Luton builder sentenced after £76k tax fraud

Glenn Kearney, 41, was found to have lied on his tax returns to falsely claim £76,150 in tax repayments following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Kearney, of Icknield Way, initially told investigators his accountant Kalpesh Malik of KPM Financial Services must have made a mistake.

He said Malik had offices above a chip shop in Burnt Oak, but died in Malaga four years ago.

Kearney never told HMRC an accountant was acting for him and no record could be found of the accountancy firm.

The construction company boss made the false claims in his personal income tax return by overstating how much he had already paid to HMRC through the Construction Industry Scheme.

Half of the money claimed by Kearney was stopped by HMRC after suspicions were raised following internal checks.

Kearney admitted fraud at Luton Crown Court on May 3 and was sentenced to a 12 month community order and 120 hours unpaid work