Tuesday 16 December 2014

Fraudulent Handyman Sentenced

After working as a handyman for more than 20 years, Norfolk man Richard Green, has been imprisoned for three years after deceiving the tax system out of roughly £169,776. The 63 year old confessed to being self-employed since before 1992 without paying an ounce of tax, National Insurance, and failing to register with HMRC.

Assistant Director Criminal Investigation, HMRC, Paul Barton said:

"Green admitted that he should have paid tax on his self-employment but failed to do so. This fraudulent activity is not acceptable when the majority of people pay their dues and play by the rules. If you know of anyone committing tax fraud, you can report them by calling our 24 hour hotline on 0800 59 5000."

On 16th December 2014, Green was sentenced by Norwich Crown Court to three years imprisonment. The fraud was uncovered during HMRC's investigation where officers failed to find any tax returns from himself. Green had told HMRC that his earnings from self-employment reached between £15-£25,000 but after officers checked his bank records for 2007 - 08, they found an income of almost £70,000.

He was charged with Cheating the Public Revenue on 13th November 2013 and pleaded guilty on 26th February 2014.

No comments:

Post a Comment