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Slimming pill conman must repay £75,000
A CONMAN from South Yorkshire who made millions of pounds by illegally selling obesity pills to women desperate to lose weight has been ordered to pay £75,000 back to the authorities.
Robin Huxley, aged 48, was jailed for 14 months after he used his knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry to obtain vast quantities of prescription obesity medicines Reductil and Xenical.
He sold the drugs through various slimming and weight loss clinics in Barnsley, without giving his clients consultations or prescriptions.
At one point he was the biggest buyer of Xenical outside the NHS, buying nearly 1 million's worth a year.
He was jailed for 14 months in 2005 after admitting breaching the Medicines Act.
Sheffield Crown Court heard Huxley, formerly of Haighmoor Way, Royston, who is now living with his mother, and his business partner Stephen Powell, of Newark, Notts, benefited to the tune of 2.3m.
Judge Patrick Robertshaw was told Huxley's share of was 777,000 but he had only 50,000 of realisable assets.
He was ordered to pay back 50,000 and 25,000 in costs. He has six months to make the payment but can apply for more time. If he fails to pay he could be sent to jail for 18 months.
Huxley was employed in the pharmaceutical industry from May 2001 to March 2005. He used his knowledge and expertise to gain large quantities of the prescription drugs, including Reductil, which is used to treat clinical obesity.
He also obtained large amounts Xenical from Roche Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
In January the European Medicines Agency recommended Reductil be no longer prescribed or dispensed because it could lead to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Pownell, of Newark, was ordered to pay a 3,000 fine, 3,000 costs and pay back 1,497.80.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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