FORMER Aston Villa striker John Carew has been sentenced to 14 months in prison.
The 43-year-old pleaded guilty to tax fraud.
Former Premier League striker John Carew has been sentenced to 14 months in prison
Carew played for Aston Villa, Stoke and West Ham
Carew was capped 91 times by Norway
The ex-Norway international has also been fined £45,000 by Oslo’s district court.
Norwegian outlet E24 say Carew was charged with tax fraud totalling just over £4.5million.
The court ruled that Carew did not act intentionally in committing the crime.
Instead he was ruled to have acted with gross negligence.
Prosecutors had reportedly wanted Carew to be jailed for two years, while his defendants had been seeking community punishment.
The ex-Villa, Stoke and West Ham man has been sentenced to just over a year behind bars.
It’s claimed neither party have decided whether or not to appeal the judgement.
But the defence views the ruling as a victory.
Carew’s lawyer Berit Reiss-Andersen said in a statement: “This shows that John Carew is believed on all counts.
“The court has concluded that he has acted grossly negligently, but not with intent.
“We have claimed this all along, and Carew has been clear that he has wanted to make amends.”
Meanwhile First State Attorney, Marianne Bender, said: “This is a serious matter because it concerns tax evasion over many years of a significant amount.
“Økokrim (the prosecutors) will now read the judgment thoroughly to assess whether there are grounds for appealing the judgment.”
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