Barrister rails at justice as he is fined for failing to pay VAT

A senior barrister shouted ‘Is this your idea of justice?’ as he was fined £17,000 for failing to pay a security on a massive VAT bill while suffering from cancer. Charles Utley, 63, who specialising in clinical negligence, built up a VAT bill of almost £47,000 when he became ill. He had been ordered by HMRC to pay a security up front on his VAT liabilities after falling behind on his payments in 2011. But he was unable to stump up…