Greedy sisters con taxman out of £446,000 and splurge cash on clothes and holidays Two sisters who used a charity Gift Aid scam to steal almost £450,000 from HMRC while running Girl Guide groups have been jailed. Sara and Jean Barnbrook defrauded the taxpayer out of hundreds of thousands of pounds by claiming repayments on non-existent donations over six years. Leeds Crown Court heard Sara Barnbrook, 54, fraudulently claimed more than £482,000 in Gift Aid repayments - of which £446,000 was paid out - and her sister Jean Barnbrook, 51, helped launder the money between 2013 and 2019.
The sisters then used the cash to spend on loan repayments, home improvements, clothes, hotels, travel and luxury items, the court heard. On Monday, Sara Barnbrook was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to cheating the public revenue and Jean Barnbrook was jailed for 30 months after admitting to entering into a money laundering arrangement. Prosecutor Angus MacDonald said, at the time of the offending, Jean and Sara Barnbrook ran two Girl Guide groups and one Brownies unit in the Crossgates and Manston areas of Leeds.
Image: HMRC / SWNS) HMRC / SWNS) Image: HMRC / SWNS) HMRC / SWNS) He told the court: "Sara Barnbrook used the units to commit fraud against HMRC by exploiting the Gift Aid scheme - an income tax relief available to charities registered in the UK. It allows charities to reclaim 25% of any payments made. "Sara Barnbrook submitted fraudulent claims to HMRC, stating the thre.
