Grandmother lost savings and her business after being wrongly charged with fraud

Krista Brown receives 'unreserved' apology after seven-year ordeal at hands of Crown Prosecution Service and HMRC

- HOLLY EVANS

A woman has endured seven years of hell, which saw her lose her business, life savings and contemplate taking her life, after being wrongly charged with fraud.

Krista Brown was horrified when she was suddenly arrested in January 2017 by HMRC officers while her teenage son watched in the hallway.

The 52-year-old grandmother spent six years with the allegations hanging over her, with her trial delayed multiple times until the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case in October 2023, with the prosecutors offering “no evidence”.

Seven years later, the CPS has apologised “unreservedly” in a three-page letter, admitting she had been “clearly let down” and that the decision to charge her did not meet the required standards.

Speaking to The Independent, Ms Brown said: “I’ve got the outcome I wanted but I’m heartbroken as it’s proven that I went through all of that for eight years for nothing. That’s a hard pill to swallow.

“There really are people who get caught up in the justice system and they’re innocent. I’ve spent £27,000 on legal fees, my life savings are completely gone and I’m now in debt – the impact is very real.”

After years of working in security and events, the east London grandmother had established her own business in 2008 with just £1,000 in the front room of her Hackney home. Over the years, her recruitment company, Persona, had developed into a £2m business with 400 staff and had successfully provided employment to 3,000 young offenders.