Former professional darts player Co Stompé has been convicted of defrauding the tax service of more than €100,000.

The 54-year-old and his wife Daniëlle, from Lelystad, failed to declare their entire income for the years 2009 to 2013. Stompé earned money from competing in darts tournaments but also from TV appearances and demonstrations.

The district court in Almelo said the couple were guilty of documentary fraud and deliberately submitting false tax returns. Stompé was ordered to carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work while his wife received a 190-hour work penalty. Both also received three-month suspended jail sentences.

The couple’s lawyer argued in court that there was no deliberate attempt to defraud and claimed the mistakes were the result of Mrs Stompé’s lack of bookkeeping experience. But the court ruled that the couple had both chosen not to get professional advice even though they knew the figures were wrong.

Stompé, known as ‘The Matchstick’ because of his bald head and slender frame, was rated as the second-best Dutch darts player after Raymond van Barneveld in the early 2000s.