Brahan Golf Club owner jailed over 拢154,000 tax fraud

The owner of a Highland golf course has been jailed over a 拢154,000 tax fraud.

Jon Wiggett submitted 13 false VAT repayment claims over a three-year period, and tried to back up the fraud with dozens of fake purchase receipts for the Brahan Golf Club.

The 51-year-old from Conon Bridge, near Dingwall, made the claims between 2014 and 2017.

At Inverness Sheriff Court, Wiggett, who had earlier pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 15 months in jail.

An HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation found that he presented the fake invoices as proof for buying a lawn mower, hundreds of bottles of herbicide and sand mixture for his club.

Cheryl Burr, assistant director at HMRC, said: "Wiggett stole the equivalent of five police constables' salaries in Scotland. This was money that should have been funding vital public services."