Carew sentenced to 14 months in jail

FORMER Aston Villa striker John Carew has been sentenced to 14 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of tax evasion in his native Norway.

The 43-year-old admitted he failed to report taxable income and assets of around £26.7million between 2014 and 2019. Carew said he thought he did not need to pay tax in Norway as he lived abroad.

But prosecutors provided evidence that showed he had spent more than 183 days a year in Norway during that time, which made him eligible to pay tax there. He was also fined £46,000 and has not decided whether to appeal the verdict. As well as Villa, Carew had spells with Stoke and West Ham in the Premier League, while also representing Valencia and roma. He also made 91 international appearances for Norway, scoring 24 goals. After his retirement, Carew was pictured embracing the Duke of Cambridge, an Aston Villa fan, during the club’s win over Derby in the 2019 Championship play-off final at Wembley.

‘The court has concluded that he acted with gross negligence but not with intent,’ said Carew’s lawyer Berit reiss-Andersen. ‘We have argued this all along, and Carew has made it clear that he wanted to set things straight.’