Sentenced to 27 months but released after just four days
A Gateshead man who was sentenced to a lengthy spell behind bars for attempting to steal more than £100,000 in tax has been freed just four days later.
Carl Mulholland, 33, was jailed for 27 months after a HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation uncovered he and partner Melanie Ann Lee, 30, had been submitting false information on their tax returns to claim money they were not entitled to.
Meanwhile Lee was handed a 16-month prison term, suspended for two years.
Between them, the couple attempted to steal more than £130,000 in tax over a four-year period.
Mulholland, a self-employed thermal insulation engineer, pocketed £22,819.40 in fraudulent Income Tax repayments between 2014 and 2018.
Attempts to reclaim a further £83,489 failed when they were withheld by HMRC.
Lee, a support worker and hairdresser, stole £24,284 in fraudulent Income tax repayments between 2016 and 2018.
Further attempts to claim £5,009 were thwarted by the HMRC.
Mulholland and Lee, of Green Lane Gardens, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to fraud offences at Newcastle Crown Court on March 9. Mulholland also admitted money laundering offences.
After originally being sentenced on June 15, Mulholland’s case was back in court on Friday, June 19, following an application under the slip rule. The hearings are to allow the court to correct accidental slips or omissions in judgments and orders at any time.
And just four days after being put behind bars, Mulholland walked free after having his sentence reduced to 24 months, suspended for two years.
He has also been ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirement.
A spokesman said: “This was a deliberate attempt to steal thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money which should be used to fund our vital public services, such as the NHS.
“HMRC want to level the playing field for all businesses and we will continue to pursue the small minority of individuals, like Mulholland and Lee, who commit tax fraud.”