[UK] Payroll company bosses jailed for 22 years over £8.8m fraud

In the UK, HMRC has announced that the bosses of a corrupt payroll company that stole millions of pounds of VAT have been jailed for more than 22 years.   

Linear Services, based in West Lothian, Scotland, handled payroll for 27 employment agencies but failed to hand over the VAT they owed to HMRC during a two-year fraud.  

The firm was run by Graeme Cullen, Leslie Thompson, Graham Newall and Martin Lang. It charged VAT on invoices totalling £8.8 million between 2015 and 2017. 

The court reportedly heard that Linear Services’ leadership lived extravagant lifestyles, spending what was described as huge amounts of money on expensive homes, holidays, diamonds and even gold bullion.  

Mr Thompson (63) is already serving a six-year sentence for his role in an elaborate multi-million-pound tax fraud that led to convictions for a network of 20 corrupt company directors. He was jailed in October 2025.

Beverley Thompson, his wife, was given a two-year suspended sentence for her role in the elaborate scam.  

A lengthy investigation by HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, working alongside partners from Police Scotland’s Specialist Crime Division, led to the four men being caught.  

Mr Lang (68) pleaded guilty on January 30. Mr Cullen (54), Mr Thompson, and Mr Newall (49) were sentenced on April 21, following an eight-week trial at Glasgow High Court.   

HMRC has urged all businesses to carry out meaningful due diligence on any service supplier, adding that anyone with information about any type of tax fraud can report it to HMRC on  GOV.UK. 

Source: GOV.UK

(Link via original reporting)

In the UK, HMRC has announced that the bosses of a corrupt payroll company that stole millions of pounds of VAT have been jailed for more than 22 years.   

Linear Services, based in West Lothian, Scotland, handled payroll for 27 employment agencies but failed to hand over the VAT they owed to HMRC during a two-year fraud.  

The firm was run by Graeme Cullen, Leslie Thompson, Graham Newall and Martin Lang. It charged VAT on invoices totalling £8.8 million between 2015 and 2017. 

The court reportedly heard that Linear Services’ leadership lived extravagant lifestyles, spending what was described as huge amounts of money on expensive homes, holidays, diamonds and even gold bullion.  

Mr Thompson (63) is already serving a six-year sentence for his role in an elaborate multi-million-pound tax fraud that led to convictions for a network of 20 corrupt company directors. He was jailed in October 2025.

Beverley Thompson, his wife, was given a two-year suspended sentence for her role in the elaborate scam.  

A lengthy investigation by HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, working alongside partners from Police Scotland’s Specialist Crime Division, led to the four men being caught.  

Mr Lang (68) pleaded guilty on January 30. Mr Cullen (54), Mr Thompson, and Mr Newall (49) were sentenced on April 21, following an eight-week trial at Glasgow High Court.   

HMRC has urged all businesses to carry out meaningful due diligence on any service supplier, adding that anyone with information about any type of tax fraud can report it to HMRC on  GOV.UK. 

Source: GOV.UK

(Link via original reporting)