‘I'm Still Standing' says Dragons' Den PR Guru
found guilty of tax fraud at Bristol Crown Court
Court of Appeal will be sought to examine inconsistencies in HMRC's case.
Despite being found guilty of Cheating the Public Revenue over VAT and PAYE owed for Hillgrove Public Relations Limited, Dragons' Den PR guru will be immediately appealing the decision in the Court of Appeal.
"The Prosecution have entered a criminal court to execute what is essentially a financial matter and a matter for the Civil Court to have decided".
"HMRC Corruption will not prevail," according to Dragons' Den PR Guru Richard Hillgrove. "I was only ever delaying filing whilst I was servicing a different tax debt in a different legal entity. There was never any effort by me to never file. I always intended to pay my taxes".
Now in it's fourth week, The Jury at Bristol Crown Court today found Dragons' Den PR Guru Richard Hillgrove, 42 years, from New Zealand, guilty of Cheating the Public Revenue in terms of his failure to pay VAT or PAYE on Hillgrove Public Relations Limited.
"The Prosecution maliciously sought to simplify the case in to a simple matter of failing file and pay VAT and PAYE on time on a single legal entity, but in reality case was deeply, deeply complex and confusing," says Hillgrove.
"The reason the case, which was originally scheduled for 1 week became a 3 week trial was because of the vast array of complicating factors and inconsistencies in the Prosecution evidence".
"The fact £52,000 of tax payments I made to the HMRC went mysteriously missing off their computers only turning up again mid-trial.".
"Critical emails clearing my name were mysteriously deleted from the delete box of my former accountants Bishop Jones or were shredded by HMRC Criminal Investigators".
Judge Linford said in his summary at the heart of the case was the decision by Bishop Jones to incorporate a new company and attempt to transfer tax debt from one legal entity to another, only finding out later that wasn't possible. They got it wrong. But HMRC's Fiona Sugrue also got it wrong and didn't point out that moving tax debt from a Time to Pay arrangement simply wasn't possible. In that error, they exposed me to danger and web of lies and confusion afterwards.
Hillgrove says: "As Sir Winston Churchill said: ‘a lie can travel half way around the world before you have a chance to get your pants on'".
What were little lies told by the accountants initially about who said what and when, like a bush fire, eventually became a blazing inferno and got out of control.
"Once it became clear that there was nothing untoward by me, unfortunately Jack was well and truly out of his box".
"The HMRC Criminal Investigators, who had already instigated a dawn raid on my family, didn't want to back down and get into trouble. Bishop Jones didn't want to get into trouble. Even the CPS tried to walk a narrow path across the line and not acknowledge the fundamental flaws and lies the case was built on, so they didn't get into trouble".
Mr. Hillgrove and his wife Lois were arrested on the 12thJune 2011 for Money Laundering and Cheating the Public Revenue across a series of companies in a dawn raid at his property which was later dropped to just Money Laundering. All charges against Mrs. Hillgrove were also dropped.
"Efforts to call the HMRC and explain the situation back in October 2011 and then January 2012 were met with a stern ‘We don't meet members of the public'. Bizarrely it's easier to get a dawn raid than have a meeting with the HMRC".
"If my case does nothing else, I hope it ushers in a new culture of collaboration between the HMRC and Britain's 4.5 million SME's as opposed to a culture of corruption within the HMRC".
"There's simply no need for HMRC Criminal Investigators to go around the place like the Secret Police destroying innocent people's lives with the knowledge that powers granted to them in 1984 to arrest anyone they like on a basic hunch or suspicion is totally unacceptable".
"George Osborne calling on them for a five-fold increase in Criminal Prosecutions means they are hunting targets - but not on merit and in my case, not even based on a crime having happened".
Mr. Hillgrove believes that the deliberate editing of the facts made what should have been tried in a Civil Court confusing for a Jury in a Criminal Court.
PICTURES:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2cnwsa6tifbkxtv/Vi8W9CzIFj