‘I say you buy one, you get one free’ double-glazing ad star found guilty of £58k tax dodge
Jeff Brown earned nearly £350,000 over a six-year period working as a contractor for Safestyle UK and at Burnley FC
THE MOTORMOUTH behind the “I say you buy one, you get one free” double-glazing ads catchphrase has been found guilty of a £58,000 tax swindle.
Jeff Brown earned nearly £350,000 over a six-year period working as a contractor for Safestyle UK and as a match day host at Burnley FC.
But he failed to file any tax returns.
Officers from HMRC raided his home in Burnley, Lancs in February last year and found bundles of cash of up to £15,000 hidden inside a bedroom wardrobe, the town’s Crown Court heard.
Brown, 51, pleaded guilty to six counts of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of income tax and was given a 20 month prison sentence suspended for two years.
Louise Kitchin, prosecuting, told the court how Brown had no employment contract with Safestyle but was given commission payments of £333,179 for canvassing and motivational work.
He famously starred in a number of the firm’s TV ads where he incessantly repeated the firm’s 'buy one, get one free' promise.
Brown was also paid nearly £11,000 for freelance work at Burnley FC as a match day room host and was paid either cash or cheque for 110 home matches.
Timothy Brennand, defending, said Brown was “inevitably going to get caught” and “there is no fool like an old fool”.