Former Chelmsley Wood teacher convicted of massive tax fraud

A TEACHER, who previously worked at a Chelmsley Wood school, has been handed a suspended  prison sentence after stealing £100,000 of tax repayments,
Blaine Wakeman, 26, of Spiceland Road, Birmingham, lied about purchases and financial losses from his two companies, that provided children’s sports coaching, to fraudulently claim VAT repayments.
An investigation by officials at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) revealed that he had used the six-figure sum to spend on gambling, golfing and Leeds United football matches
The tax authority had become concerned about the tax returns of Wakeman’s companies, Sports Plus Scheme Staffordshire and Inspire Sports Education Limited, and a criminal investigation was launched in June 2016.
Wakeman, who had latterly been a PE teacher at the Grace Academy, initially denied any wrongdoing and produced fake invoices and bank statements to support his lies.
But in October last year he admitted producing the false documents and fraudulently claiming VAT repayments between October 2013 and August 2016. It was announced today (Friday) that he had received a 21-month suspended sentence.
Richard Young, from HMRC's fraud investigation service, said: "Wakeman knew what he was doing was wrong. He was abusing the tax system to fund a lifestyle he couldn’t legitimately afford.
"Tax fraud is not a victimless crime. It affects us all by depriving the public services of vital funding."
In a statement, the Grace Academy said: "Blaine Wakeman no longer works at Grace Academy Solihull. Obviously this behaviour does not reflect the core values of the Academy or the level of integrity we expect from all our staff.
"Grace Academy has not, at any time, had any involvement with Mr Wakeman’s external business interests, or been contacted by HMRC as part of their investigation."