A 40-year-old man jailed for his part in a wine investment scam has been ordered to pay £751,000 compensation to his victims.

Daniel Snelling, from Sutton, was the director of two companies – Nouveau World Wines Ltd and Finbow Wines Ltd – between June 2007 and September 2009.

Along with his sister, Dina Snelling, of Invicta Close, Chislehurst, he used a sales team to cold-call members of the public to promote promising wine investment schemes.

It is believed that more than 100 victims were duped into handing over millions of pounds for non-existent wines.

In 2013, Daniel Snelling was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to defraud and two counts of converting criminal property at Southwark Crown Court and sentenced to a total of seven-and-a-half years in prison.

Dina Snelling was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to defraud and sentenced to three years and 11 months in jail.

Their cousin Rebecca McDonald, of Parkside Avenue, Bexleyheath, who oversaw the day-to-day running of the fraudulent organisations’ bank accounts, was convicted of conspiracy to defraud and jailed for three years.

On May 14 Daniel Snelling was ordered to pay victims £751,000 at Southwark Crown Court.

If he does not pay, he faces a further three-and-a-half years in jail.

Detective Inspector Paul Whatmore, of the fraud squad, said: “Snelling’s crime hasn't paid off.

"Not only is he in prison, but he will now have to pay back £751,000 of the money he so gratuitously defrauded from his victims.

“That’s money that will, quite rightly, go back to those victims. If he does not repay the money he will face a further three-and-a-half years in prison and the debt will remain until he has paid it."