Jail time for Harrogate conman behind sham equestrian business
A conman behind a Harrogate equestrian business, who attempted to avoid an investigation into a £270,000 tax fraud by lying about having terminal cancer, has been jailed.
Over a three year period, Christopher Stone, 35, (pictured below, left) claimed to have spent £1.4m on horses, riding equipment and vet bills in order to generate VAT repayments for SS Equestrian, a sham business based in Otley.
The investigation ruled that SS Equestrian had not engaged in any legitimate trade, and was purely set up to steal VAT totalling just over £272,000 between 2011 and 2014.
Stone’s alleged suppliers revealed invoices used to support the VAT refund claims were fake, which resulted in an investigation into Stone and his business.
HMRC requested a meeting to discuss the tax affairs, but Stone claimed that he would be travelling to the US for terminal cancer treatment, which was later discovered to be a false claim after investigators contacted the US Embassy and found he had not entered the country.
The investigation also found that bank statements provided to HMRC were doctored to include bogus sales and purchases.
Stone was arrested at his then-home in Uxbridge, West London, in October 2015, and refused to answer any questions relating to the fraud, eventually pleading guilty to cheating the public revenue at Isleworth Crown Court on 3 March 2017.
He ws sentenced to 33 months in prison at the same court yesterday (13 April).
Paul Barton, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “This was a despicable attempt to avoid justice by a crook desperate to save his own skin. Stone tried to manipulate a system that exists for the benefit of legitimate and hardworking businesses, covering his tracks with a shameful lie.
“HMRC will continue to pursue those criminals who think stealing from the public is a legitimate way to do business. If you know of anyone committing VAT fraud you can report them by calling our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”
