Fraudster caught after ordering kebab to his hide-out

A kebab order led to the arrest of a VAT fraudster

A tax fugitive who was on the run for nearly three years was caught when he ordered a takeaway meal to his hideout.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers arrested Robert Kemp at a bedsit in Wales, after the VAT fraudster, originally from Swindon, ordered a £18 doner kebab.

Intelligence developed from the order led officers to the 56-year-old who was staying in Rhyl.

Kemp was jailed for two years and two months for VAT fraud at Swindon Crown Court on 26 November.

He was also handed a two-month sentence for going on the run, and a 12-month sentence for an unrelated offence of affray.

Kemp had been on the run since June 2021 after he admitted VAT fraud, but failed to attend further court hearings.

A bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

The court heard Mr Kemp, along with his son Marcus, acted as a director of a firm that claimed to supply windows for new build homes in Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

They submitted a string of false invoices and fraudulently reclaimed £251,499 between May and November 2015.

His son was jailed for two years and two months in September 2021.

Matthew Moignar, operational lead at HMRC, said: “This case shows that we don’t forget and we don’t give up.

"We can and do use a range of tools to track down fugitives and bring them back before the courts to face justice.

“Tax fraud is not a victimless crime. The tax we all pay helps to fund the public services we rely on.

"The majority pay the tax that is due, but a determined minority who refuse to play by the rules."