Rogue roofer stole £88k in VAT scam
Fraudster jailed for ‘theft from honest taxpayers’
A roofer who stole £ 88,000 through VAT fraud and evaded paying £14,000 in income tax has been jailed.
Self-employed Richard Cakebread worked on historic buildings, such as courts and universities, and charged VAT on bills, including £51,690 on 60 separate invoices to one contractor.
The 56-year-old failed to pay any of the tax to HMRC and also used a VAT number which had been deregistered in 2009. He failed to declare his earnings or pay any income tax, evading £14,237.
Cakebread, of The Orpines, Wateringbury, was arrested in February. He admitted fraudulent evasion of VAT and cheating the public revenue at Maidstone Crown Court and was jailed for 20 months last Wednesday.
He received 20 months for the VAT fraud and 12 months for the income tax offence, to run concurrently.
Mark Cox, of the Fraud Investigation Service, said: “HMRC will continue to pursue criminals like Richard Cakebread who attack the tax system.
“It is simply not acceptable to charge VAT to your clients but pocket the money. It is theft from honest businesses and taxpayers, and also steals funds from the public services we all rely on.
“We ask anyone with information about suspected VAT or income tax fraud to contact our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”
Sentencing Cakebread, Judge Adele Williams said: “The fraud was deliberate and driven by a failure to manage money.”
HMRC will look to recover the proceeds of crime.