TWO brothers who were part of an organised crime group within the traveller community have been handed an extra sentence after avoiding paying back more than £695,000 that they defrauded from their victims.

Irish travellers Hughie Collins and Terence Collins were sentenced to 12 and a half years in February 2015 for having made hundreds of thousands of pounds defrauding people across the UK. Police eventually stopped the brothers on an industrial estate in Blaenavon.

Hughie Patrick Collins, aged 49, received 6 years 9 months and Terence Joseph Collins, aged 36, received 5 years 9 months. Between them they faced a number of charges for fraud, concealing criminal property, transferring criminal property and removing criminal property.

They were described in court as "two horribly dishonest men."

Now the pair have been sentenced to an additional two and a half years onto their sentences for attempting to pervert the course of justice.

At a proceeds of crime act hearing in Cardiff Crown Court in November 2016 the pair were ordered to pay back £695,173.91.

Both men own properties in Ireland that they had been ordered to sell to pay off the remaining part of the outstanding proceeds of crime order. They had failed to do so and the matter will be resolved by using Enforcement Receivers to sell the properties.

On June 30, 2017, at Swansea Magistrates Court, Hughie Collins and Terence Collins were sentenced to an additional two and a half years onto their sentences for attempting to pervert the course of justice for not adhering to the conditions imposed on them in relation to their Proceeds of Crime obligations.

Gwent Police Financial Investigator John Price commented: “We are pleased with this additional sentence and welcome this result. Let this be a message to anyone thinking that they can evade the Proceeds of Crime Act and use criminality for financial gain to the detriment of innocent law abiding members of the public that we will take action and you can expect harsh repercussions.”

The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 enables Policing Agencies to disrupt criminal enterprises and contributes to crime reduction efforts. The Act aims to simplify and streamline money-laundering offences and introduces a civil power that gives Customs and Police the power to seize cash.