Pensioner bootlegger ordered to repay £47k

An elderly bootlegger has been ordered to repay £47,000 made by illegally selling duty free alcohol and cigarettes.

Pensioner William Walker has been ordered to repay £47,000 made from selling bootlegged alcohol

As reported in EADT24, 75-year-old William Walker, who lived in semi-sheltered accommodation in Bury St Edmunds, was handed a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years and 150 hours of unpaid work by Ipswich Crown Court.

Walker has, however, had to return to court for a further hearing after he was ordered to repay the profits of his illegal activity.

He was first caught selling duty-free alcohol and tobacco out of his van by police in Bury St Edmunds town centre in October 2011.

Police then conducted a search at his home, discovering £63,000 in cash which was confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

EADT24 also reported that during Walker’s trial, he was said to have made 22 trips to Europe in a year to stock up on alcohol, tobacco and cigarettes, while travelled from Dover to Calais 125 times over the course of five years.