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.
SQUABBLING over the last piece of grain, these hungry squirrels are determined to stock up on as much food as possible .
A proud gorilla mum welcomes her newborn baby western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species .
MOUTH OPEN wide, this little stoat appears to be in mid-song as he belts out a tune for his onlookers .
BRAIDED, sculpted and beaded, these are the eye-catching hairstyles worn by the tribal women of Angola .
SPLASHING in the water and fighting in-between rocks, these energetic tigers enjoy their fun-filled morning .
STAIRWAY obsessed photographers have captured psychedelic shots that will mesmerise you .
An adorable little squirrel wakes from a nap and pops out his tongue for the camera .
A rare manuscript of one of Charlotte Bronte’s earliest poems went under the hammer today and fetched nearly £100,000 – double what it was expected to get .
SAT ON top of a Brazilian turtle’s head, this little ladybird looks content as he studies his environment from a new height .
An elegant snowy owl spreads her wings and glides effortlessly above the snow covered field .
PERCHING on the edge of a flower, these loved-up caterpillars can't resist each other as they enjoy a romantic moment together .
