A CONVICTED fraudster and self-styled ‘serial entrepreneur’ is back behind bars after being jailed for defaulting on a court order, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Michael Smallman was given a two year jail sentence at Teesside Magistrates Court after failing to comply with the terms of a confiscation order granted by a judge in May 2012.

The 51-year-old, of Richmond, North Yorkshire, was ordered to pay £209,301 under proceeds of crime legislation after being found guilty of a £16.5m education fraud.

But he has only paid £14,500, money he said came directly from his pension. The overall figure owed has now climbed to approximately £229,000 as a result of interest charges levied to date.

Investigators suspected Mr Smallman had at least £195,000 worth of “hidden assets” in Vietnam –where he had involvement with a clothing factory – although he has always denied this.

He was previously jailed in 2008 for seven years after being found guilty of three charges of fraudulent trading and one of transferring criminal property, before being released in 2012.

Mr Smallman, who has had 34 directorships with different companies, ran the National Distance Learning College which claimed to offer nationally recognised qualifications to people studying from home.

But police said the enterprise merely funded his “lavish lifestyle” while the students who applied for grants in order to study with the college received nothing in return.

Mr Smallman’s interests included buying and training expensive racehorses and he also set up a television production company.

In July 2013 the Echo revealed Mr Smallman had submitted a 600 page long file of evidence to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in a bid to clear his name.

Speaking at the time, he said: “I do expect my conviction to be overturned and that would quash the proceeds of crime order. I would not owe anything.”

He said it would not be fair to collect the remaining money owed from an “innocent man” or send him back to prison for a second time for the same crime should he be found to be in default.

Mr Smallman later claimed he been subject to death threats as a result of his involvement with another failed venture and also faced being turfed out of his North Yorkshire home because he could not afford the rent.