Work order for legal adviser who hid his earnings from authorities

A LEGAL adviser who hid his income to evade paying more than £82,000 tax has been ordered to perform 160 hours of unpaid work.

Self-employed Ian Austin, 65, of Bardsey, Leeds, provided legal advice to businesses but failed to tell HM Revenue and Customs about his earnings between 2004 and 2015.

The 11-year fraud was uncovered after HMRC investigators found he had worked for a solicitors’ firm and received payments totalling £29,000 between 2012 and 2014.

He was arrested in August 2016 and officers seized his laptop and five USB memory sticks which contained payment documents totalling more than £300,000 between 2010 and 2015.

Austin, who worked in the legal profession for more than 20 years, claimed he paid a Bradford accountant £500 to look after his tax affairs but could not explain why his tax returns had not been submitted to HMRC.

Kath Doyle, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “This was a deliberate and sustained attack on the tax system. Austin was in a position of trust, giving legal advice to his customers whilst breaking the law himself.

“Tax fraud takes money away from our public services and we are determined to ensure these criminals like Austin are caught.

“We encourage anyone with information regarding this type of fraud to contact the HMRC Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”

Austin kept £82,187 tax which should have been paid to HMRC. He admitted Income Tax fraud at Leeds Crown Court and was sentenced to 23 months in prison, suspended for two years, and 160 hours’ unpaid work.