A MAN has been sentenced to 19 months in prison for cheating the tax man.

Colin Lock, 51, of Corner Close, St Georges Road West, Bickley, made up false invoices to extract cash from the business he was a co-director and shareholder of, Lock Bros Ltd.

He traded as a waste disposal and haulage contractor from Union Yard, Manor Road, Erith.

Customs investigators also suspected that Lock was failing to operate Pay As You Earn (PAYE), a method of paying income tax.

In February 2005, in a joint operation with the Metropolitan police, Customs officers arrested Lock and executed search warrants on his business and home.

Lock initially denied creating false invoices but later pleaded guilty in June this year.

At a hearing at Maidstone Crown Court Lock’s defence lawyers argued unsuccessfully that the cash extracted had been put back into the business to pay inducements to operatives at recycling centres to accept material which would have otherwise been turned away.

Bob Gaiger, media relations manager for HM Revenue & Customs, said: “We are pleased the courts have recognised the seriousness of this case.

“Such people who avoid paying their taxes steal money from the pockets of all honest citizens. This in turn impacts on the money that could be available to fund vital public services.

“We take such blatant tax theft very seriously and will actively pursue those trading fraudulently to the full extent of the law. This sentence will serve as a deterrent to anyone considering tax fraud as a risk worth taking.”

Lock admitted six counts of cheating the public revenue and one of cheating by failure to operate PAYE.

He was given six 19-month sentences to run concurrently.