Callous puppy farmer hit with 'gangster tax'

GRACE BANKS... sold sick pets to unsuspecting families

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A CALLOUS, designer-clad puppy farmer with six aliases made more than half a million pounds selling dogs, some of which were severely-ill and dying, a court heard.

Former escort Grace Banks ­- caught out in part due to her distinctive groomed eyebrows, pouting lips and Mercedes Benz - sold sick pets to unsuspecting families for up to £600.

However, despite profiting by £505,000 from her criminal enterprise, Banks will have to repay less than £9,000 after a judge heard the rest was not yet "recoverable".

Police could seize more from her in future if they can identify other cash or assets in her possession.

The 29-year-old, her brother Julian King and friend Peter Jones made more than £1 million from flogging dogs, which were often diseased.

Banks was jailed for nine months in May after being found guilty of animal cruelty and fraud following a trial.

She had the audacity to sell sick animals while already on bail for running a huge puppy farm, for which she was earlier caged for five months.

It has now been revealed that Banks - formerly known as Lily Cooper - personally made £505,739 from the cruel business.

The total the trio made stood at £1.1 million, with King making £211,722 and Jones £403,118.

But between them they must pay back just £19,838.

All three defendants have appeared before Minshull Street Crown Court for Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) proceedings.

Nicknamed "the gangster tax", the POCA hearings allow the authorities to go after the assets of racketeers.

Appearing from custody before Judge Jeffrey Lewis, Banks, of Reed Street, Gorton, was ordered to pay back £8,786, which is all the police officers have identified as "currently recoverable".

She spoke just once when Mr Lewis asked her: "Do you fully understand what you are being asked to agree?"

Standing in the dock in a black leather bomber jacket, Banks simply replied: "Yes."

At hearings in April, it was revealed Jones had just £320 in realisable assets, while King was told to pay £10,733 from a frozen bank account.

Despite only being able to pay less than two per cent of their profits from the heartless business, they could be forced to pay back more in the future.

Banks was linked to the sale of eight suffering puppies at a time when she was on bail for another offence of running a puppy farm with King and Jones.

In the earlier case, the trio sold 835 sick and dying puppies to families - after keeping the animals cramped in buckets.

They used fake names, homes and even set up their own "pedigree registration" company to con buyers who thought they were buying healthy puppies raised in a home environment.

At the time, King and Jones were already banned from keeping dogs.

RSPCA inspectors found a dead puppy in the boot of Banks' Mercedes when her Shaw home was raided in April 2015.

Despite using up to six aliases, she was tracked down by investigators after conned customers all described her preened eyebrows and pouting lips.

She was also caught out by sending emails to customers from the same account she used for her escort agency work.

The original five-year RSPCA investigation led to the biggest case of its kind ever prosecuted by the body.