Fraudster who tried to steal £1m jailed after more than 2 years on the run

A tax fraudster who evaded justice for more than two years was finally apprehended in the Czech Republic last month after a careless digital blunder exposed his whereabouts.

Craig Rees, 52, formerly of Shakespeare Avenue in Warwick, had claimed to authorities that he was hiding in Ukraine and lacked access to a telephone.

However, the email containing this assertion carried a default signature revealing it had been dispatched from his iPhone, according to HM Revenue and Customs.

The slip-up proved fatal to his escape attempt, enabling investigators to track him down and secure his arrest in March following an extensive international manhunt.

Rees appeared at Birmingham Crown Court, where he admitted to breaching his bail conditions and received an additional six-month prison term.

This sentence will run consecutively to the seven-year custodial term he was handed in his absence in April 2024 for his role in the elaborate fraud scheme.

The 52-year-old was extradited following approval from a Czech regional court on March 27 and arrived back on British soil on April 9.

Judge Heidi Kubik KC described his flight from justice as "a deliberate attempt to manipulate the jury's verdict and to interfere with the administration of justice."

The brothers Craig and Carl Rees, aged 52 and 54 respectively, were both convicted of two counts of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and each received seven-year prison sentences.

Their scheme involved submitting bogus Film Tax Relief and VAT claims to HMRC for three productions between 2011 and 2015.

Under the rules at the time, productions needed at least 25 per cent of costs linked to UK-based activity to qualify for the relief.

HMRC's investigation established that claims for the first film were fraudulently inflated after production relocated to America, the second film never existed at all and the third was shot entirely in the US solely to generate further false claims.

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The presiding judge noted it was no coincidence that Rees had deliberately absconded to evade cross-examination of his testimony and avoid confronting what were described as "gaping holes" in his account.

HMRC's fugitive unit mounted extensive efforts spanning multiple European jurisdictions to locate and apprehend the fraudster, the court heard.

Despite sending numerous messages pledging to return voluntarily, Rees was ultimately brought back only through considerable expenditure of time, resources and money by the authorities involved.

Separately, HMRC officers detained a 36-year-old man in Manchester on suspicion of assisting an offender in connection with the case.

He has since been released under investigation.