A man who conned tax officials out of £34 million and funded a lavish lifestyle of luxury hotels and restaurants has been jailed for one of the longest sentences in British criminal fraud history. Thomas Scragg, 56, was jailed for a total of 17 years following three separate fraud convictions against HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) ~ the latest, in March 2011, for stealing millions of pounds in employee PAYE tax. The conman from Solihull, West Mids. used his business Moya Payroll which managed staff wages of construction industry companies to steal over £26m in tax over a five year period between 2002 and 2007. Other investigations revealed a further £8m of stolen PAYE tax in a 10-month period from April 2007 to February 2008.His co-defendant, Paul Phillips from Derbyshire, was jailed for nine years.The latest conviction for offences in March 2011, followed a joint investigation by West Midlands Police and HMRC.The extent of Scragg's racket has remained a secret until now as cases against his two henchmen Carl Johnson, 49, and his brother Anthony, 51, from Wolverhampton progressed through court.
A Brit photographer has captured one of the world's most camera-shy species of fish - during a game of underwater peek-a-boo .
A Canadian couple celebrated their engagement by recreating iconic moments from the film The Notebook .
A WIMBLEDON-mad couple will be creating a racket this summer - after installing a TENNIS COURT in their living room .
A makeup artist from the West Midlands magically transforms herself into famous cartoon characters using body paint .
A toddler has shrugged off death an incredible 10 times thanks to his parents who revive him with the kiss of life every two weeks .
A young orangutan comes over all shy as she hides her face behind a broken bucket .
A disabled sheep is enjoying a new fleece of life after receiving a specially-designed wheelchair .
A Romanian photographer has captured the unique patterns of hundreds of human eyes in a series of striking macro shots .
Sitting all alone on drift ice in the Arctic Ocean, this lonely little fella looks lost .
UNDERWATER and above-water seaside shots show the best of British beach-life .
These are the men with one of the most unpleasant jobs in the world .