A HUSBAND and wife from Colchester have been punished for their part in a £2.3million VAT repayment fraud.

Manchester Crown Court heard Simon Hicks, 43, and Maxine Hicks, 45, both of Harbourgh Hall Lane, Messing, lived extravagant lifestyles.

They and their 15 co-conspiritors sold fictitious concrete crushing machines.

The gang set up a string of companies to steal money from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) so they could buy high performance cars, expensive jewellery and exotic holidays at the taxpayer’s expense.

Adrian Farley, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for HMRC, said: “They thought their plan would go undetected because they had created such a complex paper trail – but they were wrong.

“We will unravel even the most complex cases of fraud and bring those responsible before the courts so justice can be served.”