Tax barrister dodged a £2million HMRC bill by hiding his pay for seven years, court hears

By PATRICK HARRINGTON, UK NEWS REPORTER Published: 22:18, 20 May 2026 | Updated: 22:22, 20 May 2026 A barrister pitching himself as an 'adversary of HMRC' allegedly dodged £2million in tax by falsifying earnings, a court heard. Robert Venables KC, a leading tax lawyer, faces three charges of tax evasion over his annual earnings statements. Venables, 78, set up an 'elaborate' system to channel his income and deliberately failed to declare the full amount, Southwark Crown Court heard. Prosecutor Julian Christopher alleged Venables defrauded some £2.7million in taxes. He told the jury on Wednesday: 'There is no doubt in this case that Mr Venables did pay less tax than he should have.  'The issue for you to determine will be whether that may have been an honest mistake, or whether he did so dishonestly.' Mr Christopher said Venables' career was built representing taxpayers disputing bills: 'It appears Mr Venables saw himself as something of an adversary of HMRC. 'For example, he told those attending a tax seminar that as soon as HMRC see that he is involved for the taxpayer in a case, HMRC say, "I think we'll back off this one, we'll put this one on to the too-difficult-for-the-moment pile."' Robert Venables KC, a leading tax lawyer, allegedly dodged £2million in tax by falsifying earnings The case against Venables is centred on annual self-assessments to HMRC between 2014 and 2021, when he 'falsely declared the amount of his income for taxation purposes'. Prosecutors say the KC channelled his earnings through a partnership where he was the sole earner, splitting the profits with others allegedly to reduce his tax bill. Venables denies three charges of cheating the public revenue. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.