Company director from Leeds is jailed for fraud worth more than £250,000 after lying about buying new windows for houses

Marcus Kemp, 32, from Rothwell in Leeds, submitted false invoices to fraudulently reclaim £251,499 in VAT repayments between May and November 2015.

Kemp, of Stone Brig Lane, was a director of Commercial Windows Solutions Limited, in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. He claimed he bought windows for new build houses, however, checks by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers proved Kemp had not traded and the VAT returns and invoices to support the claims were false.

He admitted VAT fraud and money laundering at a previous hearing and was sentenced to two years and two months imprisonment on Friday at Salisbury Crown Court.

Charlotte Playforth, 29, Kemp’s partner of the same address, admitted using her bank account for the stolen tax repayments and was handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. She was also handed a 40-day rehabilitation order and a 12-week curfew for money laundering.

Marcus Kemp’s father, Robert Kemp, 53, also admitted VAT fraud at a hearing at Swindon Magistrates Court on November 3, 2020. He was due to appear at Swindon Crown Court in June, but he failed to attend and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

He failed to appear again for sentencing and is due to be sentenced in his absence at Swindon Crown Court on October 8.

Zoë Ellerbeck, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Paying tax is important for everyone, it funds our schools, hospitals and all our social services. The majority of individuals and businesses pay the tax that is due, however there remains a determined minority who refuse to play by the rules. We encourage anyone with information about tax fraud or money laundering to report it online or call the Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”

Anyone with information about Robert Kemp’s whereabouts should call the Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.