Dishonest Cleethorpes roofer's £20,000 tax fiddle

A ROOFER from Cleethorpes tried to claim a £33,500 tax refund when he was entitled to just £1,500, a court heard.

Liam McKiernan, 26, of Fairview Avenue, fraudulently received a total of £20,400 from HM Revenue & Customs, none of which he had paid back.

Nicoleta Alistari, prosecuting at Grimsby Crown Court, said McKiernan was arrested on June 13 in connection with his self-assessment tax returns for 2010-11 and 2011-12.

She said: "The tax system for contractors can lead to over-payment, so the defendant took advantage of the tax refund scheme."

Between 2010 and 2011, he claimed £29,599, when he was entitled to £1,291.

And between 2011 and 2012, McKiernan claimed £3,985 when he was due just £289.

Of the total £33,584 he tried to claim, he was successful in receiving £20,400. Miss Alistari said McKiernan admitted to receiving the funds but denied submitting the returns himself, stating a man known only as "Scouse Pete" would do it for him.

However, investigations revealed three of the computer IP addresses used to submit the forms were at McKiernan's house, and two to his partner's property.

He later admitted one count of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of income tax.

Robert Underwood, mitigating, said: "He was travelling around the country as a roofer. The contractor he was working for would pay him money but take 20 per cent to pay to HMRC.

"He heard on the grapevine that because he had been doing this for years there was a chance he could get a rebate."

On the self-assessment tax return forms, McKiernan claimed he had been earning less than he really had, indicating he had been paying more tax than he should have, and entitling him to more of a refund.

Mr Underwood said the defendant had lost his job at the time and was in "dire straits" financially as he tried to support his young daughter.

He used the money to pay for tenancy on a flat and for day-to-day living expenses, the court was told.

Handing him a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, Recorder Euan Duff said: "Because of the practicalities of the system, you were entitled to claim money but you applied for infinitely more than you were entitled to."