Emile Heskey ordered to pay nearly £200,000 in legal fees after tax row

Former Leicester City footballer Emile Heskey has been ordered to pay almost £200,000 in costs after a legal battle with HM Revenue and Customs. HMRC took legal action against the former England striker in 2017 over an unpaid tax bill of £1.637m.

Mr Heskey, 46, was due to stand trial in the High Court over the bill in November 2019, but this did not happen after he admitted liability for the debt. At a hearing in London on Tuesday, a costs judge ruled that Heskey should pay a further £194,794.42 in legal fees for the case.

Costs judge Mark Whalan said the sum was “reasonable and proportionate” in the “complex” case. Solicitor Daniel Laking, for HMRC, told the court that proceedings had been taken against Mr Heskey for 15 penalty notices issued to him since 2005.

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Mr Heskey did not attend the hearing and was not represented. The figure he has to pay now does not include interest, which means he may have to pay more than the amount ordered.

Mr Heskey also played for the likes of Liverpool, Birmingham City and Aston Villa in his club career and represented England.