If you were able to listen in on a meeting between a client and a lawyer, you would hear something like this:
‘Can you tell me what I’m looking at?’
‘Around 12-15 months, with the possibility of a suspension if you’re lucky.’
‘Oh, that’s fine with me!’
‘However, is there something else?’
‘What?’
‘You’re going to lose your money, your home, and your Car,’
What is confiscation?
It is, at its most basic level, the procedure by which those who have been convicted of a crime have their benefits from that crime taken away.
Jill, for example, steals £10,000 from her boss and spends it on a lavish vacation.
Her ‘benefit’ (the money she made from the crime) is £10,000, therefore she can expect a confiscation order in that amount.
That sounds fair
On the surface, it appears to be reasonable, but it is a little more complicated. The £10,000 from the confiscation order will go to the state rather than the employer.
However, the court may make a compensation order for the employer in the amount of £10,000 to compensate them for their loss.
So Jill will be liable for £20,000?
It’s possible.
That’s unfair!
It can get a whole lot worse!