A conman who stole £1.4 million from his own companies has finally been locked up after 15 years on the run.
Christopher Woodhead, 66, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, is now facing almost 10 years in prison after being caught on the Costa Del Sol in Spain.
Between 1997 and 1999 the conman ran chemical paint companies targeting elderly and vulnerable people, and milked them for cash.
Using fictitious invoices, loans and direct cash transfers to move money between his companies, he illicitly withdrew nearly £450,000.
He spent it on gambling debts, holiday travel, his ex-wife’s maintenance payments, personal expenses, property and cars.
Customers lodged complaints with the police, saying he had been overcharging and their bills were running into thousands of pounds with little work being done.
Woodhead attempted to avoid scrutiny and carry on his scams by creating a series of “phoenix” companies, transferring assets from one company to the new one whilst making the old company insolvent, leaving it with only debts.
The companies involved included: Midland Coating Company Ltd, Weather Protection Company Ltd, and Seal Point Ltd., reports the Manchester Evening News.
In 2002, the Serious Fraud Office charged Woodhead with 13 offences under the Theft Act 1968, but Woodhead absconded from justice and fled to the Costa Del Sol the day before his trial was due to start.
In 2004 while he was missing he was sentenced to six years and four months in prison and ordered to pay back £428,000. After 15 years he was finally tracked down and arrested in Madrid in May this year.
Today three years were added to his sentence at Leeds Magistrates' Court - and with interest the amount he must repay has reached almost £900,000.
Lisa Osofsky, director of the Serious Fraud Office, said: "This man’s brazen decade-and-a-half on the run is finally at an end and I am pleased to see him behind bars and serving a sentence for his crimes.
“This case should send a clear message that we will always persist in our pursuit of justice."
Officer in the case, Detective Constable Neil Bottomley, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "Woodhead defrauded innocent people out of hundreds-of-thousands of pounds, and his total lack of remorse was evident when he didn’t face his victims or the courts and instead went on the run.
“Fifteen years later, he now faces a lengthy prison sentence and a £900,000 fine. His sentence shows time is no barrier to prosecution and we will pursue you until we get justice for the victims involved.”
