Sarah Panitzke
British criminal and fraudster (born 1974)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sarah Gina 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]
3 March 1974 (age 52)[1]
Sarah Panitzke | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sarah Gina Panitzke 3 March 1974 (age 52)[1] |
| Education | St Peter's School, York |
| Occupation | Fraudster |
Criminal status | Imprisoned until at least 2027 |
| Parents |
|
Criminal charge | Fraud, failure to pay a confiscation order |
Penalty | Eight years' imprisonment (for fraud) Nine years' imprisonment (for failure to pay confiscation order) |
Flight and imprisonment
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.[4][5][6][7] She was found guilty of the tax scam and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment in her absence.[4][5]
In January 2022, she was tracked to a gated community in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, Spain, where it was said she had been living a "life of luxury" under a false identity.[2][4][7] She was arrested on 27 February 2022 while walking her dog in Santa Bàrbara, Tarragona, 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 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 would not become 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]