CPS News Brief

Husband and fraud investigator wife sentenced for £885,000 Gift Aid fraud

Cardiff couple Mark and Elizabeth Lewis have today (Friday 1 November) been sentenced for their parts in a large scale Gift Aid fraud believed to have cost the public revenue £885,000. Mark Lewis was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and his wife Elizabeth Lewis was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Mark Lewis devised and executed the fraudulent scheme, while he and his wife Elizabeth laundered the proceeds through a variety of means, including the purchase of two properties. Mark Lewis generated the profits by establishing a legitimate charity, the Welsh Independent School of Climbing and Mountaineering, and making false claims on its behalf for a type of charitable tax relief called Gift Aid, which allows a charity to claim the income tax paid by a donor on the sum that they are giving. It was found however, that the donations on which they claimed tax relief were vastly exaggerated.

Christopher Tarrant, a specialist fraud lawyer with the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“Mark Lewis used the guise of a legitimate charity to carry out a cynical and dishonest fraud against the public purse.

“He made a total of thirteen fraudulent Gift Aid claims to HMRC, pretending to have received £3,000,000 in donations, when in fact he had raised little more than a few hundred pounds via bucket collections.

“His wife Elizabeth willingly helped him launder the proceeds of the fraud, purchasing two properties outright, which they then rented out for profit, and financing some 27 other companies that the couple registered with Companies House.

“Elizabeth Lewis’s claim not to know about fraudulent income was farcical: she had been a fraud investigator for many years and had extensive experience investigating exactly the sort of offence that her husband was committing.

“This was a fraud that abused a system designed to benefit legitimate charities and there was a strong public interest in bringing a criminal prosecution against those responsible.”

Mark Lewis pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements with intent to defraud the public revenue, four counts of acquiring, using or possessing criminal property and two counts of converting criminal property contrary to section 329(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Elizabeth Lewis was convicted after trial of three counts of acquiring, using or possessing criminal property and one count of converting criminal property contrary to section 329(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Husband and fraud investigator wife sentenced for £885,000 Gift Aid fraud

Cardiff couple Mark and Elizabeth Lewis have today (Friday 1 November) been sentenced for their parts in a large scale Gift Aid fraud believed to have cost the public revenue £885,000. Mark Lewis was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and his wife Elizabeth Lewis was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Mark Lewis devised and executed the fraudulent scheme, while he and his wife Elizabeth laundered the proceeds through a variety of means, including the purchase of two properties. Mark Lewis generated the profits by establishing a legitimate charity, the Welsh Independent School of Climbing and Mountaineering, and making false claims on its behalf for a type of charitable tax relief called Gift Aid, which allows a charity to claim the income tax paid by a donor on the sum that they are giving. It was found however, that the donations on which they claimed tax relief were vastly exaggerated.

Christopher Tarrant, a specialist fraud lawyer with the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“Mark Lewis used the guise of a legitimate charity to carry out a cynical and dishonest fraud against the public purse.

“He made a total of thirteen fraudulent Gift Aid claims to HMRC, pretending to have received £3,000,000 in donations, when in fact he had raised little more than a few hundred pounds via bucket collections.

“His wife Elizabeth willingly helped him launder the proceeds of the fraud, purchasing two properties outright, which they then rented out for profit, and financing some 27 other companies that the couple registered with Companies House.

“Elizabeth Lewis’s claim not to know about fraudulent income was farcical: she had been a fraud investigator for many years and had extensive experience investigating exactly the sort of offence that her husband was committing.

“This was a fraud that abused a system designed to benefit legitimate charities and there was a strong public interest in bringing a criminal prosecution against those responsible.”

Mark Lewis pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements with intent to defraud the public revenue, four counts of acquiring, using or possessing criminal property and two counts of converting criminal property contrary to section 329(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Elizabeth Lewis was convicted after trial of three counts of acquiring, using or possessing criminal property and one count of converting criminal property contrary to section 329(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Seven men sentenced for racist behaviour following FA Cup match

Seven men were sentenced today at Blackfriars Crown Court for their abusive behaviour on a train from Putney to Waterloo following the FA Cup Match between Fulham and Charlton Athletic on 7 January 2012.

Baljit Ubhey, CPS London Chief Crown Prosecutor, said:

“These men were singing and chanting racist abuse in praise of the convicted murderers of Stephen Lawrence. To glorify and idolise these men was disturbing and upsetting.

