Posted: 13 / 06 / 2018
A Derbyshire based bankrupt who crafted a secret mansion masquerading as an agricultural shed – which recently featured in a BBC TV Panorama programme – has had the property taken by the government.
The suitably named ‘Shedley Manor’ sported six bedrooms, a gym, sauna and over £83,000 worth of art and antiques. The secret cannabis room hidden behind one of his many large pieces of artwork was of course of great interest to police investigators also.
The revelations led to Alan Yeomans pleading guilty to a string of insolvency, drug and money laundering offences back in 2016.
Working together with Yeomans’ legal team in Crown Court confiscation proceedings, Bartfields Forensic Accountants saw Mr Yeomans’ benefit figure reduced from over £8 million to just £1 million. Mr Yeomans was ordered to pay £650,000, the bulk of which represents the value of ‘Shedley Manor’.
Of the case Bartfields Forensic Accountants’ Director David Winch said
“We were pleased to play an important role in this case assisting Mr Yeomans’ legal team to negotiate an agreed confiscation order which removes the risk of a lengthy consecutive sentence which would have resulted from a finding of ‘hidden assets’ and a massive reduction in his alleged benefit”.