Jailed VAT fraudster hit with £76,500 payback order

The Crown Office and revenue authorities last year launched a bid to claw back £160,00 under Proceeds of Crime legislation from Scott Coupland who conned the taxman to fund private school fees for his children.

Coupland, who also worked as a retained firefighter, was jailed for two years and six months last February for carrying out the VAT fraud.

Now, HMRC has welcomed the decision to grant the £76,500 proceeds of crime action.

Cheryl Burr, assistant director of its fraud investigation service, said: “Coupland has already been jailed for his criminal actions, but even following a conviction our work doesn’t stop.

“He showed no regard for honest businesses by using the VAT repayment system to fund his lifestyle and now we will recover a large proportion of the profit he made from his crime, securing these funds for the public purse.

“We also have the authority to secure any future assets up to the benefit of the fraud.”

She added: “Coupland submitted a series of false VAT returns to HMRC while he was director of WDR Coupland (Produce) Ltd.

“He claimed his overheads were more than 20 times higher than they actually were to receive £160,000 in VAT repayments he wasn’t entitled to.”

Coupland, 48, was found guilty after coming under suspicion from HMRC when he told the taxman that he had sold more than £2 million worth of potatoes in less than two months.

HMRC launched an investigation and raided Coupland’s home in a bid to see the company’s records but Coupland repeatedly dodged meeting investigators.

The court was told the merchant cancelled several interviews at the last minute, including one occasion he was unable to meet the tax inspectors because he had been stranded on a business trip to sell seed potatoes in Nigeria.

However, authorities finally discovered that Coupland had made false VAT repayment claims to dupe the taxman out of £124,000 between March 2011 and June 2012.

He was caught when he tried to defraud HMRC of a further £37,000 between June and November 2012.

He was convicted by jury at of the large-scale tax evasion after a four-day trial.

At the time, Sheriff William Wood said Coupland had made no attempt to pay back the money and had to go to jail despite his previous good character and service to the community.

Monies recovered in Scotland under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act are surrendered to the Scottish Consolidated Fund and subsequently repaid to the Scottish Government.