After separation from my wife, I investigated our financial affairs with some dismay as she had taken thousands of pounds without my consent. Some of this was hidden in a loan.
She now is on DLA, IS and has her house and mobility car paid for. Her combined income along with payments from her new partner are in excess of £3k per month and she had an income of at least £50k last year in total.
Also while we were married and without my knowledge she committed benefit fraud over a two year period.
I have reported her but nothing seems to have been done.
What do I do?
31 Jan 2011
No punishment for deliberate £3k benefit fraud
A benefit cheat continued to claim housing benefit even though she’d moved house and wasn’t entitled to the money, Hinckley magistrates were told.
Mellissa Kylie Malpas, 22, failed to tell Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council that she had moved and continued to claim a total of £3,229.59 of Housing Benefit money that she was not entitled to.
Miss Malpas had been receiving Housing Benefit payments from the borough council, to help her to meet the cost of her renting her home in Lillingstone Close in Markfield. Miss Malpas failed to tell the council that she had moved out of her rented property and continued to pocket the ongoing fortnightly Housing Benefit payments for a further seven months.
An investigation was launched by the Council's Fraud Investigation Team who proved that Miss Malpas had moved out of her rented property in June 2009.
In court, Miss Malpas admitted that she had failed to tell the council about moving and admitted spending the £3,229.59 of Housing Benefit money that the council had overpaid to her; admitting one count of fraud by failing to disclose information.
In sentencing; the Magistrates told her that she had committed the fraud dishonestly, intentionally and deliberately over a period of time. Miss Malpas showed remorse for the offence and it was evident that she had cooperated with the council and the Courts during her investigation and subsequent prosecution. As a result, the Magistrates sentenced Miss Malpas to a 12 month conditional discharge.
htp Dave
Mellissa Kylie Malpas, 22, failed to tell Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council that she had moved and continued to claim a total of £3,229.59 of Housing Benefit money that she was not entitled to.
Miss Malpas had been receiving Housing Benefit payments from the borough council, to help her to meet the cost of her renting her home in Lillingstone Close in Markfield. Miss Malpas failed to tell the council that she had moved out of her rented property and continued to pocket the ongoing fortnightly Housing Benefit payments for a further seven months.
An investigation was launched by the Council's Fraud Investigation Team who proved that Miss Malpas had moved out of her rented property in June 2009.
In court, Miss Malpas admitted that she had failed to tell the council about moving and admitted spending the £3,229.59 of Housing Benefit money that the council had overpaid to her; admitting one count of fraud by failing to disclose information.
In sentencing; the Magistrates told her that she had committed the fraud dishonestly, intentionally and deliberately over a period of time. Miss Malpas showed remorse for the offence and it was evident that she had cooperated with the council and the Courts during her investigation and subsequent prosecution. As a result, the Magistrates sentenced Miss Malpas to a 12 month conditional discharge.
htp Dave
28 Jan 2011
Foreigner organised £3m tax credit fraud
The central member of a gang who stole more than £3m of tax credits has been jailed at the Old Bailey for five years, following a complex international investigation by HMRC.
Lithuanian Ricardas Virokaitis, 37, of Eltham, South East London, was the linchpin of a gang who paid Eastern European women to come to the UK solely to register for benefits and tax credits. Virokaitis and his criminal colleagues escorted the women while they gained the necessary documentation to claim the fraudulent benefits. The women then returned to their home country and the gang accessed their payments via bogus bank accounts. Virokaitis deliberately recruited women with children in order to maximise the amounts paid to each account.
More than 100 women were fraudulently registered for benefits and tax credits. This enabled Virokaitis’s gang to steal over £3 million in bogus tax credit and benefit payments. Before he was arrested Virokaitis was withdrawing up to £90,000 every month from these bogus accounts.
Virokaitis was arrested in September 2010 at Stansted airport, whilst attempting to flee the country on a flight to Lithuania. HMRC officers uncovered a safe house used by the gang in South East London, where they found 93 bank cards and false identity documents hidden under the floorboards.
Simon Grunwell, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for HMRC, said:
“Criminal gangs such as this are a menace who steal from honest taxpayers. HMRC is cracking down on fraud in the benefits system and the Government has made a further £900 million available to us for tackling evasion, avoidance and attacks by criminal gangs.”
Confiscation proceedings are ongoing. Other suspected members of the criminal gang have been arrested and the investigation is ongoing.
Lithuanian Ricardas Virokaitis, 37, of Eltham, South East London, was the linchpin of a gang who paid Eastern European women to come to the UK solely to register for benefits and tax credits. Virokaitis and his criminal colleagues escorted the women while they gained the necessary documentation to claim the fraudulent benefits. The women then returned to their home country and the gang accessed their payments via bogus bank accounts. Virokaitis deliberately recruited women with children in order to maximise the amounts paid to each account.
More than 100 women were fraudulently registered for benefits and tax credits. This enabled Virokaitis’s gang to steal over £3 million in bogus tax credit and benefit payments. Before he was arrested Virokaitis was withdrawing up to £90,000 every month from these bogus accounts.
Virokaitis was arrested in September 2010 at Stansted airport, whilst attempting to flee the country on a flight to Lithuania. HMRC officers uncovered a safe house used by the gang in South East London, where they found 93 bank cards and false identity documents hidden under the floorboards.
Simon Grunwell, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for HMRC, said:
“Criminal gangs such as this are a menace who steal from honest taxpayers. HMRC is cracking down on fraud in the benefits system and the Government has made a further £900 million available to us for tackling evasion, avoidance and attacks by criminal gangs.”
Confiscation proceedings are ongoing. Other suspected members of the criminal gang have been arrested and the investigation is ongoing.
- Back in 2006 (says Chris Mullin in his diaries) Alan Milburn was suggesting that Labour needed to scrap tax credits and instead reduce taxes for the poorest: "Tax credits are based on the belief that the state can micro-manage people's lives - and it can't."
Tax credits are wide open to fraud.
27 Jan 2011
Judge attacks benefit fraud sentencing guidelines
A benefits cheat has been jailed for four months for what a judge called a "wholesale attack on public finances".
Stephen Chase, 36, pocketed just under £26,000 after claiming he was unfit for work while secretly taking on various different jobs for five years.
He claimed £25,948 in Incapacity Benefit despite working in warehouses and as a labourer for a groundworks business.
James Kemp, prosecuting for the DWP at Teesside Crown Court, said Chase's claim was honest when he signed on in June 2002.
But he took on work later that year from October 17 to July 6, 2003. After a short gap he started working again while still claiming Income Support from April 3, 2005, to May 11 last year.
Mr Kemp said: "He undertook a number of employment opportunities while he was receiving benefit.
"His claim stated he had difficulty working, yet he was working for some time in warehouses for labourers and doing groundworks."
Chase admitted two counts of failing to notify the DWP of a change in circumstances.
Martin Scarborough, mitigating, said Chase was not working for the whole of the time he received benefits and added his struggles to pay his rent and bills was the motive.
He said: "He fully accepts the offence and knows he should have told the department about all these short-term employments he was doing. It's not where he was leeching from the state so he could spend it on plasma televisions."
Chase was jailed for four months.
Judge Peter Bowers said he felt the sentencing guidelines were "remarkably lenient".
He added:
Stephen Chase, 36, pocketed just under £26,000 after claiming he was unfit for work while secretly taking on various different jobs for five years.
He claimed £25,948 in Incapacity Benefit despite working in warehouses and as a labourer for a groundworks business.
James Kemp, prosecuting for the DWP at Teesside Crown Court, said Chase's claim was honest when he signed on in June 2002.
But he took on work later that year from October 17 to July 6, 2003. After a short gap he started working again while still claiming Income Support from April 3, 2005, to May 11 last year.
