A well known Liverpool businessman who organised an attempted burglary at the home of England star Raheem Sterling could now be forced to sell his city centre apartment.
Norris Green man Thomas Mee toured the country with John Barlow and Vincent Ball when they searched out luxury homes to burgle. The crew targeted the home of former Liverpool player Raheem Sterling, pop star Jamiroquai and football boss John Radford.
An alarm disturbed the men at the Sterling home in Cheshire and the burglary did not go ahead. Mee was jailed for eight years and seven months, Barlow seven years and six months and Ball six years and nine months.
READ MORE: Liverpool Council threaten developer with wind up over £40k community cash bill
The three man crew stole more than £600,000 after committing at least 14 burglaries at addresses in Cheshire, Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire between November 2018 and October 2019. Mee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle and three counts of handling stolen goods.
It has now emerged that Mee could have to sell his apartment in the Beetham Tower building if he cannot pay a confiscation order worth £249,012.17.
At a proceeds of crime hearing on November 16, Chester Crown Court ordered Mee to pay £249,012.17 within the next three months, or face a further two years in prison. If Mee cannot pay the order the apartment will have to be sold.
It was originally stated, as reported by the ECHO, that Mee's home had already been taken from him, but this has not yet happened. In July 2020 Chester Crown Court heard how police found cash worth £125,000 in Mee's Beetham Tower apartment.
Andrew Alty, defending Mee, said that his client claimed the money was "legitimate". Mr Alty said that the cash, seized by police, was now subject to an ongoing legal process through in the courts.
Police seized the money after Mee, Ball and Barlow were arrested after a break-in at the home of then Bury FC owner Steve Dale in Prestbury. The ECHO has reported widely on Mee's links to crime in the city. Mee, who grew up in Norris Green, was jailed for five years in 2013 after admitting transfer of a firearm.
Tests revealed that the Austrian-made Glock had previously been used in a shooting at a house in Yellerton Road, Anfield, on December 6, 2011, and fired at a business on Glendower Street, Waterloo, in April 2010. After Mee had served his sentence for the firearms offence he became involved in major site clearance schemes across Merseyside.
He was a director of Mees Demolition Group from November 1, 2017 to October 19, 2018 and Mees Demolition Manchester Limited from June 20, 2018 to August 7, 2019.
A spokesperson from Cheshire Constabulary's SOCU said: “This is the perfect example of how crime does not pay and shows the lengths we will go to in order to target those who have profited from crime.
“Not only was Mee handed a lengthy prison sentence, but he also now must pay back every penny he made from his illegal exploits.
“POCA orders allow us to recoup all of criminal’s benefit from crime - by not only ensuring that criminals are locked behind bars, we are able to also ensure that they cannot enjoy any money received once a sentence is served.
“This money will now be repaid to the victims and will not be ploughed back into criminality.
"We will do all we can to ensure that criminals operating in Cheshire are unable to profit from their crimes and will work with our partners and the Crown Prosecution Service to use all available powers at our disposal."
READ NEXT:
Terrifying video shows ten people sliding on icy Sefton Park lake
EncroChat thug 'Stealthy' boasted of 'mint wages' from heroin and guns trade
