Worker admits £35,000 taxfraud

An East Mains man has admitted a £35,000 tax fraud.

William Doonan, 61, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of defrauding HM Revenue & Customs at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday.

Fiscal depute Callum Forsyth told the court Doonan was caught when an HMRC inspector carried out a VAT inspection at Veitchi Flooring Limited in East Kilbride on November 4, 2015.

Suspicion was aroused when company records revealed that numerous payments inclusive of VAT were being made to Doonan’s personal bank account.

Further investigations uncovered that Doonan was continuing to act as a subcontractor and repeatedly fraudulently declared that he was registered for VAT despite being declared insolvent.

Mr Forsyth said: “Between May 5, 2009 and November 5, 2015 numerous payments were made to his [Doonan’s] account.

“The total amount during that period was £35,000 for Value Added Tax.”

The original figure on the indictment was £50,000.

The Crown sought permission to seize the cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2017.

Sheriff Marie Smart adjourned the case for Criminal Justice Social Work and Restriction of Liberty Order reports.

Doonan, of Stirling Drive, was ordered back to the dock for sentencing on March 9.

A procedural hearing was scheduled for April 6.

Bail was continued.