Ismail Salih claimed housing benefits of £8,203 between January 2006 and August 2007, yet in reality he was working as a nurse and also received a student income.
The case came to light via the National Fraud Initiative, an Audit Commission data match exercise, which tallied Mr Salih’s details on a benefit claim and as a senior staff nurse working for Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust.
The basis of his benefit claim was that he was a single parent of one child and was working part time. But an investigation by the council’s corporate anti-fraud team revealed that the married father-of-two had always worked full time as a senior staff nurse for the NHS.
He also failed to declare a property he owned in Plumstead, where it was established his wife and second child lived. And he failed to declare that he was financially supported as a student by Croydon Council and the student loan company between January 2002 and October 2007 to the value of £38,000.
Hang on - was he not claiming the housing benefit from Croydon Council?
Mr Salih was given a three-month suspended sentence and 160 hours unpaid community work. He was told to pay £3,000 towards legal costs. He must also pay back the housing benefit he received to which he was not entitled.
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