An accountant from Putney has been jailed for nearly two years after using clients' details to steal more than £86,000 in tax repayments.

Angelo Luca, 34, was arrested by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in December 2014, after an investigation into his tax affairs revealed he had set himself up as a director of three businesses, including an Italian delicatessen, which never traded.

Luca faked copies of a lease for a premises near Putney railway station, invoices for catering equipment and architectural plans for the shop.

He used these documents to support seven fraudulent VAT repayment claims totalling £69,087, between March 2013 and September 2014.

HMRC found that Luca had fraudulently used the details of some of his former clients to register himself as their authorised agent so he could submit false Income Tax Self-Assessment returns.

This resulted in £17,263.46 being paid into his personal bank account.

He used the proceeds from the fraud to send money to his family in Sicily, but after being caught he offered to repay what he had stolen.

Chris Gill, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: "As an accountant Luca knew full well the seriousness of his criminal actions, but he thought by forging invoices and paperwork that he would he would be able to substantiate his claims.

"He stole money that should have been spent on vital public services, not to be used as his own personal nest egg.

"He is now paying the price with a criminal conviction and time behind bars."

He was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment and ordered to pay £21,587.77 in compensation to HMRC at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday, February 3.