Sarah Panitzke jailed: who is UK’s most wanted woman, how long was she on the run, what is she guilty of?

A former private schoolgirl who became Britain’s most wanted woman for her part in a £1 billion VAT fraud has been jailed for eight years after nine years on the run.

Sarah Panitzke, 48, had been the only woman on the National Crime Agency’s list of most wanted fugitives after she fled to Spain in May 2013.

She was said to have “disappeared into thin air” when she left Britain during her trial for money laundering offences almost a decade ago.

Cops even asked British holidaymakers to help catch Panitzke from Fulford, near York, in an appeal for information on wanted killers, sex attackers and drug traffickers.

However, she will not face any charges for absconding as she wasn’t extradited for skipping bail.

Sentencing her, the judge said her hands were tied and she couldn’t increase Panitzke’s sentence for her being on the run.

Panitzke lived in ‘luxury’ after fleeing to Spain

She was convicted of conspiracy to acquire criminal property in 2013 and fled to Spain before her trial ended.

She is believed to have lived a life of luxury in a gated community in the hills of Vilanova i la Geltrú, an hour from the centre of Barcelona, before justice finally caught up with her. However, she will not be charged for any Bail Act offences.

She was arrested by Spain’s Guardia Civil in on 27 February while walking her dogs in Santa Barbara, Tarragona, south of Barcelona.

The fraudster told Spanish judges she wanted to be sentenced in Spain because of her links to the country. She also claimed her husband, who lives in Spain, has just 10 years to live and would not be able to visit her in Britain.

She was jailed for eight years in her absence in 2013 and she began serving that sentence after it was re-imposed on Friday.

Appearing in the dock of Kingston Crown Court, she only spoke to reply ‘yes’ when asked her name during the hearing, which lasted around 10 minutes.

The gang funnelled money through bank accounts in the UK, Andorra, Dubai, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Portugal and the US, HMRC said.

She and her 17 co-conspirators were given sentences totalling 135 years for the multi-million-pound VAT fraud.

Prosecutor Stephen Apted said: “During the course of that trial on 22 May 2013 the defendant was allowed out of the country and had a duty to return to this country on 28 May.

“She failed to do so and on that date a warrant was issued.

“The defendant was not extradited in relation to an offence under the Bail Act and our position is that that charge cannot be put to you.”

Fugitive caught after Spanish police recognised her

Her lawyer Anna Leathem spoke only to say: “There is not much more I can assist with.”

Judge Sarah Plaschkes QC said a Court of Appeal ruling from 2009 meant her hands were tied and the fugitive could not be charged for Bail Act offences.

She told her: “As you have heard you were sentenced in your absence on 22 August 2013 to eight years in prison.

“That sentence will start today.

“In the circumstances there are no further orders that I need to make.”

In 2016 and while still on the run, a court also ordered that she repay more than £2.4 million within three months or serve an extra nine years in jail.

HMRC believe that she had been hiding in Andorra and Spain for the last nine years and living under an assumed identity.

She was captured after the Spanish Guardia Civil identified her in a village in the region of Tarragona.

Simon York, Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said after the hearing: “Sarah Panitzke helped launder millions of pounds of stolen money and thought she could run from her crimes.

“She spent nine years hiding – but we never stopped looking.

“We worked tirelessly alongside the Spanish authorities to track her down and ensure she was brought back to face justice.

“This is testament to the dedication of our officers who work hard every day to ensure the most serious frauds don’t go unpunished, and we continue to relentlessly pursue the small minority who think it’s acceptable to steal taxpayers’ money.”