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.
SURROUNDED by divers, a hungry green sea turtle enjoys being the centre of attention .
SHOVELLING food into his mouth, this hungry gorilla enjoys a peaceful moment at dinner time .
STARING open-mouthed into the camera, this shocked fish looks out of place in the middle of its angry friends .
FORGET Thorpe Park this summer as this is a 50 mile-per-hour ride over the Colorado River CANYON .
DIVING down at a speed of 75mph, this is the moment a hungry osprey caught his prey .
An Australian beach is illuminated by an enticing neon blue glow as a rare phenomenon lights up the water .
Megan Brailsford, 32, from Cambridgeshire, met Daniel Dugdale, 29, in September 2020 .
A group of otters put on a show of aqua aerobics, as they raise their flippers perfectly in sync .
THESE kingfishers prove no rod is needed as they go fishing for their dinner .
A tiny puppy who lost his front legs after being hit by a train has been given and new LEASH of life with a set of wheels .
A ROAD KILL munching Scot has chewed on everything from a dead squirrel to an unlucky crow – all in the name of art .
THEIR gnarling teeth at the ready, these two baboons fight it out for the last piece of fruit .