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A doctor who set up fake companies to fraudulently claim nearly £50,000 in VAT payments has been given community service.

David Waghorn and his son James, from Plymouth, created eight businesses to falsely claim back tax on books, medical supplies and clothes.

Waghorn, 55, was sentenced a 12 month community order and 120 hours of unpaid work at Plymouth Crown Court.

His son, 27, was also given a 12 month order and 200 hours of unpaid work.

Sentencing David Waghorn, Judge James Townsend, said: "You are an intelligent and mature man, who has been found guilty of of deliberate fraud."

He told James Waghorn: "This was a fraud carried out over a prolonged period after, no doubt, you had determined you could get away with it."

An HMRC investigation found the men used the cash to "fund their lifestyle".

Assistant director Tracey Noon said: "The Waghorns knew exactly what they were doing.

"This was a deliberate attempt to cheat the system over a prolonged period of time, in a bid to line their own pockets."

The pair submitted 39 VAT repayment claims over a seven-year period from 2008.

They were discovered following concerns raised to HMRC about the credibility of the businesses.

Officers searched the homes during the investigation, both of which were on their business VAT registrations.

During the searches no business records were found, but evidence of 23 VAT submissions were uncovered from a computer in James Waghorn's bedroom.

There was no evidence of any genuine business trade.

The men were arrested but denied tax fraud at Plymouth Crown Court in September 2018.

Both were found guilty and convicted of the offences after a trial.