Moggerhanger man who invented fake tenants to dodge more than £16k of council tax found guilty of fraud

A man who claimed his property was rented out to dodge paying council tax has been found guilty of fraud.

Christian Fitzgerald, 58, of Park Road, Moggerhanger submitted false documents to avoid paying £16,092 in Council Tax by claiming that the property he lived in was rented out to fictitious tenants.

And on Friday, February 11, he was sentenced at Luton Crown Court to 16 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to attend 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and must repay the tax he evaded.

An investigation by Central Bedfordshire Council revealed a sustained and lengthy fraud starting in 2011 and lasting until 2020.

And despite being summonsed to appear at an earlier court hearing, Fitzgerald failed to appear.

This led to him being arrested at Luton Magistrates’ Court, where he later pleaded guilty to the charge.

He was bailed under the condition he remained at his property until sentencing on Friday.

Executive Member for Corporate Resources, Cllr David Shelvey, said: “Cases like this show that we can catch these fraudsters and we will pursue them. People who try to fraudulently abuse the system for their own financial gain are putting their own greed ahead of the needs of vulnerable people.”