A barrister has been sentenced to three years in prison for telling HMRC he had retired, while still working and pocketing the VAT he charged clients.
Michael Roberts set up shop as an insolvency specialist in 2007 after leaving New Square Chambers. Sadly, he took his job title a bit too literally and was declared bankrupt the following year owing more than £700,000 in unpaid taxes.
As far as HMRC was concerned, Roberts then retired. But instead of taking up watercolours and drafting that long-gestated biography of Rommel, Roberts carried on practising as a barrister from home. He also charged his clients VAT, though he didn't tell HMRC and pocketed payments totaling £274,000.
Roberts was arrested in 2012, presumably when suspicious HMRC investigators typed his name into Google and noticed the first result was MichaelRobertsBarrister.com advertising his availability for "instructions in all areas". Roberts initially claimed he was just a simple ex-barrister enjoying the autumn of his years as secretary of Henley Cricket Club, but subsequently changed his plea to guilty and got three years. And then another six months for perjury because he lied about being retired.
Enough barristers have been convicted of tax fraud in the last two years to make up a fairly decent prison gang, albeit one which whimpers quietly in the corner of the cellblock. Robert Osman was given a jail term in 2012, while Edward Agbaje and Rohan Pershad QC both got porridge last year. Pershad and Roberts are yet to be disbarred.
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Michael Roberts set up shop as an insolvency specialist in 2007 after leaving New Square Chambers. Sadly, he took his job title a bit too literally and was declared bankrupt the following year owing more than £700,000 in unpaid taxes.
As far as HMRC was concerned, Roberts then retired. But instead of taking up watercolours and drafting that long-gestated biography of Rommel, Roberts carried on practising as a barrister from home. He also charged his clients VAT, though he didn't tell HMRC and pocketed payments totaling £274,000.
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Roberts' neckwear was a cry for help |
Roberts was arrested in 2012, presumably when suspicious HMRC investigators typed his name into Google and noticed the first result was MichaelRobertsBarrister.com advertising his availability for "instructions in all areas". Roberts initially claimed he was just a simple ex-barrister enjoying the autumn of his years as secretary of Henley Cricket Club, but subsequently changed his plea to guilty and got three years. And then another six months for perjury because he lied about being retired.
Enough barristers have been convicted of tax fraud in the last two years to make up a fairly decent prison gang, albeit one which whimpers quietly in the corner of the cellblock. Robert Osman was given a jail term in 2012, while Edward Agbaje and Rohan Pershad QC both got porridge last year. Pershad and Roberts are yet to be disbarred.
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