Final member of £1.1m tax cheat gang sentenced

James Ridley was the 17th member of the gang to be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court

The final member of a gang which sought to cheat £1.1m out of the tax system has been sentenced.

Unemployed James Ridley, 66, submitted false self-assessment forms in an attempt to get £56,000 back from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Newcastle Crown Court heard.

He was paid more than £12,000 before the system blocked the rest, the court heard.

Ridley, a father of six from Jarrow, was jailed for 18 months suspended for two years after admitting cheating the public revenue.

Prosecutor Jessica Heggie said Ridley was the 17th and final member of the gang, which sought to fraudulently claim tax rebates between July 2017 and May 2018, to be sentenced, with other more senior members having been jailed.

About £395,000 was paid out before the HMRC system blocked further payments, the court heard.

Ridley, of Ellen Court, was one of several who allowed falsified self-assessment returns to be filed in his name, the court heard.

His account submitted claims for four tax years between 2013 and 2017 with each claiming he had earned between £35,0000 and £40,000 from a fictional job, Ms Heggie said.

Ridley was actually unemployed and in receipt of employment support allowance during that time, the court heard.

He claimed a total of £56,008 and was paid £12,186.74 across four bank accounts with the money quickly withdrawn in cash or transferred to other accounts, the court heard.