A 46-YEAR-OLD Bury businessman who faked paperwork to steal almost £112,000 in a VAT repayment fraud has been jailed for 30 months.

An investigation was carried out by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) into the dealings of Andrew Buckner, director of KRKCI Ltd between 2009 and 2012, who claimed to organise functions in the North West of England under the name Kid Rock Events.

He met with several golf clubs, proposing to hold events in their clubhouses, but was in fact faking all business activity and forging paperwork to obtain illegal VAT repayments.

He attempted to steal £111,981 before his company was closed down.

He was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Monday after earlier pleading guilty to charges of being knowingly concerned in the fradulent evasion of VAT contrary to section 72 of the VAT Act 1994 and fraud offences contrary to sections six and seven of the Fraud Act 2006.

He was given a 30-month jail term for the VAT offence and 18 months for the fraud offences to run concurrently.

The court ordered the immediate destruction of the laptop and documents Buckner had used for the fraud.

Buckner, of Byrom Street, was arrested and in interview admitted he was actually unemployed and had been claiming benefits for 10 years.

His company was struck off by Companies House in 2012 as he had failed to manage the company appropriately under UK business rules.

Sandra Smith, assistant director, criminal investigation at HMRC, said after the case: “Buckner would visit golf venues and discuss large events, but as the date got closer communication would cease and no event would take place.

"He also created aliases to deceive the golf clubs and others in this fraud. It is clear he created the company purely to defraud the VAT system for his own personal gain at the expense of the taxpayer.”