspector Varriale who heads the Regional Task Force said “ The sentences should send out a powerful message to those professionals who chose to assist criminals to hide and dispose of their criminal profits. We will continue to pursue criminals and money launderers to prosecution and seizure of their assets to demonstrate that crime does not pay”.