A London based hair specialist, who has previously appeared on television and radio giving hair loss advice, has received a suspended sentence for fraudulently claiming £37,872 in VAT repayments, and has been ordered to pay £40,000 in 28 days or face jail
Gary Heron, 57, of Surrey, director of The Hair Centre (UK) London Ltd, created fake purchase invoices to claim the VAT repayments. He used them to support the nine false VAT returns he submitted to HMRC between November 2011 and March 2014.
In April 2017, following an investigation by HMRC, Heron pleaded guilty to the fraudulent evasion of VAT and to submitting false invoices.
He was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, at Southwark Crown Court on 16 June 2017. He must pay a compensation order of £40,000 within 28 days, or he will be jailed for 15 months and still owe the money to HMRC.
Heron must also complete 100 hours of community work and has been disqualified as a director for 12 months.
Christopher Gill, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: ‘Gary Heron showed a disregard for UK tax law by committing VAT fraud. It is simply not acceptable to obtain an illegal advantage over business competitors, and steal from honest taxpayers.’
