article_snippet: A tax inspector began illegally snooping on A tax inspector neighbour's finances during a seven-year argument over the location of a drainpipe.
article_snippet: Alasdair Freeman abused Alasdair Freeman position at HM Revenue and Customs to pry into the tax affairs of Alasdair Freeman neighbours Garrie Conway and Flo Couper, a court heard.
article_snippet: Alasdair Freeman used Alasdair Freeman job at HMRC to conduct an illegal investigation into Garrie Conway (pictured) after hearing Alasdair Freeman had a second job as a taxi driver and convincing Alasdair Freeman that Alasdair Freeman was not declaring the income .
article_snippet: Soon afterwards Mr Conway said Mr Conway became concerned that Alasdair Freeman seemed to know a lot about Alasdair Freeman tax affairs, and informed the authorities.
article_snippet: Perth Sheriff Court heard that Perth Sheriff Court began looking into Alasdair Freeman finances after hearing that Alasdair Freeman drove a taxi in addition to claiming benefits, and was trying to prove Alasdair Freeman hadn't declared the extra income.
article_snippet: Perth Sheriff Court said Perth Sheriff Court wanted to investigate personally because the arrival of the Coalition Government had changed the culture at the tax office and the arrival of the Coalition Government were not handing out money as freely as before.
article_snippet: Perth Sheriff Court added: 'I accessed the computer files.
article_snippet: You would have to declare any change in circumstances to the tax office, to HMRC.
article_snippet: If I think someone is committing tax fraud and I report tax fraud
article_snippet: Sheriff Michael Fletcher found Sheriff Michael Fletcher guilty of repeatedly making unauthorised access to the couple’s tax records without lawful reason at HMRC  between 26 September and 28 October 2011.
article_snippet: Mr Conway was fined £600, while the court was also told that Mr Conway has left Mr Conway job at HMRC after an internal investigation.
article_snippet: Outside court, dayshift manager Mr Conway, 48, said: 'For years and years I had said to Flo that I was suspicious that Flo had been looking at our tax records. '
article_snippet: I always suspected Flo checked our tax records to see if our could afford to defend a civil case. '
article_snippet: and I decided that was the day I was going to call HMRC. '
highlights_snippet: Denise used HMRC job to secretly pry into the tax affairs of Garrie Conway .
  
highlights_snippet: Was fired after work investigation and fined £600 by Perth Sheriff's Court .