Our Cases

R v Evans & Others 2006 Southwark Crown Court

We were involved in the infamous Boston United Fraud case in 2006 and represented the General manager Mr John Blackwell.

The  Inland Revenue was launching its own prosecution over the way Boston United paid its players between 1997 and 2001, which reached trial at Southwark Crown Court.

A former club director, Brian James, and Ian Lee, who worked in accounts, were acquitted of conspiracy charges and the judge threw out the case against our client John Blackwell, the club's long-serving general manager.

But Evans and Malkinson pleaded guilty to cheating the Revenue out of £245,188 by fraudulently failing to pay tax and national insurance contributions on the wages of Boston's players.

The court heard that multiple contracts containing different terms were filled out for the same players, and salary payments were disguised as expenses, on which an employer does not pay tax. Charlery gave evidence about his real wage of £620 and a £16,000 signing-on fee he was paid in cash.

 Malkinson was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, and Evans to one year, also suspended. Malkinson, the club's chairman throughout 1997-2001, was ordered to pay £349,587, the tax owed, plus interest.