Gino's Contraband

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

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Pub Date 1 Jan 2025 | Archive Date 15 May 2025

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Description

Gabrielle O’Donovan is a self-starter and has built a career as a change management professional, and is excited about living at her new address. But when UK Border Police at Heathrow seize 270,000 cigarettes destined for a certain Gino at Miki National Co. Ltd., Gabrielle receives related correspondence which looks like a scam. In time, Gabrielle learns that the UK tax authority - His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - has decided she was the intended recipient. As Gabrielle is pursued, HMRC treats her as guilty until she can prove her innocence. Why are her human rights not being respected? As the case takes its toll on her, Gabrielle is advised that it is very difficult to "prove a negative" (that she is not Gino) in a court of law. To compound matters, when her best friend confides that she is a victim of the HMRC Loan Charge Scandal and is being subjected to similar tactics, Gabrielle finds herself on suicide watch.

Gino’s Contraband is Gabrielle’s candid, eye-opening and often shocking account of the challenges of distinguishing scams from the legitimate, the impact of being wrongly accused by HMRC, the harm caused by sinister tactics employed by HMRC to invoke shame and guilt, and the psychological effect of being forced to prove her innocence in a supposedly democratic country. In her insightful book, Gabrielle also reveals how the contentious Loan Charge legislation informed how she too was treated, the industrial scale damage being caused by HMRC on society, and what - together - these and other "guilty until proven innocent" cases say about the state of democracy in the UK.

Gino's Contraband highlights the urgent need for a Taxpayer Bill of Rights to ensure fair treatment.

Gabrielle O’Donovan is a self-starter and has built a career as a change management professional, and is excited about living at her new address. But when UK Border Police at Heathrow seize 270,000...


A Note From the Publisher

The book cover depicts Lady Justice with her trademark sword, weighing scales, and blindfold. The addition of red tape over her mouth depicts legislation/red tape circumventing constitutional human rights and democracy.

The book cover depicts Lady Justice with her trademark sword, weighing scales, and blindfold. The addition of red tape over her mouth depicts legislation/red tape circumventing constitutional human...


Advance Praise

BOOKLIFE @ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, 21 November 2024

'EDITOR'S PICK' (a book of outstanding quality)

Takeaway: Chilling story of one woman’s battle against mistaken identity.

O’Donovan (author of Making Organizational Change Stick) pens a real-life horror movie with this chilling memoir of mistaken identity. When Border Force officer Dave Callaway uncovers contraband cigarettes shipped to his cargo terminal at London’s Heathrow Airport, the address listed as their destination matches O’Donovan’s rented house, though she has no ties to Callaway’s discovery. That seemingly small mistake launches O’Donovan into a devastating cat-and-mouse, as His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) promptly names her as a tax defaulter smuggling illegal goods into the country, embroiling her in a nightmare of debt and criminal charges that threaten to be her undoing.

O'Donovan’s penetrating first-person point of view reflects on her harrowing journey to clear her name—and the mistaken debt—in suspenseful tones as the HMRC intensifies its pursuit, and readers will experience mounting irritation and escalating fear right alongside her. What starts as a possible scam quickly swells to an all-out fight for survival, and O’Donovan candidly lays out the emotions that accompany that battle, sharing the hate mail she received after HMRC named her "a criminal and massive tax defaulter," the dead ends she hit when trying to get to the bottom of the claims, and her demoralizing treatment as “guilty until proven innocent.” Her experiences drive her resolve to uphold “our human right to be presumed innocent… [and] fix the foundations of our democracy and protect our way of life.”

That crusade to fully protect innocence in a system that sometimes falls short propels the memoir, as O’Donovan peels back layers of a shocking nightmare that has the potential to happen to anyone. Her uphill battle to gain justice makes for a riveting tale, one she recounts with grace and a relatable, living narrative. She closes with an analysis of “the cost of HMRC getting it wrong” and a taste of the legal documentation she navigated throughout the process.

Comparable Titles: Anthony Ray Hinton's The Sun Does Shine, Yusef Salaam's Better, Not Bitter.

LOVE READING, UK, 9 December 2024

'INDIE BOOKS WE LOVE'

You’ll be tearing your hair out alongside Gabrielle in this emotive account of mistaken identity.

Gino's Contraband: Guilty Until Proven Innocent by Gabrielle O'Donovan tells the author’s experience with HMRC while being pursued for a missing tax payment that was not hers. When providing background Gabrielle shows herself to be an average hardworking woman who has lived in Hong Kong, Ireland and London while pursuing her career with industry acclaim. So when a badly formatted, badly written letter from HMRC comes through her door, she knows the key signs of a scam and quickly ignores it. What follows is years of stress, frustration and stonewalling with very few answers. From thinking that she’s the target of a criminal gang to discovering the (real) HMRC’s tactics of publishing the private information of individuals and businesses who have “avoided paying tax” and harassing for payment but when contacted being as useful as a chocolate teapot.

