Restaurant owners ordered to hand over £500k

A court has ordered the owners of a Chinese restaurant in Lincolnshire to hand over almost £500,000.

David Xu, 46, and his wife Lu Xu, 44, who own the Great Fortune restaurant in Messingham had earlier been convicted before Grimsby Crown Court of breaching immigration law by employing illegal immigrants.

Now a Proceeds of Crime hearing before Bradford Crown Court has heard that the couple benefited by almost £1 million by employing illegal immigrants.

Evidence was given that David Xu's available assets totalled £244,000 and his wife had £242,000 in available assets. It was these amounts they were ordered to hand over.

After the case Barbara Petchey, Humberside Chief Crown Prosecutor, said: "Confiscation is not just there to hit drug dealers and money launderers; it applies to all criminals who benefit from their crimes."

At the original trial before Grimsby Crown Court David Xu was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. Lu Xu was given 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

The couple opened the restaurant in 1999.

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By Andrew Smith

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