A HEREFORDSHIRE fraudster whose haulage companies were wound up with debts of £2 million has failed in an Appeal Court bid to keep £181,000 of his ill-gotten gains.

Christopher Trietline, aged 59, of Vowchurch, was jailed for five years at Canterbury Crown Court in January 2002 after being convicted of three counts of fraudulent trading. He also had £181,000 of his profits from the fraud confiscated.

Lord Justice Waller, sitting with Mr Justice Newman and Judge Martin Stephens QC at London's Appeal Court, dismissed an appeal against the confiscation order.

The judge rejected arguments that the trial judge had been wrong to dismiss accounts submitted on Trietline's behalf suggesting he had not profited from the frauds by as much as the prosecution claimed.

The judge said Trietline had been involved in running three haulage companies - Deadman Transport Ltd, Deadman Transport (Midlands) Ltd and Deadman Transport and Groupage Ltd.

And the court heard how all three companies had continued to trade despite being insolvent - leaving creditors out of pocket to the tune of £2 million when they were wound up in 1996 and 1997.

Refusing to cut the confiscation order, Lord Justice Waller said the trial judge had been 'quite right' not to accept accounts submitted to her by an accountant on Mr Trietline's behalf.