Tax fraudster extradited from Spain

A company director who fled Britain after being accused of involvement in a £2m tax fraud has been jailed for 21 months.

John Lillie, 57, of Prospect Hill, Swindon, Wiltshire, fled to Spain after being charged with conspiracy to defraud the Inland Revenue.

He was extradited back to Britain and subsequently admitted the charges at Swindon Crown Court.

A confiscation order of £367,055, as well as legal costs of £51,940, were awarded against the former businessman.

False accounting

If Lillie fails to pay the amounts, he will face an additional three years in jail.

Lillie was originally charged along with two co-conspirators and faced trial in April, 1996 in relation to the £2m tax fraud.

While Lillie's co-defendants, Andrew Perkins and Wasil Khan, were found guilty and sentenced at the time, Lillie absconded and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

On 17 May 1996, at Swindon Crown Court, Perkins and Khan pleaded guilty to various charges of conspiracy and signing false documents.

Perkins was sentenced to two years' imprisonment and ordered to pay £50,000 while Khan escaped a custodial sentence but was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £50,000 in costs.

On remand

Lillie absconded before the proposed first day of the trial.

He was extradited from Spain in August 2002 and has since been on remand at Dorchester and Bristol prisons awaiting trial.

He eventually admitted two charges of cheating the Inland Revenue and one charge of conspiracy to make use of false accounting.

The conspiracy offence occurred between October 1, 1987 and September 30, 1990. The charges of cheating relate to offences on or about December 24, 1991 and November 12, 1992.