Kenneth Scott, a 69-year-old accountant, was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting to two counts of cheating the public revenue in a £2m fraud. The court heard that Scott, a senior partner at the Willis Scott group, used his workers’ tax contributions to fund luxury holidays and an Aston Martin.
Scott, who ran the firm with offices across Tyneside, Wearside, and County Durham, deducted national insurance and income tax from his employees’ wages but failed to pass the money on to HMRC. This deception spanned seven years and damaged the workers’ future entitlement to pensions and benefits.
Between 2014 and 2021, Scott, a chartered accountant from Abbeywood, Fir Tree, County Durham, pocketed the PAYE and national insurance payments from his employees instead of sending them to the tax authorities. Instead, he used the money to finance his lavish lifestyle, including funding holidays and purchasing luxury items.
Scott’s fraudulent activities involved the Sunderland-based Willis Scott group, which operated seven financial service companies across multiple locations, including Hexham, Newcastle, Bishop Auckland, and South Shields. His actions have left his employees at a disadvantage, with their contributions not being properly handled.
