Lee Hickinbottom, from Dudley was sentenced to eight years in prison on 20 May by Birmingham Crown Court. His partner Tabatha Knott, also of Dudley, was sentenced to an 18-month prison sentence, which was suspended for two years.

On 25 March 2022, Hickinbottom, was found guilty of multiple counts of VAT fraud and cheating the public revenue from both HMRC and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and Knott was found guilty of one count of cheating the public revenue and one count of money laundering.

The court heard that Hickinbottom and Knott conspired to submit fraudulent VAT repayment claims to HMRC between 2014-17.