He fraudulently acquired the victim’s mortgage-free home

A former chartered accountant convicted of swindling a vulnerable man out of his assets has been jailed for a further five years after failing to pay a Proceeds of Crime Confiscation Order.

Sukhdev Singh, 78, of Chelwood Drive in Leeds, was originally sentenced in 2022 to more than five years' imprisonment for fraud, following an investigation by North Yorkshire Police.

At the time, York Crown Court heard that Singh systematically exploited a vulnerable Harrogate man with significant disabilities and a learning age of 12.

He fraudulently acquired the victim's mortgage-free home worth £500,000, transferred more than £34,000 from a Gibraltar savings account, and attempted to gain control of a property the victim owned in Spain.

Sukhdev Singh, 78, who was convicted of defrauding a vulnerable Harrogate man out of his assets, has been jailed for a further five years after failing to pay a Proceeds of Crime Confiscation Order

A subsequent Proceeds of Crime Act investigation by North Yorkshire Police found Singh had benefited from criminal conduct totalling £1.19 million and had assets valued at £490,284.98.

On 25 August 2025, a Proceeds of Crime Order was made at York Crown Court, ordering Singh to pay the £490,284.98 available amount within three months.

He was warned that failure to pay would result in a further five-year prison sentence.

Despite unsuccessful appeals and repeated extensions, Singh made no payment towards the order.

At Leeds Magistrates' Court on 27 August 2026, he again refused to accept responsibility for his criminal offending or to pay the confiscation order amount.

As a result, the court activated the five-year default sentence and Singh was returned to prison.

Ian Sharp, from North Yorkshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “We will relentlessly pursue individuals in relation to the proceeds of their crimes.

"In this case, enforcement action to recover the outstanding debt will continue.”

The victim died earlier this year before receiving the compensation he was due from the confiscation proceedings.

His estate is expected to receive the funds once they are recovered.