London Fields Brewery owner charged with £1 million tax fraud

Jules Whiteway at London Fields Brewery. Photograph Tim Sullivan

Jules Whiteway, the owner of London Fields Brewery in Hackney, has been charged with suspected fraud in the region of £1 million following a raid by HM Revenue and Customs and a subsequent investigation.

HMRC released a statement announcing the charges this morning, stating: “He was charged with three counts of cheating the public revenue between December 31 2011 to August 7 2014 in respect of VAT, PAYE/NIC and student loan contributions, and one further count of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of income tax.”

Mr Whiteway set up the brewery in 2011 and in recent years it has proved increasingly popular.

The brewery has been visited by celebrities such as Craig David and Robert Pattinson, as well as hosting corporate events for Vice Magazine and Adidas.

He is expected to appear before Thames magistrates in May.