A DUBLIN building contractor jailed after evading almost €500,000 in tax over an eight-year period has been refused bail pending his appeal against conviction.

Colm Perry (44), of Nephin Road, Dublin, was sentenced by Judge Martin Nolan earlier this month to 20 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to various tax offences at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Yesterday, the three-judge Court of Criminal Appeal, with Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman presiding and sitting with Mr Justice Roderick Murphy and Mr Justice Peter Charleton, refused Perry’s application for bail pending the outcome of his appeal against severity of sentence.

Lawyers for Perry had argued he should be granted bail on the grounds his appeal had a strong chance of success. It was submitted the trial judge had not fully taken into account Perry had settled a tax liability of €499,998 and that most if not all of his sentence would be served before the appeal was heard.

Ruling on the matter, Mr Justice Hardiman said this was not a case where the CCA could grant bail. He said the court would order everything possible to be done to secure an early appeal hearing.

The trial court heard Perry had settled a tax liability of €499,998 with the Revenue Commissioners but interest and penalties of €925,000 were outstanding. He pleaded guilty to breaches of tax law, including failure to declare or pay VAT and income tax between 1996 and 2005.

His tax irregularities came to the attention of the Revenue in 2004 when one of his clients, Windmill Lane Pictures Ltd, tried to reclaim VAT charged by Perry on an invoice for building work.

The VAT registration number on the invoice related to a company called Riverstream Developments Ltd. Tax inspector Sheila Hanley said that company was set up by Perry in 1992 but had never filed tax returns or paid tax.