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.
WELCOME to the drawing room that is home to the £100K world’s greatest collection of Margaret Thatcher autographed objects .
Raising his arms above his head and lying flat on his back, a polar bear stretches as he sprawls out across the ice .
A curious red squirrel takes a break from collecting nuts and tries her hand at photography .
SWIMMING slowly towards the shore, a small group of bottlenose dolphins arrive for breakfast at a beach in Western Australia .
BURSTING colours of reds, pinks and purples give the illusion of a collection of stunning flowers .
Surveying its surroundings, a tiny harvest mouse climbs the stem of a dandelion .
DIVING boffins fired harpoons into 30-foot-long whale sharks in a bid to put the sea-beasts on Google Maps .
SNEAKING slowly into the water, this Bengal tiger plans a vicious attack on three unsuspecting deer .
Fishermen in Myanmar have perfected an unusual fishing technique by carefully balancing on one leg .
A northern potoo shows it is a master of disguise as it perches on a tree stump and blends into the bark .
THESE kingfishers prove no rod is needed as they go fishing for their dinner .