Court hearing over inmate's gains

On arrest he was wearing jewellery valued at the time at about £170,000

A Coventry man serving 19 years in jail has been told in court that £145,000 of his ill-gotten gains must be handed over to police.

Leon Chapman, 33, is in prison for attempted robbery, firearms offences and money laundering.

A confiscation hearing was held at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

Chapman has been told he has got six months to pay the money back or he could find his jail sentence increased by another two years.

The money would be put back into fighting crime.

Wearing jewellery

Items including a Rolex watch valued at £36,000 would be auctioned next month to raise £145,000 that the judge ordered could be recovered from Chapman.

Another of his assets, a flat in the Harborne area of Birmingham, would now be sold off.

On arrest Chapman was wearing jewellery valued at the time at about £170,000 and was driving a Porsche Cayenne, West Midlands Police said.

Chapman was sentenced to seven years in prison in May 2006 for attempted robbery, the force said.

In July 2006 he was convicted of possession of firearms and of possession of explosives with intent to endanger life and sentenced to 12 years to run consecutive to the seven, police added.

The force said in November 2006 he was found guilty of possession of criminal property under the proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and sentenced to three years to run concurrently.

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Leon Chapman spent some of his money on jewellery