Alison Newton, who ran two businesses buying and selling bridal dresses, while also working as a bookkeeper, admitted making fraudulent VAT repayment claims for her businesses. She also admitted to stealing from a client, who entrusted her with his tax affairs.

HMRC investigators discovered Newton had made 13 bogus VAT repayment claims for her businesses, between June 2012 and June 2015. She claimed for a string of false expenses including refurbishment of her shop and increased expenditure on bridal gowns, but then declared a subsequent drop in sales due to the shop’s closure. Newton provided HMRC with a false bank statement in an attempt to conceal her fraud.

When investigators searched Newton’s shop, they found a holdall full of business documents which did not belong to her.

Over a period of seven years, he paid Newton more than £190,000 in order to settle his tax bills and pay her fees but only a small amount of that was passed on to HMRC.

The total amount of Newton’s fraud was £259,033. She pleaded guilty to evasion of VAT and cheating the public revenue at Plymouth Crown Court.

Colin Spinks, assistant director, fraud investigation service, HMRC, said: ‘Newton abused her position of trust as a bookkeeper, stealing the money that her client paid to her in good faith to put his tax affairs in order.’