A company director has been charged with cheating the taxman by not paying more than £142,000 in corporation tax.

Charles Michael Anthony Brown, 58, also faces charges relating to three other forms of tax or payment to the public purse.

He is alleged to have falsely claimed that his business, MB Tax Solutions Ltd, of Hirst Courtney near Selby, was dormant.

Brown, of Main Road, Hirst Courtney, Selby, did not enter a plea when he appeared before York Magistrates Court.

The court decided the charges were too serious for it to deal with and sent him for trial to York Crown Court.

Brown is alleged to have cheated the public revenue out of £142,461.46 in corporation tax by failure to provide true figures about his trading between July 22, 2013, and April 6, 2018.

He is also charged with two charges of fraud committed between the same dates, one by failure to inform HM Revenue and Customs that he was liable for national insurance contributions and the other by failure to inform HM Revenue and Customs of his liability for income tax.

He is alleged to have fraudulently evaded paying VAT between July 1, 2013, and April 16, 2018.

He was released on bail until a plea and trial preparation hearing at York Crown Court on November 14.