Mr Kemp said: "He undertook a number of employment opportunities while he was receiving benefit.
"His claim stated he had difficulty working, yet he was working for some time in warehouses for labourers and doing groundworks."
Chase admitted two counts of failing to notify the DWP of a change in circumstances.
Martin Scarborough, mitigating, said Chase was not working for the whole of the time he received benefits and added his struggles to pay his rent and bills was the motive.
He said: "He fully accepts the offence and knows he should have told the department about all these short-term employments he was doing. It's not where he was leeching from the state so he could spend it on plasma televisions."
Chase was jailed for four months.
Judge Peter Bowers said he felt the sentencing guidelines were "remarkably lenient".
He added:
This is fraud which is very easy to commit and much more difficult to detect.
This went on certainly for about five years and it's just rank dishonesty.
Whatever the reason you may have put forward there cannot justify this wholesale sort of attack on the Government's finances.
26 Jan 2011
DWP re-releases old incapacity benefit numbers
The numbers in the new news release are strikingly similar to these discussed here last year - unsurprising when you see that the "new" numbers are for the period "between October 2008 and last May".
Yet the media have written this up as new news - for instance here and here.
It isn't.
Do the media really think the DWP has no figures later than May 2010?
Yet the media have written this up as new news - for instance here and here.
It isn't.
Do the media really think the DWP has no figures later than May 2010?
Housing officer in social housing fraud
A senior council officer who helped her sister leapfrog the housing waiting list wept as she was spared jail.
Anthea Barrett, 43, gave single mother-of-three Samantha Herbert a council flat upgrade by organising a swap with a retired couple who were moving from south London.
Barrett was sacked from her job of 20 years with Lambeth following a disciplinary hearing when the sham "mutual exchange" was exposed.
She has since been working part- time delivering meals-on-wheels.
Barrett, of Clapham, mouthed "thank you" as Inner London crown court Judge Mervyn Roberts handed her a three-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, plus 60 hours' unpaid work. He said: "I'm not going to pass an immediate sentence of imprisonment, but what you did was very stupid. You ruined what was clearly a sound and honest reputation that you had for many years and you have lost a great deal."
Civil proceedings have been ongoing to evict Herbert from the three-bed maisonette in West Norwood since October 2008, when she first moved in. William Walsh, prosecuting, said the council worker discovered unwitting couple Peter and Ann Holland were relocating from the maisonette to Great Yarmouth.
The sister's previous bid to get out of her two-bed flat in Streatham had failed and she saw this as a perfect opportunity to work the system. Mr Holland, 62, said Barrett approached him with a "sob story about a woman with three kids living in a property that was too small for her".
He agreed to help as long as it was "legal". The plan was to remain in London to tie up loose ends while his wife waited in Norfolk and then announce he was giving up the flat.
Barrett then altered the father-of-four's computer records to show his dependants had been reduced to one, to make it look as if he needed a downgrade. She also redirected his mail to the new uninhabited seaside property. But council letters were posted there and rental demands piled up unopened.
When Mr Holland found he was in arrears he complained to the council. Investigators discovered the family link and suspended Barrett. She was convicted of fraud by abuse of position and ordered to pay £1,500 costs.
htp: Dave
Why has this taken so long to come to court? Why have the civil eviction proceedings been dragging on for over two years?
Anthea Barrett, 43, gave single mother-of-three Samantha Herbert a council flat upgrade by organising a swap with a retired couple who were moving from south London.
Barrett was sacked from her job of 20 years with Lambeth following a disciplinary hearing when the sham "mutual exchange" was exposed.
She has since been working part- time delivering meals-on-wheels.
Barrett, of Clapham, mouthed "thank you" as Inner London crown court Judge Mervyn Roberts handed her a three-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, plus 60 hours' unpaid work. He said: "I'm not going to pass an immediate sentence of imprisonment, but what you did was very stupid. You ruined what was clearly a sound and honest reputation that you had for many years and you have lost a great deal."
Civil proceedings have been ongoing to evict Herbert from the three-bed maisonette in West Norwood since October 2008, when she first moved in. William Walsh, prosecuting, said the council worker discovered unwitting couple Peter and Ann Holland were relocating from the maisonette to Great Yarmouth.
The sister's previous bid to get out of her two-bed flat in Streatham had failed and she saw this as a perfect opportunity to work the system. Mr Holland, 62, said Barrett approached him with a "sob story about a woman with three kids living in a property that was too small for her".
He agreed to help as long as it was "legal". The plan was to remain in London to tie up loose ends while his wife waited in Norfolk and then announce he was giving up the flat.
Barrett then altered the father-of-four's computer records to show his dependants had been reduced to one, to make it look as if he needed a downgrade. She also redirected his mail to the new uninhabited seaside property. But council letters were posted there and rental demands piled up unopened.
When Mr Holland found he was in arrears he complained to the council. Investigators discovered the family link and suspended Barrett. She was convicted of fraud by abuse of position and ordered to pay £1,500 costs.
htp: Dave
Why has this taken so long to come to court? Why have the civil eviction proceedings been dragging on for over two years?
25 Jan 2011
Benefit thief arrested in 2007, in court 2010
A Newport man who falsely claimed more than £26,000 in incapacity benefit was ordered to pay everything back by a court.
Bernard Foster appeared in Cardiff Crown Court for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which allows courts to confiscate money gained through illegal activities.
Foster was given a nine-month sentence, suspended for two years, and made the subject of a 12-month supervision order and a curfew between 7pm and 6am, after being found guilty of dishonestly failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) of a change in circumstances, following a trial in August last year.
At the sentencing hearing in October, prosecutor Nuhu Gobir said Foster started claiming incapacity benefit in 1996 when he started experiencing back problems and it was accepted that he was unable to work.
The court heard Foster continued to claim legitimate benefits for a number of years, but in 2004, he failed to disclose the fact he received money from the sale of his marital home, and the money was used to buy a holiday home in Pembrokeshire.
Mr Gobir said the overpayment between 2004 and Foster’s arrest in 2007 was £23,961.
Representing Foster, Mark Jackson said the claim was not fraudulent from the outset and Foster asked what he could do to rectify the situation in his first interview.
Mr Jackson said Foster’s benefits have been suspended since his arrest in 2007 and he has been living off money from his daughters.
He said: “It’s a position he got himself into. He has no one to blame but himself and he accepts that responsibility. He is not attempting to shy away from it.”
On Friday, Judge Neil Bidder QC ruled Foster's total benefit to be £26,118.20 and ordered him to pay back the full amount within six months.
This took absolute ages. With the potential number of benefit frauds around, the process needs to be far more streamlined.
Bernard Foster appeared in Cardiff Crown Court for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which allows courts to confiscate money gained through illegal activities.
Foster was given a nine-month sentence, suspended for two years, and made the subject of a 12-month supervision order and a curfew between 7pm and 6am, after being found guilty of dishonestly failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) of a change in circumstances, following a trial in August last year.
At the sentencing hearing in October, prosecutor Nuhu Gobir said Foster started claiming incapacity benefit in 1996 when he started experiencing back problems and it was accepted that he was unable to work.
The court heard Foster continued to claim legitimate benefits for a number of years, but in 2004, he failed to disclose the fact he received money from the sale of his marital home, and the money was used to buy a holiday home in Pembrokeshire.
Mr Gobir said the overpayment between 2004 and Foster’s arrest in 2007 was £23,961.
Representing Foster, Mark Jackson said the claim was not fraudulent from the outset and Foster asked what he could do to rectify the situation in his first interview.
Mr Jackson said Foster’s benefits have been suspended since his arrest in 2007 and he has been living off money from his daughters.
