Northamptonshire accountant jailed for evading £111,000 of VAT

A qualified accountant who stole more than £111,000 in VAT has been jailed.
Peterborough Crown Court.Peterborough Crown Court.
Peterborough Crown Court.

Malcolm Rash, 69, of West Street, Kings Cliffe, a director of Riverside Business Ltd, was investigated by HMRC.

Investigators found invoices charging companies for his management services which included VAT – but he kept all the money he collected.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He has been jailed for 14 months at Peterborough Crown Court.

Colin Spinks from HMRC said: “Rash thought he had come up with a plan to avoid paying the full tax owed.

“But he could not have been more wrong as HMRC will always pursue those suspected of tax fraud.

“Tax evasion is not a victimless crime. Rash was stealing money that should have been funding vital public services, but instead chose to keep it for himself. Now he is paying the price behind bars.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rash was interviewed under caution in January 2016 and was charged with the fraudulent evasion of Value Added Tax in August 2016.

Rash admitted the offences at Peterborough Crown Court on Tuesday, January 3, and was sentenced to 14 months in prison.

Confiscation proceedings are in place to recoup the profits of his crime.