The convicted fraudster Kevin Phelan, from Omagh, Co Tyrone, has yet to undergo a medical procedure for a condition that is delaying his sentencing, the Crown Court in Leeds has been told.
Phelan (62) did not attend a sentencing hearing in January at which one of his co-conspirators was jailed for eight years and another was jailed for five for their roles in a pension fraud scheme.
The Northern Ireland businessman acted as a land agent for Independent deputy Michael Lowry and businessman Denis O’Brien in property deals in England in the 1990s that were examined by the Moriarty (Payments to Politicians) tribunal. He did not give evidence to the tribunal.
In January Phelan’s sentencing was adjourned to allow him to get medical treatment the court heard was necessary. He is currently due to be sentenced next month.
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When the matter was mentioned before Judge Penelope Belcher on Monday, she said she had been told by his lawyers, by email, that a medical procedure he was due to undergo had been delayed.
Saying she was “losing patience with this”, the judge adjourned the matter again to the end of next week. She said she wanted evidence on the next occasion as to why the procedure had not taken place by then, if that proved to be the case. She noted warrants issued in England can be served quickly in Northern Ireland.
She said her concern was “getting greater by the minute”.
“He will be sentenced by this court and he needs to understand that,” the judge said.
The conviction by a jury of Phelan and his two Yorkshire-based co-conspirators in August 2025 came at the end of a lengthy trial focused on a fraudulent pension liberation scheme.
Phelan was not in court when the jury delivered its verdict. The judge was told his inability to attend was due to treatment he was receiving in Northern Ireland for “potentially serious heart issues”.
