David Noakes, pictured outside Southwark Crown Court at an earlier hearing, made a total of £7.9million by selling GcMAF
The multi-millionaire creator of a bogus ‘miracle drug’ made from human blood which was supposed to cure cancer, HIV and autism is set to lose his fortune before being extradited to France.
David Noakes, 66, made a total of £7.9million by selling GcMAF, which is made from human blood products, through his company Macro Innovations Ltd.
Production was halted after the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) raided his secret Cambridgeshire laboratory in January 2015.
The former banker and flying enthusiast used some of the cash to buy three planes costing a total £992,000, which he claimed he needed for business.
The former Guernsey resident said that one of the planes was ‘the world’s smallest jet,’ and the other two were Beechcraft Bonanza propeller-powered aircraft.
He also spent £60,000 on classic cars – including an Aston Martin and a Rolls Royce – as well as £40,000 on pleasure boating trips with money earned from the sale of blood plasma products.
Noakes was sentenced to a total of 15 months in November last year for offences including money laundering and selling a drug without market authorisation.
He appeared at Southwark Crown Court today flanked by roughly fifty supporters to face a confiscation hearing to allow the court to recoup his criminal earnings.
The hearing was delayed after supporters were stopped by security from entering the already packed courtroom.
Shouts of ‘If there’s a cure for terminal cancer in this room I want it,’ and, ‘There is a lack of justice in there,’ could be heard through the door.
Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith told the angry crowd: ‘None of you are doing Mr Noakes any favours.
‘Last year Mr Noakes pleaded guilty to some offences, I then took over the case and I had a lengthy Newton hearing in which I heard a lot of evidence about Mr Noakes.
‘I sentenced him to 15 months in prison and he has served that sentence.
‘The case is not about GcMAF. It is my duty to say what money can be got back.’
One woman in the public gallery walked out midway through the hearing, shouting: ‘I’m not listening to this bulls**t.’
‘Well, there we are,’ the judge replied, ‘I know a lot of people feel very strongly and sincerely about GcMAF.
‘There are problems and Mr Noakes has problems,’ continued the judge, adding that he had seen psychiatric evidence that the defendant is mentally unwell.
Noakes appeared at Southwark Crown Court today flanked by roughly fifty supporters to face a confiscation hearing to allow the court to recoup his criminal earnings
‘The reason he is depressed is because he has these extradition proceedings. As I understand it, the French authorities are seeking to extradite Mr Noakes.’
The court heard that Noakes had sold vials of the blood product to customers in France and that investigators in that country were seeking to prosecute him.
The judge explained that further issues had also arisen because Noakes had refused to deal with his legal representatives.
The defendant said: ‘I have not been engaging with my solicitors.’
Judge Loraine-Smith replied: ‘I know and I wish you would, you have very real problems. You need experienced lawyers to deal with the legal system as it is rather than the legal system as others wish is was.’
He explained that he had received a document from Noakes that attempted to throw the case out of court.
The judge said the document contained references to ‘Deuteronomy, The Book of Malachi and The Stone of Scone – it has nothing to do with this case.
‘I am not going to say what I think about it, it would be impolite if I did. This, and I have carefully read it, does not help you – it is of no relevance at all.’
‘I think your case has been hijacked,’ added the judge.
‘It has nothing to do with an English court of law.’
Noakes responded that he did not think his solicitors were acting in his best interest.
‘Under duress, they got me to plead guilty. Three of them pounced on me with no warning.
‘They cancelled my twenty witnesses who had taken GcMAF with stunning results,’ continued the defendant.
‘The MHRA kill 200,000 people a year. The MHRA is a criminal organisation.
‘Your honour, you said you hoped that GcMAF would be make available to the public,’ added the defendant.
‘I’m sorry, I never said that. That is a terrible misquoting,’ replied the judge.
At this point another of Noakes’ supporters stormed out of court, yelling at the judge: ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness, you are not a man of God. This is not a court of law.’
Judge Loraine-Smith told Noakes: ‘You need help in this case and your extradition.’
During the hearing in November, the court heard that Noakes had no formal scientific training but he believed that he had the equivalent of two MSc qualifications after researching GcMAF on Google.
The court was also read statements from some of Noakes’ customers: ‘I nearly died numerous times, two ambulances, multiple A&E visits.’
Another customer said: ‘On one occasion I felt weak, sleepy, feverish – general malaise.’
‘I felt achy over the next few days,’ added another, ‘I experienced a seizure on May the 12th.’
Noakes explained that he called the woman who claimed she nearly died and she continued to be supportive of GcMAF.
‘We knew by then that there were negligible side effects,’ said Noakes.
Gillian Jones, for the prosecution, replied: ‘So what we have just gone through, you call negligible side effects?’
‘Yes,’ replied the ex-banker, ‘no one died, most people improved.’
In total, three quarters of those who gave feedback to the company told how they had negative side effects.
The court heard how the Macro Innovations’ website claimed that the drug was made to higher than Good Manufacturing Practice standards.
However, the prosecution said that claim was false.
Judge Loraine-Smith asked: ‘What on Earth do you think you were doing? Because on the face of it that’s a bit of a whopper isn’t it?’
‘Yes your honour,’ came the response.
‘So why were you lying?’ asked the judge.
‘My scientists eventually calmed me down. My language got the better of me sometimes I completely agree.’
David Noakes, of Dover, admitted two counts of manufacturing a medicinal product without a manufacturer’s licence, two counts of selling or supplying medicinal products without market authorisation, and one count of money laundering.
He was sentenced to a total of 15 months behind bars, 12 months for the manufacture and sale of GcMAF and three months for money laundering.
Noakes will face a confiscation hearing on 11 October at Southwark Crown Court.