A warrant was issued yesterday for the arrest of a Perthshire man who is currently in France and who faces fraud charges totalling almost £400,000.
Depute fiscal Gavin Letford told Perth Sheriff Court that the Crown believed Stuart Newing-Davis, 46, of Tannoch House, Dunkeld Road, Bankfoot, was in France on business and to look after a sick relative.
Mr Letford told the court that Newing-Davis, who previously ran the business Bankfoot Buses, had failed to appear at court and, as a result, he was seeking a warrant for his arrest.
Newing-Davis denies that on March 3 2010, at Tannoch House, Dunkeld Road, Bankfoot, he was concerned in the fraudulent evasion of VAT by knowingly submitting a false return to HMRC amounting to £20,190.98, whilst acting as a director for Trainpeople.co.uk and Ptarmigan Transport Solutions Ltd.
He also faces charges that on June 2 and September 7, both 2010, June 7 and July 7 2011, January 24, March 16 and June 15, all 2012, he committed the same offence while acting as a director of the aforementioned companies by being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of VAT by knowingly submitting false returns to HMRC amounting respectively to £31,500, £45,991.52, £38,496.83, £38,000, £48,040.16, £47,430.42, £54,880.24 and £62,497.46.
Newing-Davis also denies a charge that he failed to appear for a court diet at Perth Sheriff Court on August 12 last year.
The total Newing-Davis is alleged to have defrauded HMRC is £387,027.50.
Trainpeople.co.uk is a recruitment agency.