Two tax fugitives have been jailed for stealing almost £1 million in VAT repayments on new-build houses that never existed.

Former Sandbanks resident Jamie Colwell, 51, has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison, while his father Brian Colwell, 76, of Bournemouth, will spend two years and eight months behind bars.

In an attempt to avoid jail, Jamie Colwell travelled to France in a light aircraft and headed to Spain, while his accomplice father escaped by ferry to join him.

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However, the pair were tracked down by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators and overseas partners to a villa near Benidorm, where they were arrested by Guardia Civil officers on 09 May.

They were extradited to the UK on 23 May and immediately taken into custody overnight before appearing at Bournemouth Crown Court by video link on 24 May.

Richard Wilkinson, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: "The Colwells thought they could evade prison and use their criminal cash to fund a new life on the Costa Blanca but they were wrong. With close cooperation from our international law enforcement partners we tracked the fugitives down, so they can now look forward to jail instead."

(LM/MH)