Douglas Jones, 77, of Mowden Close, Stockton-on-Tees, lied about retiring and stole more than £40,000 in tax.
A MAN has been given a suspended sentence after being convicted of income tax fraud.
Douglas Jones, 77, of Mowden Close, Stockton-on-Tees, lied about retiring and stole more than £40,000 in tax.
Jones ran a picture framing company called Frame It 2000 and told HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) he retired in 2007, and his only income was his state pension.
But an investigation revealed the 77-year-old continued to trade for another ten years and pocketed £42,576 in Income Tax – instead of passing it to HMRC.
The fraud was uncovered when HMRC visited his business premises on Yarm Road in May 2017.
Jones admitted income tax fraud at Teesside Crown Court on October 4, 2018.
- He was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months, at the same court on April 18,2019.
- Information about tax fraud can be reported to HMRC online at https://www.gov.uk/report-an-unregistered-trader-or-business.
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