Scarborough salesman in £40,000 tax evasion case

Scott Fowkes, of James Street, Scarborough, worked for a printer company and lied on his tax returns to falsely claim repayments, an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs revealed.

The 40-year-old sales manager under-declared his income and claimed false expenses on his Self Assessment tax returns between 2011 and 2017. He also entered fake information about pension and Gift Aid payments.

The court heard Fowkes had also said he claimed extra work expenses on his tax returns because his employer would not pay them. But enquiries with the firm revealed he was able to reclaim all reasonable work related expenses through the company.

Fowkes admitted fraud by false representation at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court last month and yesterday was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, and 200 hours unpaid work, at York Crown Court.

He has since repaid the full £41,999.77 to HMRC.