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.
Say cheese! This cheeky chappy isn’t in the mood to live up to his scary reputation as he is pictured here cracking a killer smile as he goes about his daily business .
Sam Notaro built his own flood defences to protect his four-bedroom home in Moorland, Somerset Flooding is likely to get worse around Somerset as groundwater levels continue to rise .
CONTRASTING settings reveal some of England’s most beautiful landscapes in all their glory .
WEARING tiny Christmas accessories, these adorable babies get into the spirit of the season .
A DETERMINED great blue heron holds on tightly to its prey as the furry gopher attempts to wriggle free .
WITH THEIR adorable big round eyes and fluffy white fur, these baby seals are cute enough to melt any heart .
With blue waves tumbling over them, these surfers glide underneath a tunnel of water .
A Birmingham man inspired by sci-fi film Wall-E, has created a one- wheeled vehicle, controlled by signals from his BRAIN .
HUNDREDS of colour coordinated yarns lie abandoned in this once thriving textile mill .
A BIKINI swim with jellyfish sounds like the most painful past-time on the planet .
These photographs of extreme weather capture storms furiously rolling across the sky above America .