Former First Dates star turned drug dealer ordered to pay back £75,000

A former First Dates star and his brother have been ordered to pay £75,000 following their convictions for drugs offences.

In January 2023 Joseph Shaw, who appeared in the Channel 4 show seven years ago, was jailed for six-and-a-half years for his role in a drugs supply conspiracy. Today the 31-year-old, who is now out of prison, was back at Bradford Crown Court for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) which aims to seize available assets from criminals, YorkshireLive reports.

Shaw's younger brother Daniel, 27, was jailed for 10-and-a-half years for his drug dealing last January and today he was brought from custody and sat alongside him in the dock as prosecutor Alasdair Campbell outlined the details of the POCA order. Mr Campbell told Deputy Circuit Judge Timothy Clayson that the case had been listed for a "contested" POCA application, but happily it had been resolved in the case of both defendants.

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Mr Campbell confirmed that the benefit figure from general criminal conduct in the case of Joseph Shaw was agreed as £61,963.05 and he had available assets totalling £49,305.02.

Shaw will have to pay over that £49,305.02 in the next three months or face another 12 months in prison.

The benefit figure agreed for Daniel Shaw was said to be £817,221.03 and his available amount was £24,701.42. Daniel Shaw also has three months to pay the £24,701.42 sum in full or face an additional eight months in jail.

As Daniel Shaw was being taken back down into custody to continue serving his jail sentence the brothers exchanged a fist bump.

Judge Clayson confirmed the confiscation orders for each of the defendants and also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of all the drugs seized in the case.

Back in January 2023 when the brothers were jailed the court heard how they were arrested after a man walked into a police station in August 2021 and told officers about a stash of drugs and cash being stored at his Bradford home.

During the police investigation they searched a house in Low Moor and found about 30 kilos of heroin as well as almost £100,000 in cash in padlocked sports bag.

The court heard that Daniel Shaw, of Albion Road, Bradford, and Joseph, of Green Road, Baildon, had no previous convictions, but Judge Ahmed Nadim said during their sentence hearing that they had committed offences "in the pursuit of riches and a lifestyle" outside their reach.