He said: “It’s a position he got himself into. He has no one to blame but himself and he accepts that responsibility. He is not attempting to shy away from it.”
On Friday, Judge Neil Bidder QC ruled Foster's total benefit to be £26,118.20 and ordered him to pay back the full amount within six months.
This took absolute ages. With the potential number of benefit frauds around, the process needs to be far more streamlined.
24 Jan 2011
Jail for £62k benefits fraud
A partially blind granny who "systematically" cheated the State out of nearly £63,000 has been jailed for eight months.
"The State" doesn't have any money. She stole from taxpayers, you and me.
Diabetic Thelma Grey, 69, lied that she was unmarried and out of work for nine years.
But yesterday she was put behind bars as a "warning" to other benefit cheats.
Grey, who was living in Quedgeley, was arrested in March last year and charged with fraud.
But she failed to attend court and went on the run. She was arrested on the Isle of Wight last summer, just weeks after her son Andrew Stewart, 34, admitted £33,000 of benefit fraud charges. He was given an 18-week jail term, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work.
Judge William Hart told Gloucester Crown Court that despite her age, poor health and previous good character, she had to go to prison.
She admitted two charges of dishonestly obtaining income support books, a charge of claiming pension credits incorrectly and six charges of dishonestly claiming council tax benefits by saying she was a single woman.
But she was in fact married and living with her husband Dennis Dutton, who she married in 1993, and who worked for an engineering firm.
Prosecutor Simon Burns told the court: "This was a systematic syphoning of large amounts of benefits from the State by this lady."
He said Mrs Grey been involved in a property business with her husband and had used different names – Dutton, Grey and Yorwarth – to help cover her tracks.
The total overpayment to her had been £62,910.94 and she had since repaid £9,035-18, he said.
Jason Coulter, defending, said the marriage had been "difficult and turbulent" and there had been periods of separation.
There were also periods when Mr Dutton was unemployed and she would have been entitled to benefits, he said.
He added that Grey had no idea of the enormity of the offences she was committing. Riiight
Mr Coulter told the court she had lost the sight of one eye with the likelihood that she will soon go blind in the other.
htp Anon
She got 8 months. If she's been on remand since the summer, after absconding, she'll be straight out after being inside for 50% of her sentence. In that case the Judge has been grandstanding.
Fair enough.
"The State" doesn't have any money. She stole from taxpayers, you and me.
Diabetic Thelma Grey, 69, lied that she was unmarried and out of work for nine years.
But yesterday she was put behind bars as a "warning" to other benefit cheats.
Grey, who was living in Quedgeley, was arrested in March last year and charged with fraud.
But she failed to attend court and went on the run. She was arrested on the Isle of Wight last summer, just weeks after her son Andrew Stewart, 34, admitted £33,000 of benefit fraud charges. He was given an 18-week jail term, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work.
Judge William Hart told Gloucester Crown Court that despite her age, poor health and previous good character, she had to go to prison.
Stealing significant sums of money from the State is a serious matter. It is a matter which directly or indirectly affects all of us. I am very sympathetic to your personal situation as far as your health is concerned.Grey, who now lives at the Nodes Point caravan park at St Helens, on the Isle of Wight, pleaded guilty to nine charges of deception between 1998 and 2007.
But I would be failing in my public duty if I did not impose on you today an immediate prison sentence and that is what I am duty bound to do.
The sentence has to send out a warning to people of whatever age that benefit frauds of this size will lead to prison sentences. If that message does not go out then that offending will become even more widespread.
She admitted two charges of dishonestly obtaining income support books, a charge of claiming pension credits incorrectly and six charges of dishonestly claiming council tax benefits by saying she was a single woman.
But she was in fact married and living with her husband Dennis Dutton, who she married in 1993, and who worked for an engineering firm.
Prosecutor Simon Burns told the court: "This was a systematic syphoning of large amounts of benefits from the State by this lady."
He said Mrs Grey been involved in a property business with her husband and had used different names – Dutton, Grey and Yorwarth – to help cover her tracks.
The total overpayment to her had been £62,910.94 and she had since repaid £9,035-18, he said.
Jason Coulter, defending, said the marriage had been "difficult and turbulent" and there had been periods of separation.
There were also periods when Mr Dutton was unemployed and she would have been entitled to benefits, he said.
He added that Grey had no idea of the enormity of the offences she was committing. Riiight
Mr Coulter told the court she had lost the sight of one eye with the likelihood that she will soon go blind in the other.
htp Anon
She got 8 months. If she's been on remand since the summer, after absconding, she'll be straight out after being inside for 50% of her sentence. In that case the Judge has been grandstanding.
Fair enough.
Labour reforms incapacity benefit in 2006
From Chris Mullin's diaries, 24 January 2006:
John Hutton made his long-awaited announcement on his plans to reduce the numbers on Incapacity Benefit. It was generally well received on our side, reflecting a feeling that our vast benefit culture is long overdue for a challenge - a view shared by many of my working-class constituents, who deeply resent the scams they see going on around them. Later, during a division, John whispered that he knew of an amateur football team, currently topping a local league, in which eight of the eleven players recently fielded were on Incapacity Benefit.
21 Jan 2011
Community service for £46k benefit fraud
A benefits cheat has been given a suspended prison sentence and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work after falsely claiming almost £47,000, reports the Yorkshire Post.
Paula Jessop was sentenced to four months in jail, suspended for 18 months, after admitting two counts of dishonesty at Hull Crown Court.
Jessop must also pay back the entire £46,951.17 she falsely claimed between April 12, 2004, and March 2, 2008. We're not holding our breath.
A joint investigation between Hull Council and the Department for Work and Pensions found she had failed to declare that she had been living with her long-term partner, leading to overpayments in housing and council tax benefits and income support.
After the hearing, Andy Sims, the council's benefits manager, said: "This sentence demonstrates just how serious the crime of benefit fraud is". That is, tolerated with occasional slaps on the wrist.
Paula Jessop was sentenced to four months in jail, suspended for 18 months, after admitting two counts of dishonesty at Hull Crown Court.
Jessop must also pay back the entire £46,951.17 she falsely claimed between April 12, 2004, and March 2, 2008. We're not holding our breath.
A joint investigation between Hull Council and the Department for Work and Pensions found she had failed to declare that she had been living with her long-term partner, leading to overpayments in housing and council tax benefits and income support.
After the hearing, Andy Sims, the council's benefits manager, said: "This sentence demonstrates just how serious the crime of benefit fraud is". That is, tolerated with occasional slaps on the wrist.
20 Jan 2011
Data matching again
Danielle Campbell (29), from Stretford, has been convicted of benefit fraud after failing to notify Trafford Council and the Department for Work and Pensions that she had a partner living with her.
She pleaded guilty to obtaining Income Support, Housing and Council Tax Benefit of £25,912 in overpaid benefit between 8 October 2007 and 21 February 2010.
She was sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, a community order including 200 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £700 towards costs.
Counter Fraud Officers were alerted to the matter as a result of a data matching exercise which matches records held by the Department for Work and Pensions and credit reference agencies.
Trafford Borough Council Investigators conducted a joint investigation with Department for Work and Pensions that uncovered the fact Miss Campbell had her partner living with her and that he was in full time work.
She pleaded guilty to obtaining Income Support, Housing and Council Tax Benefit of £25,912 in overpaid benefit between 8 October 2007 and 21 February 2010.
She was sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, a community order including 200 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £700 towards costs.
Counter Fraud Officers were alerted to the matter as a result of a data matching exercise which matches records held by the Department for Work and Pensions and credit reference agencies.
