A Hampshire property landlord, who failed to declare £157,725 in capital gains tax (CGT) due from the sale of properties, has been jailed for two years and three months
Richard Fuller was arrested at Gatwick airport in October 2014 after a holiday to Turkey. An investigation by HMRC revealed that between 2006 and 2013, he did not declare profit gained from selling properties in the Aldershot area.
The evasion was discovered as part of HMRC’s property taskforce campaign and referred for criminal investigation. At his subsequent trial at Winchester crown court, Fuller was found guilty of cheating the public revenue and fraud by false representation, and was given a jail sentence.
Richard Wilkinson, assistant director, fraud investigation service, HMRC, said: ‘Fuller thought he was above the law and decided not to declare or pay the tax due from the sale of some of his property portfolio. It is simply not acceptable to steal from UK taxpayers.’
Upon sentencing Fuller, the judge said: ‘The jury found you guilty of dishonesty. This is a serious matter, you deliberately failed to pay your CGT over several years.’
HMRC confirmed confiscation will be sought to recover the proceeds of the crimes.
