A man, who along with his elderly father, stole expensive antique jade and ivory ornaments from the home of an elderly Bedfordshire widow is to pay back £208,335.73p.
Gary Pickersgill, 43, who is serving an eight-year sentence, will face another 30 months if the money is not paid within six months.
Luton crown court heard Gary Pickersgill, of Saxby Avenue, Skegness benefitted by £1,928,392.73 from the thefts. The £208,335.73p is the money that is available to pay as compensation to the estate of the woman, who was in her 90s and has since died.
Gary Pickersgill and his father Des, 84, of Clyde Crescent, Bedford, were found guilty of the theft of jade and ivory artefacts from her home in Wilstead near Bedford between November 2011 and May of 2018.
The pair, along with Kevin Wigmore, 47, of Sapphire Close, Orby near Skegness, were convicted of fraud by making false representations to Bonhams Auction House that they had authority to sell the jade and ivory items on behalf of the victim.
Des Pickersgill, Gary Pickersgill and Sarah Pickersgill, 40, also from Saxby Avenue, Skegness, were found guilty to converting criminal property.
At an earlier hearing Sarah Pickersgill was ordered to pay £185,000 in compensation to the estate of the victim or face two years in jail.
Kevin Wigmore’s benefit was found to be £88,279.52. His available assets were £15,544.06. He had 3 months to pay from March or face 10 months in prison.
Tracey Wigmore’s benefit was £7,590.19. That was also the available amount. She was given 28 days to pay or face 4 months in prison on default.
During the trial the jury heard Des Pickersgill had once been the gardener for the victim, who is in her 90s and had served as a Wren in World War Two.
He and Gary helped themselves to the oriental pieces from unlocked display cabinets during visits to her country cottage.
They tricked Bonhams into selling the pieces, which were hundreds of years old, by making out they were theirs to sell.
Jailing the father for six years and his son for eight years last year, Judge Steven Evans said:”Des Pickersgill took advantage of her failing health and he encouraged her to drink to further his opportunity to take items unnoticed.”
The judge told the son he had encouraged his father to continue stealing from the woman before taking over the “enterprise” himself, motivated by “greed.”
Gary Pickersgill’s wife Sarah, 40, who helped with the disposal of the stolen jade and ivory items by allowing her bank account to be used for monies to be into, was given a two year community order and told to carry out 200 hours’ of unpaid work.
Friends of the Pickersgills, husband and wife Kevin and Tracy Wigmore, had also helped in the sale of the stolen goods.
Kevin Wigmore, 48. was sentenced to two years behind bars and his 50-year-old wife wife received a nine month sentence suspended for 12 months and told she must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Investigating officer Dave Brecknock, from Beds Police’s Serious Fraud Investigation Unit, said earlier: “I have no doubt that Des and Gary Pickersgill hatched a plan to prey on an elderly and vulnerable victim, steal these precious artefacts and make themselves a small fortune.
“This was a pre-meditated, sly and dastardly criminal conspiracy, which has caused untold worry to the victim and her family, for who I am delighted we have been able to secure some justice.”
Sign up to get your own daily update of Bedfordshire News — It’s free.