Trafford Borough Council Investigators conducted a joint investigation with Department for Work and Pensions that uncovered the fact Miss Campbell had her partner living with her and that he was in full time work.
19 Jan 2011
Benefit cheat jailed for £30,000 fraud
A benefit cheat who defrauded more than £30,000 in benefits has been jailed following a prosecution by Lewisham Council.
Arthur Sowah, a corporate trade analyst, falsely claimed Income Support and Housing benefit totalling £30,435 between February 2008 and June 2010.
Mr Sowah began his job with a city trading firm in September 2007, but five weeks later made a claim for Income Support and Housing Benefit in the name of Ishmael Thomas, the name he had changed to by deed poll in 1994.
Mr Sowah was caught after a regular data-matching exercise by the DWP showed that two different people were using the same National Insurance number living at the same address, and one of them was claiming benefits.
Following the information from the DWP, Lewisham Council and the DWP began an investigation. Mr Thomas’s employers were asked for confirmation of his pay details. The information supplied by them showed that Mr Thomas was also known by his other name of Ishmael Thomas.
In sentencing, the Judge said that the aggravating features, such as length of time that Mr Sowah illegally claimed benefits and the use of the deed poll, made a jail sentence inevitable. Mr Sowah was sentenced to 22 weeks – 11 in prison and 11 to be served doing Community Service.
Arthur Sowah, a corporate trade analyst, falsely claimed Income Support and Housing benefit totalling £30,435 between February 2008 and June 2010.
Mr Sowah began his job with a city trading firm in September 2007, but five weeks later made a claim for Income Support and Housing Benefit in the name of Ishmael Thomas, the name he had changed to by deed poll in 1994.
Mr Sowah was caught after a regular data-matching exercise by the DWP showed that two different people were using the same National Insurance number living at the same address, and one of them was claiming benefits.
Following the information from the DWP, Lewisham Council and the DWP began an investigation. Mr Thomas’s employers were asked for confirmation of his pay details. The information supplied by them showed that Mr Thomas was also known by his other name of Ishmael Thomas.
In sentencing, the Judge said that the aggravating features, such as length of time that Mr Sowah illegally claimed benefits and the use of the deed poll, made a jail sentence inevitable. Mr Sowah was sentenced to 22 weeks – 11 in prison and 11 to be served doing Community Service.
18 Jan 2011
Trivial punishment for benefit thief
Chelmsford Borough Council's Benefit Investigation and Legal Teams recently took Frederick John Chittock (aged 73) to court where he admitted failing to declare that he had a savings account with in excess of £88,000 when he commenced claiming Housing and Council Tax Benefit. The fraud was committed between 2006 and 2009.
As a result of the failure to declare the change in circumstances, Mr Chittock was overpaid Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit totalling in excess of £15,000.
At a hearing in Chelmsford Magistrates Court on Tuesday 11 January 2011 he was given a fine of £140 and ordered to pay £510 costs. For a man with £88,000 in the bank, that is a fleabite.
The fraud came to light following receipt of information from the Housing Benefit Data Matching Service, which matched against data from other Government agencies. Subsequently an investigation was undertaken. All of the overpayment has been repaid.
As a result of the failure to declare the change in circumstances, Mr Chittock was overpaid Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit totalling in excess of £15,000.
At a hearing in Chelmsford Magistrates Court on Tuesday 11 January 2011 he was given a fine of £140 and ordered to pay £510 costs. For a man with £88,000 in the bank, that is a fleabite.
The fraud came to light following receipt of information from the Housing Benefit Data Matching Service, which matched against data from other Government agencies. Subsequently an investigation was undertaken. All of the overpayment has been repaid.
17 Jan 2011
Mother claimed £30k benefits
A mother of four who falsely claimed over £30,000 in benefits while secretly living with her partner has been spared jail by a judge.
Department Of Work And Pensions investigators discovered 35-year-old Tina Harrison had been living with her partner at three addresses in Skegness while telling the authorities she lived alone with her children.
Lincoln Crown Court heard Harrison even falsified a rent book to prove she was living alone and dishonestly claimed £32,297 in income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit between September 2007 and August 2009.
The court was told Harrison began the fraud less than a year after being sentenced to a conditional discharge for failing to declare her partner's employment.
In mitigation the court was told Harrison, who appeared in court on crutches, had health problems.
Harrison pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to notify a change in circumstances to the Department Of Work And Pensions and East Lindsey District Council.
She was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for two years, placed under the supervision of a probation officer for 18 months, ordered to obey a three month electronic curfew and to complete a victim awareness course.
Department Of Work And Pensions investigators discovered 35-year-old Tina Harrison had been living with her partner at three addresses in Skegness while telling the authorities she lived alone with her children.
Lincoln Crown Court heard Harrison even falsified a rent book to prove she was living alone and dishonestly claimed £32,297 in income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit between September 2007 and August 2009.
The court was told Harrison began the fraud less than a year after being sentenced to a conditional discharge for failing to declare her partner's employment.
In mitigation the court was told Harrison, who appeared in court on crutches, had health problems.
Harrison pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to notify a change in circumstances to the Department Of Work And Pensions and East Lindsey District Council.
She was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for two years, placed under the supervision of a probation officer for 18 months, ordered to obey a three month electronic curfew and to complete a victim awareness course.
- She ran rings round the DWP & the council for nearly two years after being convicted of a similar offence. And it seems to have taken from 2009 till now to bring her to court.
Are we at the mercy of these people?
14 Jan 2011
Fraudsters claimed more than £15,000 in benefits
A former couple who sponged more than £15,000 from the state while living in a luxury Windsor property have been slapped with community orders.
Gail Reynolds and Neil Johnstone ripped off the cash between May and November 2009, while living at Clear View in St Leonard's Hill.
The pair, who have now split up, appeared before Slough Magistrates' Court for sentencing.
The court heard how they had swindled £15,608 while residing at the five-bedroom detached house, which cost £2,500 in rent, had a Swedish-style sauna and other top-class facilities. Their claims included income support, housing benefit and reduced council tax.
The pair had both pleaded guilty at Slough Magistrates Court in October last year and have paid back more than £3,000 of the cash, but still owe £12,353.74.
Johnstone was also handed a community order of 160 hours of unpaid work and told to pay back £6,176.87.
Gail Reynolds and Neil Johnstone ripped off the cash between May and November 2009, while living at Clear View in St Leonard's Hill.
The pair, who have now split up, appeared before Slough Magistrates' Court for sentencing.
The court heard how they had swindled £15,608 while residing at the five-bedroom detached house, which cost £2,500 in rent, had a Swedish-style sauna and other top-class facilities. Their claims included income support, housing benefit and reduced council tax.
The pair had both pleaded guilty at Slough Magistrates Court in October last year and have paid back more than £3,000 of the cash, but still owe £12,353.74.
Mother-of-three Reynolds, who still lives in a property in Winkfield Road costing £2,400 in rent, was given a community order of 160 hours of unpaid work and told to pay back £6,176.87.
Johnstone was also handed a community order of 160 hours of unpaid work and told to pay back £6,176.87.
13 Jan 2011
Golf captain case shows DWP failings
Valerie Lewis was filmed playing golf after telling welfare officials that her back pain made it almost impossible to walk unaided or to get in or out of bed without help.
Yet Lewis, 55, was pictured teeing off, playing the fairways and unloading golf equipment without any apparent difficulty, a court heard.
She was rumbled when Department for Work and Pensions investigators shot footage of her at the £600-a-year Sutton Hall Golf Club, in Runcorn, Cheshire, where she was lady captain.
Charlotte Atherton, prosecuting, said the mother of two had claimed that the maximum distance she could walk was 140 yards, and that she needed help bathing and even tying her shoe laces.
