Man Who Claimed He Burnt £50,000 Given Suspended Sentence
Paul Huckle, a 51-year-old man from Spalding in Lincolnshire, falsely claimed to the Official Receiver that he had burnt £50,000 to avoid paying his creditors. The debtor recently appeared at Kings Lynn Crown Court on 9 September 2021 where Judge Recorder Ayers sentenced him to 15 months imprisonment, suspended for 21 months.
The court heard that Paul Huckle had petitioned for his own bankruptcy in April 2015, before providing the Official Receiver – who was acting as Trustee – with a schedule of his assets and bank accounts. In his application, he alluded to £50,000 which he had “given away, transferred or sold”.
When the Official Receiver challenged Paul Huckle and asked for further details on the £50,000, the defendant claimed he had burnt the money in a fire. He also provided videos which he argued verified this claim.
However, the videos were not deemed to have provided conclusive evidence that the money had been burnt. After further investigation, it was then discovered that Paul Huckle had made several withdrawals and transfers from his account in the year before his bankruptcy.
On various occasions, Paul Huckle refused to attend interviews to explain why the funds had been removed from his account. Subsequently, the defendant was charged with concealing property within 12 months of his petition for bankruptcy. The defendant denied the charges but was found guilty following a three-day trial at Kings Lynn Crown Court on 1 July 2021.
Glenn Wicks, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, stated: “This was a series of deliberate actions by Paul Huckle to deprive his creditors of tens of thousands of pounds they were owed. His actions were deceitful, and he provided an elaborate charade for where the money went, with outlandish claims he had burnt it in a fire.”
He continued: “Our investigation showed this was not the case and his explanations were entirely unsatisfactory. We will take action against those who look to hide the money they owe, as this sentence shows.”
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