The author's emotions come across so clearly in this book that I was frustrated along with her, exclaiming each time she was passed to a different department or given a none answer to any of her enquiries. Anyone that has seen the struggle of the post office workers caught up in the Horizon scandal will see similar experiences here. But the scope of this story doesn’t end with Gabrielle and her case of mistaken identity, as it also touches on those affected by the Loan Charge legislation that sees up to 100,000 workers facing ruin. 

A shocking and emotive tale shining a light on a harrowing experience that leaves people feeling isolated, shamed and helpless, driving some to the worst. This powerfully shares Gabriella’s story and is a call for reflection and change to HMRC processes that I hope receives the attention it deserves.

LITERARY TITAN, 9 December 2024

'5 Stars'

Takeaway: A jaw-dropping memoir of resilience and justice as she takes on HMRC’s systemic failures. Furious, inspired, and hooked from page one.

Gabrielle O’Donovan’s memoir, Gino’s Contraband: Guilty Until Proven Innocent, is a nerve-wracking recount of an ordinary taxpayer’s battle against government incompetence. The book begins with a jaw-dropping twist: the author’s Cambridge home is linked to a shipment of counterfeit cigarettes seized by Heathrow’s Border Police. What follows is a harrowing descent into legal and emotional chaos as HMRC labels O’Donovan a criminal. Through vivid storytelling, the book chronicles her fight to clear her name and her incisive critique of a flawed system that presumed her guilty before proving her innocence.

The writing hooked me from the start. O’Donovan’s style feels raw yet polished, bringing her terror and frustration to life. The early chapters set the stage with a nail-biting prologue, where the author reflects on what it means to have your life upended by bureaucracy. One passage that stayed with me described her shock when she received a £132,711 tax bill out of the blue, a demand so ridiculous it felt unreal. O’Donovan transports readers into her world, letting you feel her mounting dread with each unjust accusation.

Her ability to capture emotions shines, particularly when detailing her fruitless attempts to get someone to listen. One moment, she’s met with cold bureaucracy the next, she’s drowning in threats of bankruptcy. What really struck me was her resilience. She shares hate mail and public shame with raw honesty, showing the psychological toll of being treated as a criminal. It’s enraging yet inspiring to read her confront the systemic failures head-on.

While the book is personal, it doesn’t shy away from its broader implications. O’Donovan critiques HMRC’s overwhelming power and lack of accountability. Her exploration of how ordinary citizens can become collateral damage in a system geared toward revenue collection hits hard. In one standout chapter, she examines the “guilty until proven innocent” precedent set by UK legislation, making her story not just about her but about anyone who could find themselves in a similar nightmare.

The conclusion ties it all together beautifully. O’Donovan emphasizes the importance of systemic reform and highlights the human cost of government overreach. By the final page, I felt connected to her crusade for justice. Her victory, though hard-earned, left me feeling hopeful yet uneasy, aware that her story could easily be anyone’s.

I’d recommend Gino’s Contraband to anyone who loves true stories of resilience and justice. It’s a must-read for UK taxpayers, but its appeal extends to anyone interested in personal battles against institutional failures. Whether you’re an advocate for human rights or just looking for a gripping and emotional memoir, this book delivers. It made me furious, hopeful, and ultimately grateful for O’Donovan’s courage in sharing her story.

Rating: 5

STEVE PACKHAM, LOAN CHARGE ACTION GROUP (LCAG), 20 November 2024 on www.x.com

Written with sincerity and balance, Gabrielle exposes how a toxic culture at His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is conspiring against the vulnerable and harming the welfare of a great many individuals, highlighting the plight of the many who feel alone and are suffering in silence. In this gripping account, Gabrielle lays bare why only a UK Taxpayer Bill of Rights will set the right tone at state level and lead to much-needed culture change at HMRC. A must-read for any UK taxpayer. 

CaptainCape HMRC prisoner@ShouldIPay? 21 November 2024

'I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy, and it was riveting reading, and I can only imagine the toll the whole experience must have had on your mental health and life in general. HMRC is a behemoth.' 

BOOKLIFE @ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, 21 November 2024

'EDITOR'S PICK' (a book of outstanding quality)

Takeaway: Chilling story of one woman’s battle against mistaken identity.

O’Donovan (author of Making...


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ISBN 9781068515507
PRICE £4.53 (GBP)
PAGES 213

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