Serial fraudster David Aves ordered to hand over last remaining assets

A serial fraudster from Bradfield St George has been ordered by a judge to hand over his last remaining assets.

David Aves, 59, formerly of Freewood Street, was jailed for four years last month after pleading guilty at Ipswich Crown Court to 11 offences - one count of fraud and 10 counts of dishonestly retaining wrongful credit and defrauding victims of more than £50,000 between October 2015 and April 2016.

He appeared at the same court today for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, designed to recoup as much as possible of what he gained from his crimes.

Judge Martyn Levett heard that specialist financial investigators had established that Aves benefited from his latest offending by £55,190.

The same investigation had found that he had remaining assets worth £3,604 which Judge Levett ruled would be confiscated.

Aves was warned that failure to hand over the money would result in a further six months being added to his sentence.

Aves's latest offending involved items including generators, tractors and vintage cars, which he advertised on for sale on internet sites.

Once a sale had been agreed, Aves would arrange for payment to be made by bank transfer but the items purchased would never be delivered and Aves would then cut off all contact with the buyer.

The frauds were the latest in a string stretching back more than 30 years but until now prosecutors had been unable to identify any assets held by Aves which could be seized to help compensate his victims.

In 2013 Aves's mother died, leaving him as the sole beneficiary of her estate, which included a bungalow in Freewood Street, Bradfield St George.

Seven months ago, bailiffs seized the bungalow which will be sold to help fulfil previous confiscation orders against Aves amounting in total to £257,000.