QC sentenced to three years for VAT fraud

Rohan Pershad QC, former member of 39 Essex Street, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for cheating the public revenue over a period of 12 years by failing to pay over £600,000 in VAT.

According to the BBC, Judge Aidan Marron QC told him: “You have brought disgrace on yourself and have aggravated that position by fighting this case and lying in front of a jury.”

The judge said Pershad had been guilty of a “persistent” fraud, adding: “It is sad that you, a successful and otherwise compassionate man, should have sunk to these particular levels.”

Mukul Chawla QC, defending, is reported to have described Pershad as a “broken man” who had brought shame on his family and said that towards the end of the 12-year period, he was “suffering from a depressive illness exacerbated by the breakdown of his marriage”.

Pershad’s solicitors, Kingsley Napley, issued a statement on his behalf this afternoon saying he would appeal against his conviction.

“I will be appealing my conviction which I believe is wrong and unsafe. I have not acted dishonestly in relation to the payment of VAT and I will be seeking to have my conviction overturned in the Court of Appeal.

“There have been a number of inaccurate and misleading comments made publicly since my conviction. I will seek to correct them at the appropriate time.

“I am very grateful to all the many people that have stood by me at what has been a deeply distressing time – most of all for my family.

“I am not a dishonest man. I have never sought to defraud or cheat anyone. I will continue to fight to clear my name.”

Pershad is reported to have told Blackfriars Crown Court (pictured) that he was “extremely poor at paperwork” and believed his chambers had paid the tax.

He was said to have been a specialist in professional negligence, commercial disputes, personal injury work and fraud.

Keri Ashworth-Beaumont, prosecutor from the CPS Central Fraud Division, said after Pershad’s conviction earlier this month: “Rohan Pershad QC failed to pay VAT for a period of 12 years, despite charging his clients that VAT. As a result, he retained an additional private income of £624,579, which should have been paid to HMRC and the public purse.

“By convicting him today, the jury has concluded that Pershad was acting dishonestly and his failure to pay was not simply an error or mistake.”