Gary Henry, aged 58, from Kitts Green, received nearly £32,000 in tax relief for six years worth of bogus expenses claims
06:00, 20 Jul 2025Updated 12:47, 21 Jul 2025
Gary Henry(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
The latest Jaguar Land Rover worker caught for taking part in a tax scam burst into tears as he was told whether he would be going to prison or not.
Gary Henry received nearly £32,000 he was not entitled to in tax relief from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for six years’ worth of bogus expenses claims.
The 58-year-old dad told investigators he was roped into the racket, which was doing the rounds at the car manufacturer, by an ‘accountant’ who worked in a different building to him.
READ MORE: Moment racing driver killed mum and daughter in 84mph Birmingham crash
Henry, from Broadstone Road, Kitts Green, admitted one offence of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of income tax.
He broke down in the dock at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, July 18 as Recorder Luke Blackburn confirmed he would suspend Henry’s eight-month sentence, stating he was ‘lucky’ to avoid going to jail.
Henry was ordered to carry out 30 days of rehabilitation activity and 150 hours of unpaid work.
Last year Birmingham Live reported on the case of JLR worker Andrew Bell who earned £70,000 from what he referred to as the ‘Tommy’s Tax’ scheme.
The father-of-five, in his 50s, from Solihull, was also spared jail.
JLR has previously stated an internal investigation was launched after a ‘small number of employees acted on independent third-party tax advice’.
Breaking court news straight to your WhatsApp
BirminghamLive readers will get the latest from court through our WhatsApp community.
All you have to do is click this link and select ‘Join Chat’ and you are in.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like by selecting ‘exit group’.
Prosecutor Millie Hainge said: “The conduct in this matter arises as part of a series of investigations into Jaguar Land Rover over the suspected using of unregistered tax agents to claim back work expenses.
“Jaguar Land Rover confirmed most of their employees did not incur expenses but when they do they should be claimed in-house and not through this scheme.”
An Income Tax Self Assessment account was created for Henry in September 2020.
Returns were ultimately submitted for the years 2016 through to 2021.
Henry benefitted by £31,970.23 in total from the fraud.
He transferred around £13,000 to another account ‘suggesting a third party was involved in assisting the claim on behalf of the defendant,’ Ms Hainge added.
She continued: “The defendant was interviewed about the offence.
“He explained he previously knew a man who he knew as Femi Mwangi, who worked at Jaguar Land Rover in a different building.
“Mr Henry was made aware through a friend he was an accountant.
“He helped people to legitimately claim large sums of tax back from pay slips.
“He was informed Femi did not have upfront costs but retained 40 per cent commission.
“He believed multiple employees had undertaken the same service.”
FULL STORY: JLR worker in £70k ‘Tommy’s Tax’ HMRC scam which ‘everyone else was doing’
The prosecutor stated Henry provided the necessary personal details to Femi and later received letters from the HMRC but did not understand them and was told to ‘ignore them’, by Femi.
Henry has worked at JLR since 1991 and has retained his job as a quality control manager despite his involvement in the tax scam.
Pierre de Garis, defending, said: “He understands what he did in 2020 was wrong, stupid and he made an incredibly silly mistake.”
He told the court Henry genuinely regretted his actions and had already set aside £30,000 from his pension to repay the money.
The barrister further told the court that in 2020 his partner died in tragic circumstances and said: “He was stricken by grief, wasn’t thinking straight and his head wasn’t screwed on.
“With all that going on he made this mistake. He was vulnerable and wasn’t the man who appears before you today.”
Gary Henry(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
Recorder Blackburn, passing sentence, rejected that Henry’s involvement in the scam was ‘silly’ and said: “I find you knew perfectly well what you were doing.
“You knew you were acting fraudulently which is why you pleaded guilty to it.
“I am sure the reason you acted as you did was because other people at the place of work were doing the same.
“I don’t say that remotely to criticise the employer.
“Unknown to the employer others were doing this and they put you on it and told you about this scheme.”
He added: “Frankly, a 10-year-old child would have known this was a dishonest scheme.”
But the judge confirmed Henry could be rehabilitated and that the offence was not ‘so serious this has to be immediate custody’, prompting the defendant to break down in tears.
He confirmed he would suspend the sentence for 21 months and said: “You have been lucky to avoid prison today.
“I can see you’re relieved. You must take this sentence very seriously.”
Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings to reclaim the money will take place at a later date.
A HMRC Spokesman added: “We are on the side of the law-abiding majority and we will take action against those who try to cheat the system.
“We urge anyone with information about any type of tax fraud to report it to HMRC online.”