A 41-YEAR-OLD man was warned to expect jail after he admitted a £66,000 VAT fraud.
Gloucester Crown Court was told on Thursday that this was not the first such offence committed by Neil Hardy, of Mount Pleasant, Kingsway, Quedgeley.
He pleaded guilty to fraudulently evading VAT between January 2014 and February 2015 by submitting returns on behalf of Universal Protective Coating Systems containing false figures and reclaiming £66,413.
Judge Jamie Tabor QC commented “He was in trouble in January 2015 for VAT offences.
“This is quite a lot of money and he is in danger of going to prison.”
The judge asked for a pre-sentence report on Hardy, saying: “He is obviously suitable for unpaid work because he has done it before but I don’t want him to think that is the likely outcome.
“I need to know his personal financial position and how much this investigation has cost. “ He granted Hardy unconditional bail and told him: “You are in a lot of trouble and I don’t want you to think that prison is not the most likely sentence.”
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