A film-maker has been jailed after conning the taxman out of more than £500,000 to pay for her lavish, jet-set lifestyle

Melanie Provan blew her illicit gains on luxury holidays to Nice, Cannes, America and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.

There, she stayed in five-star hotels, ran up a taxi bill of £8,500, and spent £85,000 gambling after rinsing the taxpayer of hundreds of thousands of pounds over a five-year period,

The 50-year-old, of Gloucester Place in Marylebone , was the director of Genius Media Limited, based in the same road.

She submitted 39 fraudulent VAT returns over five years, totalling £528,423.21.

She came to the attention of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after repeatedly contacting call centres demanding payouts on her false VAT repayments so she could finance a film crew’s trip to Africa.

After being contacted by HMRC, Provan tampered with invoices and bank statements to try and cover her tracks.

Following a raid on her house, officers found a mobile phone with a text message: “Really worried about VAT repayment, was relying on that for spending money.”

'Movie star lifestyle'

Provan initially denied four charges of VAT fraud but pleaded guilty at a later hearing at Southwark Crown Court on November 1. She was sentenced at the same court on Monday (November 27).

Chris Gill, assistant director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, said: “Provan believed she could use taxpayers' money to live the movie star lifestyle, without considering the consequences."

He continued: “She provided false documents to HMRC officers on a number of occasions to deliberately deceive and obtain thousands of pounds to which she was not entitled.

“She then used the money on gambling, expensive holidays and business expenses.

“People who steal money from the taxpayer in this way deny funds for all public facilities from schools and hospitals to policing and meals on wheels."

'Persistent, calculated and well-planned'

His Honour Judge Michael Hopmeier said Provan was motivated by "pure greed".

"She was stealing for herself," he said. "It was persistent, calculated and well-planned. She was arrogant and told deliberate lies."

Provan was jailed for 32 months and also banned for five years from applying to be a director of a company.

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