Tax scam butcher to pay back £240,000

Gary Turner, 47, from Churwell, Leeds, was jailed for five years in March this year for the extensive VAT fraud, which went on for more than 13 years.

Father-of-six Turner was a successful businessman who owned concessions of “Turner’s Butchers” in local branches of Kwik Save.

But when trade slowed in 1996, he pretended the business was still operating, using the facade to start siphoning off taxpayers’ money.

As part of his web of deceit, Turner generated fake invoices for supplies of meat that did not exist, and then submitted regular VAT repayment claims for amounts of up to £46,000.

He spent his criminal cash on luxury items for himself and his unsuspecting family, including more than £35,000 on his personal collection of Rolex watches and on remodelling his family home.

At Leeds Crown Court yesterday, Turner was ordered to repay £241,358.67 after HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) restrained his assets.

He now has six months to pay back the money, or face another 30 months behind bars.

Dave Cowie, HMRC assistant director for Scotland and East, Proceeds of Crime said: “Turner wanted a life of luxury and was willing to commit fraud to get it.

“He went to a great deal of effort to hide his lies, but what he thought was a water-tight scam unravelled and now he is paying the price.

“Tax fraud is a serious crime and Turner is now serving a prison sentence for his actions.

“Like anyone else willing to commit tax fraud he is also paying the price financially by having to repay any criminal profits he still has.”

The court had earlier heard that in total, Turner fraudulently claimed £3,139,862 between 1994 and 2011, including a £90,000 claim for one quarter of 2011.