Sarah Panitzke | |
---|---|
Born | 3 March 1974[1] | (age 50)
Other names | 'UK's most wanted woman' |
Education | St Peter's School, York |
Occupation | Fraudster |
Criminal status | Imprisoned until at least 2027 |
Parent(s) | Leo Panitzke (father), Paula Panitzke (mother) [2] [3] |
Criminal charge | Fraud, failure to pay a confiscation order |
Penalty | Eight years' imprisonment (for fraud) Nine years' imprisonment (for failure to pay confiscation order) |
Sarah Panitzke (born 3 March 1974) is a British criminal and fraudster who, until 2022, was widely described as "the UK's most wanted woman". [4] [5]
A former private school girl at St Peter's School, York and from an already-wealthy family, she fled Britain in 2013 while on trial for a £1 billion tax scam, and was for several years the only woman on the National Crime Agency’s list of most-wanted fugitives. [6] [5] [4] [7] She was found guilty of the tax scam and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment in her absence, and was described as one of Britain's most-wanted tax fugitives. [4] [5] In January 2022, she was tracked down to Santa Barbara in Tarragona, Spain, where it was said she had been living a "life of luxury" under a false identity. [7] [4] She was arrested while walking her dog, footage of which was later released. [4] After being extradited back to Britain she began her eight-year sentence and was told she would not be able to apply for parole for four years (half her sentence), and faced a further nine years of imprisonment for not paying back a £2.4 million confiscation order made in 2016. [4] In March 2023, she was further found guilty of this and sentenced to an additional nine years' imprisonment, meaning she will not be eligible for parole until late 2027. [7] Legally, she was not able to be punished for fleeing the country while on trial, and as of 2023, none of the money has been returned. [6] [7]
Sarah Panitzke | |
---|---|
Born | 3 March 1974[1] | (age 50)
Other names | 'UK's most wanted woman' |
Education | St Peter's School, York |
Occupation | Fraudster |
Criminal status | Imprisoned until at least 2027 |
Parent(s) | Leo Panitzke (father), Paula Panitzke (mother) [2] [3] |
Criminal charge | Fraud, failure to pay a confiscation order |
Penalty | Eight years' imprisonment (for fraud) Nine years' imprisonment (for failure to pay confiscation order) |
Sarah Panitzke (born 3 March 1974) is a British criminal and fraudster who, until 2022, was widely described as "the UK's most wanted woman". [4] [5]
A former private school girl at St Peter's School, York and from an already-wealthy family, she fled Britain in 2013 while on trial for a £1 billion tax scam, and was for several years the only woman on the National Crime Agency’s list of most-wanted fugitives. [6] [5] [4] [7] She was found guilty of the tax scam and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment in her absence, and was described as one of Britain's most-wanted tax fugitives. [4] [5] In January 2022, she was tracked down to Santa Barbara in Tarragona, Spain, where it was said she had been living a "life of luxury" under a false identity. [7] [4] She was arrested while walking her dog, footage of which was later released. [4] After being extradited back to Britain she began her eight-year sentence and was told she would not be able to apply for parole for four years (half her sentence), and faced a further nine years of imprisonment for not paying back a £2.4 million confiscation order made in 2016. [4] In March 2023, she was further found guilty of this and sentenced to an additional nine years' imprisonment, meaning she will not be eligible for parole until late 2027. [7] Legally, she was not able to be punished for fleeing the country while on trial, and as of 2023, none of the money has been returned. [6] [7]