VAT Scammers Jailed for £8.8M Tax Dodge

0:00Four businessmen got slammed with prison time at Edinburgh's High Court for a huge bat scam that dodged over 8.8 million pounds in taxes. They ran linear services in West Lothian, handling payroll for employment agencies from September 2015 to June 2017. Instead of passing client vat payments to the taxmen, they kept the cash. Three of the crew, Leslie Thompson, Graham Cullen, and Graham Newell got convicted earlier this year after a trial. Martin Lang admitted his smaller role, which involved 4.8 million pounds from February to December 2016. The scheme shipped funds abroad to snap up gold, bullion, and diamonds. The judge, Ladyhood, ripped into their sustained dishonesty over years, calling a tie to serious organized crime. She said that money was supposed to fund frontline services, but got blown on luxuries like fast cars, trips to malaga, and the grand national instead. Sentences hit hard. 63-year-old Thompson, from Bathgate, the ringleader, drew seven years.

1:0354-year-old Cullen from Giffnot got six. 49-year-old Newell from Edinburgh took five and a half years. 68-year-old Lang from Canvas Lang landed four. Defences pushed remorse, health woes, and low reoffending risk, but the court focused on the damage. These busts remind us tax dodges like this steal from everyone relying on public funds. From your city, powered by AI, this is Edinburgh News Today. I'm Corey with The Story.