A fraudster was sentenced to prison after lying about owning a used car dealership in order to receive a £25,000 Covid support grant from the government.
Shaun James, of Neath, told authorities that he planned to open his own showroom in February 2020 in order to gain access to funds set aside to assist businesses during the pandemic.
The con artist went to great lengths to make his scheme appear credible, even providing fake car invoices and a forged lease agreement for premises in nearby Port Talbot.
He was eventually caught by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and recently pleaded guilty to a Fraud Act 2006 offence.
The 28-year-old has now appeared in Swansea Crown Court, where he was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
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| Shaun James (Credit: South Wales Police) |
According to WalesOnline, he was already subject to a suspended sentence order for previous convictions of dishonest trading as of March 2019.
As a result, Judge Geraint Walters sentenced him to an additional nine months in prison, to be served consecutively.
Ceri Morris, head of planning and public protection at Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, said: ‘This sentence should act as a warning to others that those who wilfully attempt to defraud members of the public or the authority will be prosecuted.
‘These grants were put in place in order to ensure legitimate business were able to survive at a time of national crisis.
‘False claims put extra pressures on those administering these claims prolonging the process for legitimate traders.
‘The cost of such claims will be felt by consumers for many years.’
The case mirrored a similar incident Car Dealer reported in February, which saw student Kurt Barkhuizen declared bankrupt.