Terrence Smith lived a life of luxury on the taxpayers? money he siphoned off from the BHC during his 18-month fraud.

Witnesses during the trial spoke of how the conman doled out thousands of pounds for expensive goods from the wads of bank notes he carried about his person.

The jury was given a tour of his three-bedroom home in Tee Street, Devonshire, to see for themselves the high-end d?cor and gadgets he spent the BHC?s cash on.

The house ? said to have been worth $2.5 million in 2002 ? boasts two lion statues at its impressive cedar wood front door. Large chandeliers hang in the elegant pastel-painted interior, which features mainly wood and marble fixtures and fittings.

The kitchen units are carved with an intricate design featuring bunches of grapes, and ornate patterns are inlaid in the wooden floors. The jurors viewed a large master bathroom, notable both for the video screen over the sunken bath, and an open Bible next to the tub.

They also took in a home theatre in the basement, furnished with authentic patterned carpet, cinema seats, and romantic movie posters including ?Gone With the Wind? and ?Braveheart?. Statues of eagles keep watch over the garden, which boasts a large swimming pool decorated with dolphin mosaics and even a cave at one end.

Among the bills Smith racked up for his shopping list of greed were:

$173,000 worth of landscaping work on his garden, which contains a waterfall, stream, Japanese bridge and numerous statues. He still owes the landscaping company $23,500.

$96,000 on the home movie theatre plus a sophisticated audio-visual set up that allows music and videos to be played both throughout the interior of the home and outside.

More than $100,000 of work on his 40ft swimming pool to install the lights, the cave, and a decking area.

A $10,000 fountain with a dolphin design that Smith later ripped out explaining: ?It was taking up too much room.?

More than $84,000 of furniture. He still owes $27,580.

A $24,000 security system featuring an intercom, surveillance cameras and remote-controlled gates. He still owes $9,960.

When hauled before the board of directors of the housing corporation in 2002 to explain himself when rumours about his dodgy dealings first surfaced, Smith complained: ?My own workmen come back and tell everybody in the office Terrence must be taking kickbacks because his house is too nice.?

It took another four years and a 19-day fraud trial to prove just how right they were.

Speaking after the case, one old friend of Smith, who went to Bermuda College with him, described the situation as sad but not surprising. He said: ?His whole demeanour was that he was going to be a big man one day. He came from humble beginnings and had a very big ego. He was driven and always had to prove something to somebody. That?s why he built that house in front of everyone to show what he had accomplished. It?s so sad. Everyone loses.?