Criminal law – Sentence. The continuation of confiscation proceedings in the absence of a defendant who had absconded was not unlawful. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, dismissed the applicant's renewed application for an extension of time to appeal against a confiscation order made in 2008 by the Crown Court, pursuant to the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. It was held that in the light of R v Spearing [2011] 1 Cr App Rep (S) 597, the confiscation order had not been unlawful on the basis which the applicant suggested, and accordingly, there was no basis upon which the necessary extension of time could or should be granted.