John Carew pleaded guilty to fraud charges (Picture: Getty Images)
Former Aston Villa and West Ham striker John Carew faces the possibility of two years in prison and a hefty fine due to alleged tax evastion in his home country of Norway.
The punishment of two years imprisonment and a fine of £45,353 (540,000 NOK) on top of the prison time has been requested by the Oslo District Court prosecution, although the maximum sentence for the offense is six years.
Carew has already pleaded guilty to fraud charges, which he says was thanks to his lawyer and former agent Per A. Flod regarding not disclosing income and assets from abroad.
‘I trusted him blindly. I have been convinced that he was right. He controlled me almost like a puppet,’ Carew said.
‘I understand that it is grossly negligent of me to trust him so much, but that is why I have done it.’
However, police attorney Ragna Flækøy Skjåkødegård stated: ‘Carew has had many, many opportunities to correct the information given to the tax authorities.’
John Carew hit double figures in the Premier League for Aston Villa in three separate seasons (Picture: Getty Images)
Carew did not spend much of his career playing in Norway, starting his professional life with Valerenga before moving to Rosenborg, but then he left for Valencia to start his time travelling top leagues across Europe.
He spent time at Roma, Besiktas and Lyon before moving to England where he impressed with Aston Villa, before short stints with Stoke and West Ham.
The giant striker played 91 times for Norway, scoring 24 international goals.
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Prosecutors have called for the sentence.