Jeffrey Lewis and Tony Meisels represented a roofer who admitted he had evaded £278,000 of VAT over a three-year period.

Recognising that the client was an otherwise honest, decent, hardworking family man who committed the fraud when his business began to struggle in the recession, a judge at the Old Bailey felt able to suspend the term of imprisonment imposed, notwithstanding the quantum involved.

The advocate in this case was Nigel Ingram of 2 Bedford Row.