An "incredibly deceitful" accountant who took hundreds of thousands of pounds from clients to fund his luxury lifestyle has been jailed for six years, court officials confirmed today.
Darren Upton, 40, arranged for cash that clients paid him to settle tax bills to be paid instead into his bank account.
He spent thousands on a range of luxuries, including lavish spending on his mistress, Leeds Crown Court heard.
His spending included a box at Leeds United's Elland Road ground and a model railway.
He and his wife Tina drove a Bentley and a Maserati with personalised number plates, the court was told.
A judge also heard how Upton, who is a married father of one, met part-time model Victoria Fraenzel on the internet and set her up in a flat in Salford as well as buying her a car, underwear and handbags.
His affair was only discovered when his mistress contacted his office and got hold of Mrs Upton.
The court heard the total loss to clients and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) was more than £500,000.
Today, court officials confirmed Upton, of Woodlesford, near Leeds, was jailed for a total of six years by Judge Sally Cahill QC after admitting 15 counts of fraud and another of contempt of court relating to breaching a restraining order. He also asked for a number of other offences to be taken into consideration.
The court heard how Upton was the director of Wakefield-based Upton and Co. accountants which had around 800 clients which were mainly small businesses.
Darren Upton was jailed for six years
Police said the clients he deceived felt cheated, especially as many were personal friends.
Upton even went to the wedding of one of the victims. His clients believed they were giving Upton cash to pay corporation tax bills but they were paying the money into Upton's business account.
Detective Sergeant Gary Ferris, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "Upton abused his position as a trusted accountant to steal hundreds of thousands of pounds, not only from his clients but from his own personal friends.
"He was incredibly deceitful, tricking them into depositing cash into his business' bank account under the pretence that they were paying their corporation tax. Not only was he stealing monies from his clients, he was also blackening their names with the HMRC and continued to carry out his crimes even when he was on bail.
"The sentence he has received is a reflection of the seriousness of his crimes and I am pleased that justice has been served for the victims of his deception."