A Nottinghamshire accountant, who stole £153,000 of taxpayers' money in an income tax fraud, has been jailed today after an investigation by HMRC.

Ronald Moncrieff, 56, who ran Moncrieff & Co, claimed fictitious expenses in his own tax returns as well as falsifying returns on behalf of his wife and son. He also claimed expenses for work by sub-contractors when none were ever employed.

He is a member of the ICAEW and is a qualified chartered accountant and FCA.

Gary Lampon, assistant director of investigation for HMRC, said: 'Moncrieff abused his position of trust as a chartered accountant and exploited his family by using their names in a bid to conceal the fraud. He may have thought that his professional knowledge made his criminal activity undetectable, but he was wrong.

During a raid of his premises in October 2012 documents were also uncovered which proved that for seven years Moncrieff had overstated his expenses and understated his sales to reduce his tax liability. However, every attempt to cover up his fraud failed.

On sentencing at Nottingham Crown Court, Judge Milmo, said: 'You have carried out the fraud over eight years and only have yourself to blame. I would be doing the taxpayer an injustice if I didn't impose an immediate custodial sentence.'

Moncrieff, of Freda Close Carlton, Nottingham, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

He has repaid £65,000 from the proceeds of his crime and confiscation proceedings are ongoing to reclaim the remainder.

He pleaded guilty to charges of completing false tax returns under the Taxes Management Act 1970 and the Theft Act 1968 of £153,000 plus an additional £18,000 in interest.