A former secretary who funded a luxury lifestyle on the proceeds of a £12 million VAT fraud has been jailed for ten years.

Jayne Mitchell, 40, of Wilsden Road, Allerton, Bradford, bought Ferraris, luxury properties and went on lavish shopping sprees with the cash she made from the huge tax fraud involving the importation of vehicles from across Europe, according to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Mitchell, along with six others, imported more than 7,000 new vehicles which they sold on through a complex web of fake companies with a turnover of more than £80 million in two years.

Revenue officials said the cars were imported VAT free, passed through a chain of fake companies, and eventually sold on to unsuspecting car supermarkets and dealerships across the UK.

But many of the fake companies disappeared without paying the VAT due on the sales.

The companies were spread around England including some based in Pudsey, Selby, North Yorkshire, Walsall, West Midlands and in Northamptonshire.

Mitchell, who was originally from Selby, had a luxury home near the North Yorkshire town and another in Belgium, where she was arrested.

She once worked as a secretary and is a well-known pigeon fancier.

Mitchell was found guilty yesterday at Bradford Crown Court of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue.

She was jailed for ten years by Judge Jonathan Durham Hall.

According to HMRC, he said: “This fraud was both brazen and meticulous with ruthless attention to detail.

“You manipulated all and any for the pursuit of your own ends. This was a massive, deliberate and determined attack on the UK VAT system and a gross example of cheating the public revenue.”

Tammy Copson, 38, of Walsall; Peter Green, 45, of Moorside, Cleckheaton; Steven Hague, 49, of Beacon Road, Bradford; Russell Bakewell, 47, of Great Wyrley, Staffordshire; Reginald Turner, 62, of Walsall; and Wayne Murden, 47, of Walsall, have admitted the same charge and will be sentenced on Friday.

Peter Hollier, regional director of criminal investigation for HMRC, said: “This fraud allowed Jayne Mitchell to live a luxurious lifestyle; she bought Ferraris, lavish properties, designer accessories and champagne lunches by stealing £12 million of taxpayers’ money, money which could pay the annual salaries of around 450 NHS nurses.”

Mr Hollier said one of the gang’s contrived companies received more than £65 million in bank credits while another raised invoices for more than £4 million in four months. At the height of the fraud one firm imported and sold more than 1,200 cars in a month.

The HMRC said Mitchell had now been made bankrupt.