Benefit fraud as part of a criminal lifestyle

Most of the cases we record here are individuals milking the system on their own. But if it's simple enough for them to do, it's to be expected that the easy pickings will attract professional criminals too. Here's one example.

A convicted Salford robber and his girlfriend who lived a luxurious lifestyle using his ill-gotten gains have been convicted of money laundering and benefit fraud today, Wednesday 1 July 2009.

Peter Anderson (born 18/01/79) of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court Crown Square to money laundering and falsely claiming £14,000 in benefits.

Danielle Bardsley (born 22/12/79) of Barrow Street, Salford, pleaded guilty to money laundering and falsely claiming around £30,000 in benefits.

Karen Bardsley (born 02/01/62) of Barrow Street, Salford, and Claire Anderson (born 16/08/76) of Murray Street, Higher Broughton, both pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Peter Anderson was arrested in April 2006 for his involvement in an armed robbery at the Lloyds TSB bank on Blackpool Road, Ashton-on-Ribble, Lancashire, during which more than £100,000 was stolen and a gun was fired at police officers. He was jailed for an indeterminate period for public protection.

Before he was arrested, he and Danielle Bardsley lived an affluent lifestyle, residing in their abundantly furnished private house in Abram - a house bought in 2001 with the proceeds of his criminality.

Little did the neighbours know that Anderson was a career criminal and that he and Bardsley were also benefit thieves.

Anderson pleaded guilty to deceiving the Department of Work and Pensions into paying him £14,000 in incapacity benefit from 2001 to 2006 by claiming he was incapable of work and that his mental state was such that he had to rely on his parents to care for him at the family home in Murray Street, Salford.

Bardsley pleaded guilty to unlawfully obtaining £30,000 in benefits from 2001 to 2006. She claimed to be a single mother who was forced to reside with her mother at her mother's home in Barrow Street, Salford. She claimed that she had no financial assistance from the father of her children Peter Anderson.

Both did their utmost to keep their ownership of their Abram home a secret from the authorities.

Family members were recruited to assist with the deception. Thousands and thousands of pounds were deviously transferred and concealed between Anderson, Bardsley, Bardsley's mother, Karen Bardsley and Anderson's sister, Claire Anderson.

Peter Anderson recruited Claire Anderson to purchase the property and front the mortgage. She opened a bank account in order that her brother could deposit his ill-gotten gains to pay the various bills and living expenses.

Danielle Bardsley's mother was also recruited to siphon £10,000 through her bank account into the account opened by Clare and was rewarded with an all -expenses paid holiday to Cancun, Mexico.

Both Claire Anderson and Karen Bardsley pleaded guilty to assisting Anderson by concealing and converting criminal property.

Anderson flashed his cash by leasing top of the range four-wheel drive cars and designer clothing to up his status among his criminal associates that include David Totton and Aaron Travers who were shot in a gangland shooting at the Brass Handles Pub, Salford, in 2006.

Following his arrest the police searched Anderson's home and recorded the trappings of his wealth which included expensive cars, top of the range televisions and sound systems, motor bikes and quad bikes and wardrobes full of designer clothing.

Hidden on top of a wardrobe was £28,000 in cash.

Further investigation revealed Anderson and his girlfriend Bardsley had spent thousands over the years on lavish holidays to places such as Florida and Mexico.

All four will be sentenced on 27 July 2009.