Slap on the wrist for deliberate benefit fraud

Omur Polat, from St Ives, made claims for housing benefit, council tax benefit and income support between 2002 and 2008, declaring that he was unemployed with a single bank account. In 2006 he was awarded a disabled facilities grant, as he declared he had no income or savings of his own. A lengthy investigation followed a tip-off that he was working.

Enquiries revealed that Polat applied for credit in 2006 declaring that both he and his wife were employed, having a joint income of £48,000 per annum. The couple also held numerous bank accounts, one of which showed deposits in excess of £27,000, in one 12 month period, from unknown sources. Another account showed a deposit in 2005 of £25,000. When interviewed, Polat claimed the money had been given to him from various sources such as friends and family as loans, and inheritance payments. Polat was found to have been overpaid £19,592 in benefits and further £3,097 as part of his disabled facilities grant.

In mitigation, Samantha Jewell for Polat told the bench that her client had a long history of gambling, which got him into debt, although he had ceased this activity once investigations into his claims commenced (does this make sense?). She said her client admitted he had failed to declare his correct circumstances to the council and the DWP and by his guilty pleas accepted his guilt. Ms Jewell said that Mr Polat was a family man with a number of chronic and very serious health problems, that he was of previous good character (the fraud ran for six years and only stopped because he was shopped) and that he had made arrangements to repay all the benefits he had falsely claimed.

In sentencing, the chairman of the bench told Polat that the offending passed the threshold for immediate custody but due to the mitigation offered by his solicitor, the sentence would be suspended. Polat received a four month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, with a requirement to undergo 12 months supervision by the Probation Service. He was also ordered to pay costs to the council of £240.00.