Gangster's collection of Gucci, Balenciaga, Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo shoes sold off for thousands by police

Proceeds to go towards projects to 'help deter young people from criminality'

A gangster’s haul of designer trainers have been auctioned off for thousands of pounds by police.

Gloucestershire Constabulary said the proceeds from Isaiah Hanson-Frost’s collection of more than 55 pairs of shoes would go towards preventing crime.

Buyers from as far away as Trinidad, the US and Romania bid for pieces from Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Christian Louboutin, Valentino, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton.

The shoes were originally estimated to be worth up to £18,500 but sold for almost £5,000 on Thursday.

“There were just short of 600 bidders,” a spokesperson for Gloucestershire Constabulary said. “Funds will go towards projects across the county which help deter young people away from criminality.”

Isaiah Hanson-Frost was jailed for six years after admitting possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence (Gloucestershire Police)

Hanson-Frost, of Millbrook Street in Gloucester, is currently serving a six-year jail sentence for firing a gun at a car of rival gang members in 2017.

He was jailed in April after admitting violent disorder and possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence in relation to the shooting, on an industrial estate in Gloucester.

The 22-year-old was cleared of possession of criminal property after he agreed to give up the trainers and prosecutors chose not to proceed with the case.

Hanson-Frost was allowed to keep any Nike trainers valued at less than £100.

Footage released by police in December showed the shoes stacked up in evidence bags, alongside designer clothes seized under the Police Property Act.

Detective Inspector Dave Shore-Nye said: “We often see the reason for someone to commit crime is down to their own personal greed and to make money.

“We are keen to put a stop to anyone who is living a lavish lifestyle which has been funded through crime and this shows the level Gloucestershire Constabulary will go to in order to strip a criminal of their assets and then put the money to good use.”

Proceeds will go to a fund aiming to turn young people away from crime, with projects including taking teenagers to court to show “the consequences of making the wrong choice later in life”.