A man who was cleared by a jury of murdering dad Damian Gordon in a shooting at a Bradford night club, was yesterday jailed for three years for fraud and hiding tens of thousands of pounds in criminal cash.

Owen Bell, 34, of Salford, Greater Manchester, was found not guilty in December, at Bradford Crown Court, of shooting dead 30-year-old Mr Gordon at Club Icon, in Westgate.

Prosecutor Elyas Patel told Bradford Crown Court yesterday that as part of that investigation, police searched addresses associated with Bell including one at Birkby, Huddersfield, occupied by Donna Powell, 35.

They found two security boxes, each containing around £50,000, which she said she had been saving for ten to 15 years. The total amount of money recovered was more than £145,000.

Powell was arrested and, in a signed statement, said the money had been brought to her by Bell because he had nowhere else to keep it. She said she did not want to take in the money but did not feel able to say no to him.

Mr Patel said no employment had been recorded or tax returns filed in his name for five years to 2007 and that Bell applied for two mortgages, claiming he was a manager for a firm, but they had never heard of him.

Bell had an account at Lloyds TSB to which a number of unexplained cash deposits were made, totalling more than £41,000.

Bell, who had no relevant previous convictions, pleaded guilty yesterday to concealing criminal property, obtaining money by deception, fraud, and acquiring criminal property.

Judge Peter Benson told him: “A substantial amount of criminal property of this sort means a custodial sentence is inevitable.”

Powell, who admitted concealing criminal property and possessing a prohibited weapon, a CS canister, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work.