Robber told to pay back cash

2:30pm Thursday 4th September 2008

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AN ARMED robber who made more than a million pounds from crime has been ordered to pay back less than a quarter of his ill-gotten gains.

Vivian Gilling, who is currently serving an 18-year jail term for robbery and burglary, was found to have profited from his life of crime to the tune of £1,150,000.

But a judge at Swindon crown court believed the 43-year-old 'professional criminal', known as Billy, when he said he had no more than £240,500.

He will now have to sell his home in Hoopers Pool, Southwick, to settle the debt or face a further two-year jail sentence.

Gilling was brought back to court to face a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

It was agreed between the prosecution and defence that he benefited from his criminal lifestyle by £1.15m.

Adam Vaitilingam, for the Crown, said the court should order he repay the full amount suggesting he had squirreled away vast sums.

Referring to covert evidence obtained by bugging his home he said Gilling was aware of the new laws and had stashed money away that would never be found.

But Robin Shellard, for Gilling, pointed out thieves could only sell their loot at a cut rate and his client was unable to prove he didn't have what he didn't have.

Passing judgement Judge John McNaught said "With a degree of hesitation I feel I can accept what Mr Gilling says.

"I think he has on the balance of probabilities made me feel he is telling the truth when he says there is nothing more. I am going to fix the confiscation order at £240,500."

Gilling was given six months to make the payment or face a two-year sentence added to the 18 years he is already serving.

His partner in crime Gerald Burrell, who admitted both conspiracies, was found to have profited from crime by £80,339.19p and ordered to pay a nominal £1.

Should either man come into money in the future he can be ordered to repay the outstanding amount.

Gilling was convicted of conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to burgle following a five-week trial at Swindon Crown Court last year.

He was convicted of robbing and burgling a string of post offices as well as an armed robbery of the Gardiner Houlgate auction house near Corsham.

In that offence he and another man were armed with sawn off shotguns when they lay in wait for workers at the auction house on the Leafield Industrial Estate.

Porter Stephen Fuller and receptionist Lesley Hansford were confronted by the raiders, one in a balaclava and the other clown mask, shortly before 8am.

They were tied and gagged after Mr Fuller was forced at gunpoint to take the robbers to safes loaded with jewels and cash.

The men then made off with the haul worth about £330,000 in Mr Fuller's car, which was later found dumped outside Neston village hall.

That offence came eight months after Burrell had been arrested for robbing the Woodrow Road post office in Melksham.

That raid, in November 2004, was the last in a series of eleven robberies and burglaries over 18 months at post offices in west Wiltshire, Bath and Somerset, which netted about £200,000.

Burrell, of Langford Road, Trowbridge, was serving an eight year sentence for the Woodrow Road and had three years added to it for the other offences.