Financial director from Emsworth branded 'out and out liar' after being jailed for £300,000 HMRC fraud

Daniel Elsom, 36, of Victoria Road, Emsworth, attempted to dupe HMRC and associates in his role as financial director for Fareham-based sales company Utility Lead Group Ltd.

The businessman was brought to justice and jailed for four years after being found guilty of fraudulent evasion of VAT at Portsmouth Crown Court following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Elsom submitted fraudulent VAT returns to claim £310,000 in VAT repayments he and the business were not entitled to between April 2016 and June 2017.

Of the £310,000 claimed, £166,000 was paid out by HMRC and £144,000 withheld by the government department.

The court heard, the ‘devoted dad’ submitted VAT repayment claims for high-value goods and services that were never purchased or supplied during his ‘sophisticated’ operation that implicated others.

One of his ventures involved a ‘dubious’ high-end car leasing enterprise that saw him take on luxury cars including an Aston Martin and Range Rover. But these were only even used by Elsom – with no customers ever driving the cars.

On another occasion, a fraudulent £500,000 outlay for software services was claimed.