AN international fraudster whose crimes funded his luxury lifestyle with flash cars and mansions has been ordered to repay £1.1 million of his ill-gotten gains.

Jason Butler, 49, masterminded a £9.8 million international VAT fraud, and was jailed for nine years for his crimes in 2018.

The conman, formerly of Leeds but now banged up at Her Majesty's pleasure, drove a Rolls Royce, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and had mansions in Leeds and Marbella, paid for through his life of crime.

However his web of deceit came crashing down spectacularly when HM Revenue & Custom uncovered his crimes. He was arrested after stepping off a plane from Malaga into the UK in 2015, and was eventually jailed in 2018 following a complex court case.

Now, Butler must repay £1.1 million or face more time spent in a jail cell; a far cry from his Costa del Sol mansion.

The investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) revealed he created hundreds of false invoices to pocket millions of pounds in VAT and tried to hide the scam in a complex trading chain involving companies in the UK and overseas.

Butler used the stolen money to help fund a luxury lifestyle, with a collection of supercars including a Ferrari 360 and Lamborghini Murcielago, as well as a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, speedboat, a luxurious home in Marbella and 96 properties in Leeds.

He now faces selling his precious Rolls and a number of his properties to pay back the £1.1m within three months, or face a further seven years behind bars - while still owing the money.

At a confiscation hearing on 26 April 2021, the court ordered him to repay £1,112,670 within three months.

If he fails to pay the confiscation order he faces another seven years in prison and will still owe the money, and any interest accrued.