“Their racially and sexually abusive language left members of the public shocked and disgusted. Witnesses said they felt intimidated and feared there was a real and significant risk of violence.

“I would like to thank the witnesses who came forward and gave evidence to support this prosecution.

“As the Hate Crime Champion for the CPS I am committed to ensuring that CPS London works with its police partners to tackle this type of behaviour.

“I hope these convictions stand as a warning that racist and abusive behaviour will not be tolerated in our city.”

Background

The following men were convicted of racially aggravated fear of violence contrary to section 31 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998:

David Bone, 23: 18 months imprisonment and 8 year football banning order (FBO)

Daniel Clay, 31: 18 months imprisonment and 8 year FBO

Ben Boylett, 26: 12 months imprisonment and 8 year FBO

Sean Fowle, 25: 8 months imprisonment and 8 year FBO

Jason Butler, 31: 12 months imprisonment and 8 year FBO

Aaron Phinbow, 25: 8 months imprisonment and 8 year FBO

Jake Embery, 22: 6 months suspended for 18 months with 6 month curfew requirement and 6 month residence requirement and 4 year FBO plus £3,000 costs

Husband guilty of murdering wife in ‘honour’ crime

A husband who set fire to his house, killing his wife, has today been found guilty of murder and arson.

Birmingham Crown Court heard how 56-year-old Mohammed Riaz Inayat deliberately set fire to his house in Sparkhill, Birmingham in the early hours of 17 April 2013 to stop one of his daughters flying to Dubai to marry her boyfriend as he believed it would bring dishonour to the family.

His daughter and wife were due to catch a flight to Dubai later that same day where she was going to get married.

While his wife, three daughters and a family friend slept upstairs, the defendant used petrol as an accelerant both upstairs and downstairs in the family home and then set it on fire, trapping his family upstairs.

Neighbours called the emergency services and they tried in vain to rescue the occupants of the house. The three daughters and family friend jumped from the first floor bedroom windows resulting in them suffering broken bones and burns.

When the fire service arrived they entered the house and found the body of the defendant’s wife, Naika Inayat, in one of the upstairs bedrooms. She had died as a result of smoke inhalation.

Following a detailed police and fire service investigation, Mohammed Inayat was charged with the murder of his wife and arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered in relation to the family friend staying at the address.

Zafar Siddique, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor from West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said:

“Crimes committed to supposedly defend a family’s honour will not be tolerated in our society and today’s conviction of Mohammed Inayat demonstrates that. Honour based violence and forced marriages are ultimately about men policing the behaviour of women. This can include rights as fundamental as a choice of partner, as in today’s case, and this abuse can escalate frighteningly quickly from controlling behaviour to murder.

“Inayat committed a dreadful crime, a crime which he committed because he was unable to accept the fact that his daughter wanted to get married to someone that she loved, cared for and wanted to spend the rest of her life with. This he felt brought dishonour to him and his family, but today’s conviction has shown that the shame is his to bear.

“The CPS will not shy away from tackling honour based violence. It is a fundamental abuse of human rights and should not be tolerated in any civilised society.

“Our thoughts are today with the family and friends of Naika Inayat.”

Note: The defendant was acquitted of the attempted murder of his three daughters.

Former council leader sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for possessing, making and distributing indecent images of children

Former Kingston Borough Councillor Derek Osbourne was today (29 October) sentenced to two years’ imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court for possessing, making and distributing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images.

He pleaded guilty at a hearing on 1 October to seven counts of making an indecent photograph of a child, two counts of possessing indecent photographs of a child, six counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child and two counts of possessing extreme pornographic images.

Baljit Ubhey, CPS London Chief Crown Prosecutor, said:

“At the time of his offending Derek Osbourne was in a position of authority as leader of the London Borough of Kingston Upon Thames council and would have been responsible for the welfare of many thousands of children.

“Derek Osbourne’s offences were abhorrent, and only contribute to the cycle of harm suffered by victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

“The overwhelming evidence against Osbourne left the defendant no choice but to plead guilty to his crimes, which is a tribute to the strength of the case built by CPS prosecutors.

“CPS London is committed to working with its police partners in the fight against child sexual abuse and exploitation.”