£30,000 tax scam duo avoid term in jail

TWO men from Widnes have been sentenced for attempting to steal almost £30,000 in tax repayments.

Oliver Leech, 30, of Derby Road and James Roberts, 28, of French Street, used fake figures from Leech’s Self Assessment (SA) form to try to steal the money, a HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) probe found.

Leech’s tax return claimed he had paid too much tax through the Construction Industry Scheme and was due a repayment of £29,764. HMRC investigators examined the claim after internal checks identified irregularities.

Leech claimed Roberts had completed the form, but Roberts denied all knowledge of the scam. Investigators found the SA returns were all made online using IP addresses connected to Leech or Roberts.

Roberts is currently in jail after admitting another tax fraud plot in February 2017. He was one of 12 people sentenced as part of an organised scam which attempted to steal £300,000 through false SA claims.

The men both pleaded guilty to fraud and were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, October 31.

Leech was sentenced to 10 months, suspended for 12 months and must complete 200 hours of community service. Roberts was sentenced to 18 months, sus- pended for two years and must complete 250 hours of community service.

An HMRC spokesperson said: “This was a poorly conceived scheme to steal money from the public purse. They continued with their lies as both tried to blame the other.

“We ask anyone with information about suspected tax fraud to contact HMRC online or call our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”