. Carew, 43, avoided a longer sentence as the court ruled he had not acted intentionally. Had he deliberately avoided paying his taxes, he could have faced a sentence of more than two years. The former Norway international previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges brought against him by tax authorities, though maintained throughout the trial that he had not committed fraud deliberately. His defence attorney, Berit Reiss-Andersen, claimed the trial should have been handled as a confession case due to his guilty plea. Reiss-Andersen issued a statement to Norwegian news outlet E24, saying: "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." Carew played for Norway 91 times, scoring 24 goals, and spent the final five years of his career in England representing Aston Villa, Stoke City and West Ham United before his retirement. He scored 48 goals in 131 appearances for Villa in the Premier League, before joining Stoke on loan. After being released, Carew joined West Ham in the Championship following their relegation, but scored just twice in 21 games and retired after his contract was not renewed in 2012. Carew also represented the likes of Valencia, Roma, Lyon and Besiktas before moving to England, and was named Norwegian Footballer of the Year on three occasions between 2005 and 2008, having become the first black player to represent his country when he made his debut in 1998.){kind=link}
Carew was found at the Oslo District Court to have unintentionally failed to disclose his income and sentenced to more than a year in prison
John Carew, the former Aston Villa and Norway footballer, has been jailed for 14 months after being found guilty of tax evasion.
The retired striker was found at the Oslo District Court to have unintentionally failed to disclose his income and sentenced to more than a year in prison, along with a fine of 540,000 Norwegian krone (£45,353).
Carew, 43, avoided a longer sentence as the court ruled he had not acted intentionally. Had he deliberately avoided paying his taxes, he could have faced a sentence of more than two years.
The former Norway international previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges brought against him by tax authorities, though maintained throughout the trial that he had not committed fraud deliberately.