A chartered surveyor who claimed more than £135,000 on his horse which had not race for more than 14 years has been jailed.

Betting on Thunder Cat since its ninth place finish at Lingfield Park racecourse in 2001 would have given you no return.

But that did not stop Lawrence Conway, of Sefton Court, in Enfield, who owned the horse, claiming £135,325 in VAT for its upkeep between 2003 and 2013.

The 53-year-old also faield to declare his earning for ten years as a chartered surveyor, evading more than £61,500 in income tax and national insurance contribution.

He had also charged VAT on invoices, even though he was not VAT registered, to pocket a further £16,000 of taxpayers’ cash.

John Cooper, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Not content with stealing money through his racing syndicate, Conway went on to steal through his profession as a chartered surveyor.

“He clearly thought he was invincible, and could not get caught. He was wrong and is now behind bars for stealing honest taxpayer’s money and depriving public finances of much needed funding. His actions have ruined his reputation and career.”

His Honour Judge Morrison said as he jailed Conway, it was "an extensive and long running fraud" and that it "was a serious matter and that he must discourage others from committing fraud against the public purse."

After an initial payment of £16,000, Conway has recently paid of £209,764 including interest of £12,858 to HMRC.

He pleaded guilty at Wood Green Crown Court today to 18 months behind bars.