A ST HELENS man has been jailed after claiming more than £500,000 through fraudulent VAT receipts and avoiding paying his creditors.

Hugh Black, 58, from Rainford, set up several energy-efficiency companies between 2014 and 2016 in order to submit a host of fraudulent claims.

Desmond Fazackerley, 59, from Failsworth, Manchester ran one of these companies, McClean Energy, which was used to submit the majority of the claims.

Consistently falsifying and altering invoices from legitimate companies, the two men claimed for a total of £593,000, with £284,000 paid out.

Additionally, Black fraudulently transferred £350,000 out of his failing company, Ecogreen Renewables Ltd, to avoid paying the company’s creditors.

The money was transferred to Phoenix Interiors (North West) Ltd, a company that he and his wife Helen, 51, were the directors of.

While avoiding paying genuine creditors, this money allowed Mr and Mrs Black to "enjoy a higher standard of living than [they] would otherwise have been able to afford".

Black also committed perjury by falsely claiming that this money was moved because Ecogreen owed Phoenix a debt of twice this amount.

On Monday, March 7 Hugh Black was sentenced to five years in jail at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to fraudulently evade VAT; two counts of fraud in anticipation of winding up; and knowingly making a false statement.

Helen Black was sentenced to 14 months in jail, suspended for two years after pleading guilty to two money laundering offences, acquiring criminal property and transferring criminal property.

Desmond Fazackerley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and was jailed for three years.

Sandra Smith, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “The majority of individuals and businesses pay the tax that is due, but Hugh and Helen Black and Desmond Fazackerley are the exception.

"No crime is victimless. Their greed robbed our vital public services of much-needed funds.

Julie Barnes, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, added: "The courts have rightfully recognised Hugh and Helen Black’s dishonesty and their sentences should serve as a stark warning to other directors that you have a clear duty to pay your debts and refrain from concocting false documents.”