In July 2001 Lewis had a medical examination to support claims she suffered from spondylitis, or inflammation of the vertebra. But on the day, she had in fact played golf and even rode a horse, the court heard.
She was filmed at the 6,000-yard course in November 2008 after investigators received a tip-off that she was ‘fitter than stated’.
The video, said Miss Atherton, showed her ‘completing the course with ease’.
Lewis became lady captain earlier that year and her diary revealed she was playing golf 18 times a month at the time, the prosecutor added.
David Ackerley, defending, said Lewis had suffered arthritis in the spine since the age of 24, but some days were worse than others.
She had failed to inform the DWP of a change of circumstances because she had ‘misunderstood’ letters sent to her, he added.
‘She was asked to give the worst case scenario but it was not like that each day,’ he said.
‘And she should have been telling the DWP that was the situation.’
Lewis, of Runcorn, continued to claim higher rate care and mobility components of Disability Living Allowance from 2001 after claiming she had ‘substantial’ personal care needs.
She pleaded guilty at Warrington Crown Court to knowingly failing to report a relevant change in circumstances and therefore claiming benefits amounting to £40,842.
Sentencing Lewis to 24 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, Judge Stephen Clarke said: ‘What this does is bring shame and disgrace on you ... people will think, “what a hypocrite”.’
Lewis, who was twice convicted of shoplifting, was given a 200-hour community order.
Roy Paul, of the DWP, said: ‘The money she stole from the department is also stolen from society and from the taxpayer.’
Lewis is paying it back at £10 a week from incapacity benefit she continues to claim.
Yet Lewis, 55, was pictured teeing off, playing the fairways and unloading golf equipment without any apparent difficulty, a court heard.
She was rumbled when Department for Work and Pensions investigators shot footage of her at the £600-a-year Sutton Hall Golf Club, in Runcorn, Cheshire, where she was lady captain.
Charlotte Atherton, prosecuting, said the mother of two had claimed that the maximum distance she could walk was 140 yards, and that she needed help bathing and even tying her shoe laces.
In July 2001 Lewis had a medical examination to support claims she suffered from spondylitis, or inflammation of the vertebra. But on the day, she had in fact played golf and even rode a horse, the court heard.
She was filmed at the 6,000-yard course in November 2008 after investigators received a tip-off that she was ‘fitter than stated’.
The video, said Miss Atherton, showed her ‘completing the course with ease’.
Lewis became lady captain earlier that year and her diary revealed she was playing golf 18 times a month at the time, the prosecutor added.
David Ackerley, defending, said Lewis had suffered arthritis in the spine since the age of 24, but some days were worse than others.
She had failed to inform the DWP of a change of circumstances because she had ‘misunderstood’ letters sent to her, he added.
‘She was asked to give the worst case scenario but it was not like that each day,’ he said.
‘And she should have been telling the DWP that was the situation.’
Lewis, of Runcorn, continued to claim higher rate care and mobility components of Disability Living Allowance from 2001 after claiming she had ‘substantial’ personal care needs.
She pleaded guilty at Warrington Crown Court to knowingly failing to report a relevant change in circumstances and therefore claiming benefits amounting to £40,842.
Sentencing Lewis to 24 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, Judge Stephen Clarke said: ‘What this does is bring shame and disgrace on you ... people will think, “what a hypocrite”.’
Lewis, who was twice convicted of shoplifting, was given a 200-hour community order.
Roy Paul, of the DWP, said: ‘The money she stole from the department is also stolen from society and from the taxpayer.’
Lewis is paying it back at £10 a week from incapacity benefit she continues to claim.
- First, this has taken two years to get to court after they did the filming. What's been going on?
Second, she is still getting incapacity benefit despite being able to play plenty of golf. If she can play, she can work.
This ladies' golf captain really has no other assets which could be sold to repay taxpayers?
Not impressive.
12 Jan 2011
Deliberate fraudster gets off lightly
A benefit cheat who claimed more than £9,000 by pretending to be his brother has been told to stay in under a curfew.
Kevin Jeffers was given £9,249 in income support, housing and council tax benefit and disability benefit that he wasn't entitled to, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.
The fraudster carried on his con for 11 months before he was found out by the Department for Work and Pensions.
The 61-year-old, who was claiming benefits for himself legitimately, got into trouble after he began claiming cash in the name of his brother, Ivan Jeffers.
But Jeffers avoided punishment for 10 years after he moved away to South Africa.
It was only when he returned to the UK in 2008 and started claiming benefits again that the authorities caught up with him.
Ed Woodhouse, head of revenues and benefits at Portsmouth City Council, said: 'Benefits are for people who need them, and claiming them falsely is taking money from everyone who pays taxes.'
Jeffers pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by making a false representation to gain money. The offences date back to between September 2000 and August 2001.
Audrey Archer, defending, said Jeffers had long standing mental health problems. Didn't stop him being able to travel to South Africa and survive there for several years, though - or concocting a deliberate fraud.
She told the court he had already started paying the money back out of the disability benefits he still receives.
Judge Ian Pearson said: 'What you did was dishonest. It was dishonest, really from the beginning and involved assuming a false identity, that of your brother to make the claim.
'These offences were committed quite some time ago but the reason for the long delay is that you went to live out of the jurisdiction.
'These offences are serious enough to merit a community order.'
Jeffers will have to wear an electronic tag and stay at home everyday between 8pm and 8am for the next six months. He was also told to pay £120 towards court costs.
Kevin Jeffers was given £9,249 in income support, housing and council tax benefit and disability benefit that he wasn't entitled to, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.
The fraudster carried on his con for 11 months before he was found out by the Department for Work and Pensions.
The 61-year-old, who was claiming benefits for himself legitimately, got into trouble after he began claiming cash in the name of his brother, Ivan Jeffers.
But Jeffers avoided punishment for 10 years after he moved away to South Africa.
It was only when he returned to the UK in 2008 and started claiming benefits again that the authorities caught up with him.
Ed Woodhouse, head of revenues and benefits at Portsmouth City Council, said: 'Benefits are for people who need them, and claiming them falsely is taking money from everyone who pays taxes.'
Jeffers pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by making a false representation to gain money. The offences date back to between September 2000 and August 2001.
Audrey Archer, defending, said Jeffers had long standing mental health problems. Didn't stop him being able to travel to South Africa and survive there for several years, though - or concocting a deliberate fraud.
She told the court he had already started paying the money back out of the disability benefits he still receives.
Judge Ian Pearson said: 'What you did was dishonest. It was dishonest, really from the beginning and involved assuming a false identity, that of your brother to make the claim.
'These offences were committed quite some time ago but the reason for the long delay is that you went to live out of the jurisdiction.
'These offences are serious enough to merit a community order.'
Jeffers will have to wear an electronic tag and stay at home everyday between 8pm and 8am for the next six months. He was also told to pay £120 towards court costs.
11 Jan 2011
Immigrant costs taxpayers £400k - and rising
Her harrowing account of being brutally gang-raped by armed militiamen in Somalia won Amina Muse refuge in Britain.
The mother-of-six, whose asylum application graphically described her brothers being shot dead in front of her, was later given UK citizenship because of the ‘appalling atrocities’.
But the terrifying ordeal, like her identity, was completely bogus – it was merely a front for an elaborate benefit fraud that cost taxpayers more than £400,000.
On the day that Muse claimed that armed men stormed her family home in East Africa she was giving birth in Sweden.
The 38-year-old, who investigators suspect might actually be Kenyan, conned that country out of £50,000.
She spent the money on luxury living, flying between Stockholm and London to perpetuate her scam.
In Britain, she applied for every welfare benefit possible under her false name and claimed further UK handouts using the bogus identity she had adopted to secure a Swedish passport.
