Nuneaton Jewellery Thief Left Starry Eyed

A Confiscation hearing was held at Birmingham Crown Court on thursday 8th June 2006. His honour Judge Ross in the absence of Yakiya Minhas managing to show any evidence of what had happened to the stolen property made an order in the sum of £602,000. Minhas was given 9 months to pay or serve a sentence of 5 years in default of payment, to run consecutively.

The defendant was Yakiya Minhas born 4/6/1978 of Hillfields, Coventry.

In April 2004 Minhas was found guilty of the armed robbery of a jewellery shop in Nuneaton. He was at that time sentenced to 15 years in prison.

In the course of the confiscation Minhas argued that he only had assets to the value of £22,000.

The argument put forward by the West Midlands Regional Asset Recovery Team was that Minhas had benefited to the full value of the jewellery stolen in the robbery; a figure of approximately £602,000.

His honour Judge Ross in the absence of Minhas managing to show any evidence of what had happened to the stolen property made an order in the sum of £602,000.

Minhas was given 9 months to pay or serve a sentence in default of 5 years to run consecutively.

DS Bannister said "This is a message to the criminal fraternity, you can no longer just do the time and come out to enjoy the benefits of the crime".