Fraudster garage owners who illegally claimed £86,000 in VAT repayments after producing fake documents to say they had bought 31 Land Rovers have been handed jail sentences.

Widmer End resident Julia Smith, 51, and former colleague Charles Mogford were caught out after trying to claim thousands of pounds too much in a VAT invoice.

The pair were company directors of Auto Exporters UK Limited, which traded as Berkshire Land Rovers until July 2014, and had submitted a VAT claim for the purchase of 31 Land Rovers, when in fact the real invoice was only for two vehicles.

The fraudulent invoice was dated January 22, 2010, and used to make a false VAT repayment claim the following month.

HMRC Fraud Investigation Service assistant director Anthony Swarbrick said: “Mogford and Smith had traded legitimately, but greed led them to commit VAT fraud.

“Our message is clear - it is simply not acceptable to steal from the tax system and, ultimately, honest UK taxpayers.”

On June 30, 2016, at Reading Crown Court, Charles Mogford pleaded guilty to the fraudulent evasion of VAT (£86,118.99).

A jury found Julia Smith, of Primrose Hill, guilty of the same crime on July 4, 2016.

Charles Mogford was today jailed for two years, while Julia Smith was sentenced to a suspended 18 months jail term. The £86,000 has been repaid to HMRC.

Mr Swarbrick said: “HMRC will continue to pursue those criminals who attack the tax system and we ask anyone with information about suspected VAT fraud to contact our 24-hour Hotline on 0800 59 5000.”