Lee Hickinbottom, 49, teamed up with his ex-partner Tabatha Knott, 34, to file fraudulent VAT refund claims with the HMRC between 2014 and 2017. The 49-year-old filed most of the claims through Serenity Community Transport and provided fake invoices.
The couple spent stolen cash in luxury cars and dreamed of vacations in Disneyland, Paris and New York. They paid £ 120,000 in cash to buy their Dudley home and an additional 7 127,000 for home improvements.
READ MORE: The suspects took the name of the woman who was raped in the city center
The scammer bought shares in. 20,000 in a confectionery company, spent £ 4,220 supporting the Everton Football Club and pampered himself with a Lego worth more than 00 1,500. Home improvements included 22. 22,741 in a high-quality kitchen, which had a γρα 3,000’s Italian granite work surface and από more than .000 13,000 in a luxury whirlpool that had to be installed with a crane. Hickinbottom also admitted fraud for benefits totaling 28 28,000. Nick Stone, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Lee Hickinbottom and his former partner used cash from stolen taxpayers to fund a wealthy lifestyle that included hot tubs, vacations and home improvements that they could not legally The majority of businesses and individuals pay the tax due, but we will relentlessly pursue the determined minority that refuses to play by the rules. “Tax fraud is not a crime without victims, it steals our vital public services from the necessary funds.” In a failed attempt to cover up his crime, Hickinbottom transferred cash between several personal bank accounts he had created in his name. Other efforts included transferring £ 346,512 to family and friends, sending £ 76,908 to Knott. His bank records show he spent more than 250 250,000 on a fleet of flash cars, including 83 83,157 on a Jaguar F,. 57,820 on two Jaguar XFs and .0 62,089 on a Land Rover Defender. Other lifestyle purchases included 18. 18,847 spent on iTunes, 9 15,925 Apple on Apple products, από more than £ 1,000 on Alton Towers trips and 2 4,220 spent on Everton Football Club support, including 70 970 on a pair of season tickets for him and Knott. His bank records show he spent more than .000 250,000 on a fleet of flash cars Hickinbottom also paid over 1.5 1,500 for Lego and groomed himself to build kits for the Avengers, Batman and Tower Bridge in London. HMRC officers uncovered the fraud when the allegations were verified. During a hearing in Birmingham Crown Court in December 2020, Hickinbottom pleaded guilty to claiming a dishonest 28 28,000 allowance for jobseekers and employment support allowance between July 2013 and October 2016. The couple was found guilty of VAT fraud on March 25, following a trial in Birmingham court. Knott was also convicted of money laundering offenses. Lee Hickinbottom has been remanded in custody pending May 20 in Birmingham Crown Court. Anamarie Coomansingh of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “The taxpayers’ money, which should have been spent on vital public services such as the NHS, education and social care, was used instead to fund it. unearned and outrageous lifestyle enjoyed by these defendants. “The CPS will call on the court to take steps to prevent Lee Hickinbottom, a career criminal, from committing similar offenses in the future. We will also pursue the confiscation of all three defendants to extort money from them.” The confiscation process for the recovery of the stolen goods is in progress. Read more related articles Read more related articles
