A fraudster once labelled Britain’s most wanted woman for her part in a £1billion mobile phone VAT scam is beginning an eight-year jail sentence, after absconding during her trial and spending almost a decade on the run.
But Sarah Panitzke, 48, a former private schoolgirl from a wealthy family, will not face any penalty for absconding as her extradition from Spain was not related to her skipping bail. was not extradited for skipping bail. Sentencing her at Kingston Crown Court yesterday, Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC said her hands were tied and she couldn't increase Panitzke's sentence for her being on the run.
Instead, she reimposed the sentence handed down in Panitzke's absence after she was convicted of conspiracy to acquire criminal property in 2013. And the court was told the defendant, who was arrested in Spain in February, could be jailed for a further nine years in due course for failing to repay more than £2million she owes.
At the original trial, Panitzke and 16 co-accused were sentenced to a total of 135 years in prison. All the defendants but her were present for their sentencing and went to jail while she fled to Spain. She was arrested near Tarragona in Catalonia but is also believed to have spent time in Andorra.
Yesterday (Friday, March 25), she only spoke to reply "yes" when asked to confirm her name during the hearing, which lasted around 10 minutes. Prosecutor Stephen Apted said: “During the course of the trial on May 22 2013 the defendant was allowed out of the country and had a duty to return to this country on May 28.
“She failed to do so and on that date a warrant was issued. The defendant was not extradited in relation to an offence under the Bail Act and our position is that that charge cannot be put to you.”
He added that she has failed to pay £2,455,913.57 which she owes the court and she could be jailed another nine years for non-repayment. She is expected to face proceedings in the magistrates' court in due course but the allegation was not put to her during yesterday's hearing.
Judge Plaschkes said a Court of Appeal ruling from 2009 meant her hands were tied and the fugitive could not be charged for Bail Act offences. She told her: “As you have heard you were sentenced in your absence on to eight years in prison. That sentence will start today. In the circumstances there are no further orders that I need to make.”
Subscribe here for the latest news where you live
Panitzke was arrested walking her dogs after the Spanish Guardia Civil identified her in a village near Tarragona. She is believed to have led a life of luxury in a gated community in the hills of Vilanova i la Geltrú, an hour from the centre of Barcelona, before justice finally caught up with her.
The fraudster unsuccessfully resisted extradition, telling Spanish judges she wanted to be sentenced there because of her links to the country. She also claimed her husband, who lives in Spain, has just 10 years to live and would not be able to visit her in Britain if she was extradited.
Panitzke grew up in a wealthy family in the village of Escrick, near Selby, North Yorks. She went to York College for Girls before moving on to fee-paying St Peter’s School in York, which is reputed to be the third oldest school in the world.
Her father Leo, a residential property developer and insurance broker, was jailed for four years for buying council houses and selling them on early for a large profit.
Simon York, the director of HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service, said after the hearing: “Sarah Panitzke helped launder millions of pounds of stolen money and thought she could run from her crimes. She spent nine years hiding – but we never stopped looking.
“We worked tirelessly alongside the Spanish authorities to track her down and ensure she was brought back to face justice.. This is testament to the dedication of our officers who work hard every day to ensure the most serious frauds don’t go unpunished, and we continue to relentlessly pursue the small minority who think it’s acceptable to steal taxpayers’ money."
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