Yesterday she was jailed for four and a half years after a jury convicted her of a string of fraud charges.
The judge said the sentence would have been harsher but for consideration of the welfare of Muse’s children, the ‘real victims in this case’. Presumably we now have to look after them?
The court was told she cannot be deported because she is a British citizen. Last night there were demands that the Home Office, which is reviewing her status, remove her from this country.
Tory MP Philip Davies said:
Harrow Crown Court heard that Muse had sought refuge in Britain after eight years of ‘comfortable’ living in Sweden.
On her 2003 asylum application, she claimed militiamen targeted her family home in December 1998 because she was a member of a minority group.
‘They opened fire at us and then broke into our house by force,’ she said. ‘They shot dead my brothers Asad and Burhan. They died instantly in our presence.’
Andrew Evans, prosecuting, told the court Muse made her asylum application on the grounds she had a well-founded fear of persecution if she returned to Somalia.
Besides the murder of her two brothers, she said her niece had been raped, tortured and beaten and that she herself had been gang-raped while three months’ pregnant, leading to a miscarriage.
Between June 2004 and May 2010, Muse, from Neasden, North-West London, claimed £261,358 in income support, disability living allowance for one of her children and carer’s allowance for herself.
The total included child benefit, child tax credits and housing benefit from various councils.
She received £112,985 from the borough of Camden and lived in a four-bedroom property there.
Judge Stephen Holt, sentencing Muse, told her: ‘One of the most serious aspects of this case is your cynical, dishonest manipulation of the whole system of asylum.’
Condemning her deceit, he said: ‘It was fraud from the outset. It was professionally planned. Your actions harm the people who really do need and deserve asylum.
‘In total you took somewhere in the region of £261,358 from the British taxpayer and have shown absolutely no remorse.’
Muse had denied obtaining money transfers by deception, fraud by false representation, 12 counts of making false representations, four counts of receiving overpayments of benefits and five counts of fraud.
Migrationwatch chairman Sir Andrew Green said:
The mother-of-six, whose asylum application graphically described her brothers being shot dead in front of her, was later given UK citizenship because of the ‘appalling atrocities’.
But the terrifying ordeal, like her identity, was completely bogus – it was merely a front for an elaborate benefit fraud that cost taxpayers more than £400,000.
On the day that Muse claimed that armed men stormed her family home in East Africa she was giving birth in Sweden.
The 38-year-old, who investigators suspect might actually be Kenyan, conned that country out of £50,000.
She spent the money on luxury living, flying between Stockholm and London to perpetuate her scam.
In Britain, she applied for every welfare benefit possible under her false name and claimed further UK handouts using the bogus identity she had adopted to secure a Swedish passport.
Yesterday she was jailed for four and a half years after a jury convicted her of a string of fraud charges.
The judge said the sentence would have been harsher but for consideration of the welfare of Muse’s children, the ‘real victims in this case’. Presumably we now have to look after them?
The court was told she cannot be deported because she is a British citizen. Last night there were demands that the Home Office, which is reviewing her status, remove her from this country.
Tory MP Philip Davies said:
This kind of scam brings the whole asylum system into complete disrepute.
It’s no wonder there is no confidence in the authorities to properly control our borders and stop our hospitality being abused.
The fact that this woman’s future status in this country is in any doubt whatsoever is unbelievable.
There can’t be one person in this country who doesn’t want her kicked out of the country and never allowed back.
Harrow Crown Court heard that Muse had sought refuge in Britain after eight years of ‘comfortable’ living in Sweden.
On her 2003 asylum application, she claimed militiamen targeted her family home in December 1998 because she was a member of a minority group.
‘They opened fire at us and then broke into our house by force,’ she said. ‘They shot dead my brothers Asad and Burhan. They died instantly in our presence.’
Andrew Evans, prosecuting, told the court Muse made her asylum application on the grounds she had a well-founded fear of persecution if she returned to Somalia.
Besides the murder of her two brothers, she said her niece had been raped, tortured and beaten and that she herself had been gang-raped while three months’ pregnant, leading to a miscarriage.
Between June 2004 and May 2010, Muse, from Neasden, North-West London, claimed £261,358 in income support, disability living allowance for one of her children and carer’s allowance for herself.
The total included child benefit, child tax credits and housing benefit from various councils.
She received £112,985 from the borough of Camden and lived in a four-bedroom property there.
Judge Stephen Holt, sentencing Muse, told her: ‘One of the most serious aspects of this case is your cynical, dishonest manipulation of the whole system of asylum.’
Condemning her deceit, he said: ‘It was fraud from the outset. It was professionally planned. Your actions harm the people who really do need and deserve asylum.
‘In total you took somewhere in the region of £261,358 from the British taxpayer and have shown absolutely no remorse.’
Investigating the case cost taxpayers a further £150,000.
Muse had denied obtaining money transfers by deception, fraud by false representation, 12 counts of making false representations, four counts of receiving overpayments of benefits and five counts of fraud.
Migrationwatch chairman Sir Andrew Green said:
It is absolutely essential in a case like this that her citizenship be revoked and she should be removed.
All scams of this kind are deeply offensive to the public and undermine support for genuine refugees. It seems to have been a deeply cynical scam from the start.
A taxpayer asks ...
We have readers from inside and outside the benefits system and welcome comment from both. Here's a comment from a reader who doesn't work in the benefits system, but pays taxes to keep it going:
When I wanted to report someone whom I suspected of claiming housing benefit illegally, I was told they would have to be informed who was raising the query.
My local councillor discovered that yes, payment was being made illegally, it then took them four months to stop paying him, and more than 15 months later no one has interviewed me. To the best of my knowledge nothing has happened to the culprit.
I had thought housing benefit would only be paid out when it had been checked with the landlord that someone was staying there. It seems to me to be an obvious thing to do if you want to avoid fraud? Apparently it is regarded as an individual matter of the claimant and of no concern to anyone else.
I knew someone who had claimed asylum here, whose wife and four children suddenly materialised and moved straight into a four bedroom council house. Asking how he managed this I was told "you borrow someone else's children and say you are living in one room". The rest of the family come over when the house becomes available. I am told this is quite common, especially when claiming benefits for children.
Someone working in a school told me that some people apparently have more children as far as the state goes, than actually live with them.
Amazing. Surely the coalition can start empowering former policemen and business people to do private investigations? There's enough info. on this blog to point the way (checking the land registry for example). I guess most people confess when confronted with evidence of wrongdoing?
I am sure there are a lot of people out there working within the "system" who feel as strongly as I do about the way we run things in this country. Is there scope for a private agency with an ability to think laterally in dealing with these issues? I continue to be amazed at what goes on.
10 Jan 2011
Jail for £60k benefits thief
A married mother has been jailed after admitting swindling nearly £60,000 in benefits.
Gillian Morris, claimed to officials that she was a single mother living in rented accommodation with no income. But she was actually living with her husband Keith in a jointly owned home with access to a shared bank account.
The mother fraudulently claimed housing benefit, council tax payments and income support for a number of years before the offence came to light.
Morris, of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, previously admitted two charges of claiming benefits by fraud at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. Sentence was deferred until Friday and she was jailed for 11 months.
Sheriff James Tierney said such an offence was easy to commit but difficult to detect. He added: "I am entirely satisfied that a custodial sentence is appropriate in this case."
The sheriff said recent high court guidelines had been issued for sentencing cases involving fraud of the public purse which had to be taken into account.
Between September 7, 2001 and September 7, 2008, Morris fraudulently claimed £29,111.26 in housing benefit and £5,797.80 in council tax benefits from Aberdeenshire Council.
