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Film producer jailed for £1.5m VAT fraud

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3rd Jul 2013
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A producer who made a 3D film has been sentenced to three years in prison for £1.5m VAT fraud.

The film, 'Eldorado', featured  British and Hollywood actors, including former Dr Who Sylvester McCoy, Splash actress Daryl Hannah.

It was the last film the actor David Carradine (best known for Kill Bill and the Kung Fu TV series) appeared in before he died in 2009.

Behind the scenes, film producer Richard Driscoll falsified invoices for the costs of making films to reclaim VAT he was not entitled to and set up a number of associated companies that were used solely to commit the crime, HMRC said.

Driscoll, of Wendron, Helston, Cornwall, who had a walk-on part in TV comedy series It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, was sentenced at London's Southwark Crown Court on 1 July.

Driscoll falsified invoices for the costs of making films in order to reclaim VAT that he was not entitled to, and set up a number of associated companies that were used solely to commit the crime, HMRC said.

He owned a film studio in Cornwall where the films were made. The claims for repayment of £1.5 million VAT were based on production costs of more than £9 million, but investigators found that the costs were actually less than £1 million. Bogus invoices were sent to support the false repayment claims and other invoices were genuine but had their values inflated.

Prosecutor Dominic Connolly argued in court that of £2.5m raised to fund 'Eldorado' and two other productions, 60% came from VAT payments.

Driscoll owned a film studio in Cornwall where the films were made. The claims for repayment of £1.5m VAT were based on production costs of more than £9m but investigators found that the costs were actually less than £1m, HMRC said.

Bogus invoices were created to support the false repayment claims and other invoices were genuine, but had their values inflated.

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