She claimed a further £21,932.52 in income support from the Department for Work and Pensions between December 10, 1997, and July 15, 2008.
However, defence lawyer Colin Wilson said his client did not set out to commit fraud. He said: "What I can say is that this was a course of action which started inadvertently.
"She was entitled to these benefits initially. Her crime was that she failed to inform the authorities of the change in circumstances. The accused is a woman in her 50s who appears as an absolute first offender.
"She does, however, appreciate there are very large sums of public money involved." He added: "She is the mother of children for whom she remains responsible."
The court heard proceeds of crime investigations were still ongoing. Sheriff Tierney said he had reduced the sentence of imprisonment from a year to 11 months due to her early plea.
Gillian Morris, claimed to officials that she was a single mother living in rented accommodation with no income. But she was actually living with her husband Keith in a jointly owned home with access to a shared bank account.
The mother fraudulently claimed housing benefit, council tax payments and income support for a number of years before the offence came to light.
Morris, of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, previously admitted two charges of claiming benefits by fraud at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. Sentence was deferred until Friday and she was jailed for 11 months.
Sheriff James Tierney said such an offence was easy to commit but difficult to detect. He added: "I am entirely satisfied that a custodial sentence is appropriate in this case."
The sheriff said recent high court guidelines had been issued for sentencing cases involving fraud of the public purse which had to be taken into account.
Between September 7, 2001 and September 7, 2008, Morris fraudulently claimed £29,111.26 in housing benefit and £5,797.80 in council tax benefits from Aberdeenshire Council.
She claimed a further £21,932.52 in income support from the Department for Work and Pensions between December 10, 1997, and July 15, 2008.
However, defence lawyer Colin Wilson said his client did not set out to commit fraud. He said: "What I can say is that this was a course of action which started inadvertently.
"She was entitled to these benefits initially. Her crime was that she failed to inform the authorities of the change in circumstances. The accused is a woman in her 50s who appears as an absolute first offender.
"She does, however, appreciate there are very large sums of public money involved." He added: "She is the mother of children for whom she remains responsible."
The court heard proceeds of crime investigations were still ongoing. Sheriff Tierney said he had reduced the sentence of imprisonment from a year to 11 months due to her early plea.
7 Jan 2011
Landlady was £60k benefit thief
A landlady who made thousands of pounds renting out bedrooms in her luxury home with its own swimming pool while claiming benefits has been exposed as a cheat.
Lynne Hampson, from Worcester Park, cheated taxpayers out of more than £60,000 by falsely claiming income support and council tax benefit at the same time as renting out the rooms.
She used the money from her five-year scam to pay for a loft conversion, changing her house into a seven bedroom property, which allowed her to rent to more tenants and increase her profits.
She was brought to justice after a tip-off from a disgruntled ex-tenant sparked an investigation by Sutton Council and the DWP.
The investigation revealed that although Hampson had declared earnings of just £20 a week from renting out the rooms, she actually made up to £540 a month per room.
After pleading guilty at Croydon Crown Court, Hampson "could now face jail" when she is sentenced on 21 January. She will also be forced to sell her home to repay the money she swindled.
Councillor John Drage, Sutton Council’s spokesman for finance and efficiency, said: “Wrongfully deceiving the taxpayer out of such a large amount of money is a very serious matter, especially at a time when pressures on our budget are so great.
“We will push for the full amount to be repaid promptly so that the money can be used for those in genuine need.”
Lynne Hampson, from Worcester Park, cheated taxpayers out of more than £60,000 by falsely claiming income support and council tax benefit at the same time as renting out the rooms.
She used the money from her five-year scam to pay for a loft conversion, changing her house into a seven bedroom property, which allowed her to rent to more tenants and increase her profits.
She was brought to justice after a tip-off from a disgruntled ex-tenant sparked an investigation by Sutton Council and the DWP.
The investigation revealed that although Hampson had declared earnings of just £20 a week from renting out the rooms, she actually made up to £540 a month per room.
After pleading guilty at Croydon Crown Court, Hampson "could now face jail" when she is sentenced on 21 January. She will also be forced to sell her home to repay the money she swindled.
Councillor John Drage, Sutton Council’s spokesman for finance and efficiency, said: “Wrongfully deceiving the taxpayer out of such a large amount of money is a very serious matter, especially at a time when pressures on our budget are so great.
“We will push for the full amount to be repaid promptly so that the money can be used for those in genuine need.”
6 Jan 2011
P J Proby charged with benefit fraud
The 1960s pop star PJ Proby has been charged with cheating the benefits system out of more than £47,000.
Magistrates in Worcester adjourned the case until February after receiving a letter from a solicitor asking for more time to prepare for the proceedings.
More
Magistrates in Worcester adjourned the case until February after receiving a letter from a solicitor asking for more time to prepare for the proceedings.
More
Councils blow their benefit fraud trumpets
It's a time of year when councils tell us how well they've done in combating benefit fraud. Thus Bradford Council announces that it has uncovered nearly £4m of housing and council tax benefit fraud in less than two years.
Meanwhile, a counter-fraud team in Dundee have uncovered benefit overpayments of more than half a million pounds in six months.
The total overpayments identified came to £573,000, compared to £258,000 in the same period last year. Almost two-thirds of it was believed to be the result of fraud, with the rest stemming from errors by claimants. Efforts are made to recover the overpayments and in 55% of cases they have already been paid back in full.
But again, no context.
Some 719 cases of fraud involving a total of £1.4m, have been dealt with by the Council so far this financial year, up until the end of November.But of course these numbers mean nothing unless we know how much the council paid out. and to how many claimants.
It has resulted in 24 people being hauled before the courts, while 68 others have been settled outside of prosecutions.
Meanwhile, a counter-fraud team in Dundee have uncovered benefit overpayments of more than half a million pounds in six months.
The total overpayments identified came to £573,000, compared to £258,000 in the same period last year. Almost two-thirds of it was believed to be the result of fraud, with the rest stemming from errors by claimants. Efforts are made to recover the overpayments and in 55% of cases they have already been paid back in full.
But again, no context.
5 Jan 2011
Strange goings on in Coventry
Coventry City Council leaders are to launch an independent inquiry into a court case brought against a disgraced councillor guilty of falsely claiming £14,000 in council benefits, reports the Coventry Telegraph.
Labour council leaders insist they played no part in legal action sought by council lawyers against Labour councillor Raja Mohammed Asif, which magistrates heard had cost city taxpayers £25,000.
The inquiry will consider why the prosecution had called on magistrates to accept an “agreement” between the prosecution and defence that Coun Asif would plead guilty to lesser charges – and more serious charges would be dropped – on the basis he would pay the council’s costs.
Leamington magistrate John Haywood, in dismissing prosecuting barrister Roger Birch’s terms of the “agreement” on Thursday, said it was “plea bargaining in the extreme”, and charges should be considered on the facts.
Yet, following legal argument, sentence was still passed on the lesser charges, of Asif making false statements on benefits claim forms to obtain Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit.
The subsequently dropped more serious fraud charges raised at earlier hearings – that he had “dishonestly” claimed the benefits – carried a maximum six-month prison sentence.
Instead, Coun Asif, aged 63, of Watersmeet Road, Stoke, Coventry, was fined £750 and ordered to pay just £1,300 costs, after the court heard the costs should reflect his ability to pay.
The incorrect statements on claim forms he pleaded guilty to included stating he did not know the landlord, who was his son.
The court heard he had also failed to enter his son’s correct full name on the claim forms, and failed to declare more than £20,000 he held in a bank account.
The magistrate said he was also taking into account in passing sentence Coun Asif’s guilty plea and health – the court heard he has developed lung cancer.
Labour councillor Phil Townshend, cabinet member for legal affairs, said the council would now hire a barrister to conduct a full independent inquiry into council lawyers’ handling of the case.
He said: “The leader John Mutton has instructed me to commission an external report into whether the entire process was in line with the highest standards of local government.
“It should look at the circumstances of the benefits claims, how he was prosecuted, the costs involved, how the supposed agreement arose, and what lessons the council can learn.
“In my experience as a lawyer, it’s unusual to run up costs of £25,000 for a prosecution for housing benefit.
“The prosecution was brought entirely independently of councillors through the council’s legal department. I stood completely aside from it.”
Coun Asif has avoided full suspension as a councillor for Upper Stoke as the benefits claims were made between 2004 and 2006, a year before he became councillor.
He has repaid the money and will stand down before next May’s election.
He made the claims for rent at a property in Kingsway, Stoke, Coventry, after he sold it to his son, and would not have been entitled to the benefits on that basis.
Lib Dem councillor Russell Field called on Coun Asif to resign now, or be sacked by the council’s Labour leaders.
Coun Field has raised concerns with the council chief executive Martin Reeves about the prosecution’s “agreement”, denied by Asif.
He said: “If true, it seems Coventry City Council was more interested in getting its money back than the prosecution itself.”
Coun Asif’s defence barrister Daniel Chadwick said Coun Asif’s son had filled in the benefits forms, as Coun Asif was on strong painkillers after a knee operation.
Labour council leaders insist they played no part in legal action sought by council lawyers against Labour councillor Raja Mohammed Asif, which magistrates heard had cost city taxpayers £25,000.
The inquiry will consider why the prosecution had called on magistrates to accept an “agreement” between the prosecution and defence that Coun Asif would plead guilty to lesser charges – and more serious charges would be dropped – on the basis he would pay the council’s costs.
Leamington magistrate John Haywood, in dismissing prosecuting barrister Roger Birch’s terms of the “agreement” on Thursday, said it was “plea bargaining in the extreme”, and charges should be considered on the facts.
Yet, following legal argument, sentence was still passed on the lesser charges, of Asif making false statements on benefits claim forms to obtain Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit.
The subsequently dropped more serious fraud charges raised at earlier hearings – that he had “dishonestly” claimed the benefits – carried a maximum six-month prison sentence.
Instead, Coun Asif, aged 63, of Watersmeet Road, Stoke, Coventry, was fined £750 and ordered to pay just £1,300 costs, after the court heard the costs should reflect his ability to pay.
The incorrect statements on claim forms he pleaded guilty to included stating he did not know the landlord, who was his son.
The court heard he had also failed to enter his son’s correct full name on the claim forms, and failed to declare more than £20,000 he held in a bank account.
The magistrate said he was also taking into account in passing sentence Coun Asif’s guilty plea and health – the court heard he has developed lung cancer.
Labour councillor Phil Townshend, cabinet member for legal affairs, said the council would now hire a barrister to conduct a full independent inquiry into council lawyers’ handling of the case.
He said: “The leader John Mutton has instructed me to commission an external report into whether the entire process was in line with the highest standards of local government.
“It should look at the circumstances of the benefits claims, how he was prosecuted, the costs involved, how the supposed agreement arose, and what lessons the council can learn.
“In my experience as a lawyer, it’s unusual to run up costs of £25,000 for a prosecution for housing benefit.
“The prosecution was brought entirely independently of councillors through the council’s legal department. I stood completely aside from it.”
Coun Asif has avoided full suspension as a councillor for Upper Stoke as the benefits claims were made between 2004 and 2006, a year before he became councillor.
He has repaid the money and will stand down before next May’s election.
He made the claims for rent at a property in Kingsway, Stoke, Coventry, after he sold it to his son, and would not have been entitled to the benefits on that basis.
Lib Dem councillor Russell Field called on Coun Asif to resign now, or be sacked by the council’s Labour leaders.
Coun Field has raised concerns with the council chief executive Martin Reeves about the prosecution’s “agreement”, denied by Asif.
He said: “If true, it seems Coventry City Council was more interested in getting its money back than the prosecution itself.”
Coun Asif’s defence barrister Daniel Chadwick said Coun Asif’s son had filled in the benefits forms, as Coun Asif was on strong painkillers after a knee operation.
4 Jan 2011
Light sentence for assets benefit fraud
Michael Standera, from Ewell, has admitted five offences of dishonesty which resulted in him claiming over £22,000 of Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. The offences arose from his failure to declare that he had capital over the allowed limit.
The court heard that Mr Standera had been saving to buy himself a new car but had failed to declare his savings. He was sentenced to a total of 10 months custody suspended for two years and a curfew order active between the hours of 9pm and 8am for a period of six months.
In passing sentence, Judge Riza QC commented that such a loss to the public purse was very serious particularly at a time when the country is experiencing difficult circumstances.
The court also agreed to a confiscation hearing being undertaken, due next month, which can force seizure of assets held in order to repay any money received fraudulently.
The court heard that Mr Standera had been saving to buy himself a new car but had failed to declare his savings. He was sentenced to a total of 10 months custody suspended for two years and a curfew order active between the hours of 9pm and 8am for a period of six months.
In passing sentence, Judge Riza QC commented that such a loss to the public purse was very serious particularly at a time when the country is experiencing difficult circumstances.
The court also agreed to a confiscation hearing being undertaken, due next month, which can force seizure of assets held in order to repay any money received fraudulently.
- These people do it for the money. So hit them in the pocket. It was money that motivated them, and a financial penalty will help to deter them.
Everyone convicted of benefit fraud who doesn't go to prison should have to do unpaid work.
Benefit thieves should also have to repay twice what they've stolen, and should not be eligible for any further benefits – including tax credits - until they have. A confiscation order should be automatic and immediate.
If you don't punish people who are convicted of an easy crime, the offence will continue to look attractive.
Data matching catches Watford benefit thief
A benefit cheat has been sentenced to a 12 month community order, with a work requirement of 120 hours, and ordered to pay full costs of £430 to Watford Borough Council.
Mr Marco Martins was also required to repay the full amount of overpaid benefit - £4,764, and has made an arrangement with the council to do so. In all cases of benefit fraud, the full amount of overpaid benefit has to be repaid.
Mr Martins claimed housing benefit and council tax benefit between 2005 and 2009, but failed to declare that his wife had been working, and that he had also taken on additional employment.
Councillor Andy Wylie, cabinet member responsible for financial issues, said: “The council carries out monthly data matching exercises with the Department for Work and Pensions, which helps identify potentially fraudulent claims and payments. Where a match is found it indicates there is an inconsistency that requires further investigation.”
As a result of one of these exercises, an inconsistency was found in regard to Mr Martins and an investigation, carried out by the council, found that Mrs Martins was employed by Manpower Recruitment Agency, and that Mr Martins had taken on extra work from Extrastaff Employment Agency.
Mr Marco Martins was also required to repay the full amount of overpaid benefit - £4,764, and has made an arrangement with the council to do so. In all cases of benefit fraud, the full amount of overpaid benefit has to be repaid.
Mr Martins claimed housing benefit and council tax benefit between 2005 and 2009, but failed to declare that his wife had been working, and that he had also taken on additional employment.
Councillor Andy Wylie, cabinet member responsible for financial issues, said: “The council carries out monthly data matching exercises with the Department for Work and Pensions, which helps identify potentially fraudulent claims and payments. Where a match is found it indicates there is an inconsistency that requires further investigation.”
As a result of one of these exercises, an inconsistency was found in regard to Mr Martins and an investigation, carried out by the council, found that Mrs Martins was employed by Manpower Recruitment Agency, and that Mr Martins had taken on extra work from Extrastaff Employment Agency.
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