A top boxing coach and his ex-girlfriend were put behind bars for a 13-year scam which saw them swindle nearly £100,000.
During the elaborate fraud, Natalie Dickman pretended she was a single mum and that trainer Daniel Vaughan, 39, was her landlord so that they could claim a string of benefits.
But in reality the pair had been a couple for years and had four children together.
Dickman, 36, lived in Vaughan’s Fazakerley home with their children and the family all went on holiday together.
Jailing them both for 10 months, Judge John Robert said: “The aggravating features of this case are the very large sums of public money involved.
“It was a lengthy period of time over which the offences were committed.”
He said: “I have no hesitation whatsoever in concluding that for these offences only a custodial sentence can be justified.
“I would be failing in my public duty, given the amounts involved, to take a different view.”
Eleanor King, prosecuting on behalf of Liverpool City Council, told how Dickman began to claim benefits in April 1996 saying she was a single mum living in rented accommodation on Sparrow Hall Road. She named Vaughan as her landlord.
Over the following 13 years she continued to claim as if she was a lone parent while Vaughan received housing payments as her landlord.
But an extensive investigation was launched in 2009 after officials noticed documentation suggesting Vaughan was also living in Sparrow Hall Road.
Paperwork showed he had successfully applied to build an extension on the property.
Bank accounts also revealed the couple had gone on holiday together, while teachers for their kids told how they were referred to as Dickman-Vaughan.
After her arrest Dickman continued to insist Vaughan was not the dad to her kids. But when presented with the evidence she ended the interview.
They both pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining services by deception while Dickman admitted a further charge of failing to make representations in order to dishonestly claim money.
The court heard over the life of the scam the couple fraudulently claimed £51,600 in housing benefit and £13,484 in council tax. Dickman also scammed £32,268 in income support.
The total fraud amounted to £97,353. Kenneth Grant, defending Vaughan, told how his client took full responsibility for the scam.
He said the top boxing coach, now of Bidston Road, Anfield, was currently training seven charges - all possible championship material.
Brendan Carville, defending Dickman, told how she feared for her children if she went to prison.
29 Apr 2011
Little punishment for deliberate benefits fraudster
Jogging on a treadmill, cycling on an exercise bike and carrying out a tiring weight training regime, Mary Grace, 60, appeared to have the energy of someone half her age.
But Mrs Grace was apparently suffering from crippling arthritis and pain so bad she could hardly walk.
Yesterday she was exposed as a benefit cheat who wrongly claimed almost £20,000 in disability handouts after saying she could barely walk more than 40 yards.
She had been claiming disability living allowance (DLA) since February 1996 for arthritis and depression she said she had suffered after serving as a witness in a murder trial.
But when her health improved around 2004, she continued to claim the benefits.
Yet three times a week she attended a local gym where she was spotted jogging on a treadmill, using an exercise bike and other gym equipment.
She was unmasked as a cheat after a tip off which led to investigators from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) secretly filming her working out three times a week as member of the Spindler Fields Gym in Liverpool.
Surveillance footage showed the mother-of-two using the treadmill at a ‘steep incline’ for 55 minutes, enjoying the free weights and resistance machines and even going for swims.
Kevin Slack, prosecuting, said that initially Mrs Grace correctly claimed for her disability.
He said: ‘However, in September 2004 she filled out a form stating she was severely restricted. She said she could only walk 40 yards and needed someone with her at all times. She said she had a tendency to fall over and stumble.
‘She dishonestly exaggerated the true extend of her difficulties. In May 2006 she filled out another form and described a similar level of disability and restricted ability to walk and the need to have someone with her at all times and that was a dishonest exaggeration.’
Mr Slack said: ‘The defendant was in the habit of attending the Spindler Fields leisure centre. She was recorded using a treadmill at a steep incline for 55 minutes. She also used weights, resistance machines, exercise bikes and the hotel swimming pool.
‘She had been a member of the gym since November 2004 and she attended three times a week. During that time a no stage had any member of staff been required to assist the defendant.’
She was arrested and made ‘full and frank’ admission to the police in interview.
Philip Lieb, defending, said that she had been ‘physically and mentally’ affected by her role as a witness in a murder trial some 17 years prior.
He said: ‘The consequences were that there were reprisals. Her home was shot at and set on fire. She had to move.’
Mr Lieb told how she suffered from arthritis and depression at the time of making the original claim and she was prescribed medication including prozac.
She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a 12-week suspended sentence at Liverpool magistrates court.
Passing sentence District Judge Ian Lomax said: ‘These are not claims that were false from the outset, they subsequently became false.
‘You have a historic record of dishonesty. On the review claims you completed you exaggerated your disability.
‘At your age it's admirable to have a fitness regime and to want to keep fit but not at the public's expense.
‘It's always been a serious offence and it deprives those with genuine needs of their money. These offences are taking on a great level of scrutiny and the impact will clearly be felt.
‘A clear message needs to be sent out that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated.’
Mrs Grace was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £75 at the rate of £15 a fortnight.
But Mrs Grace was apparently suffering from crippling arthritis and pain so bad she could hardly walk.
Yesterday she was exposed as a benefit cheat who wrongly claimed almost £20,000 in disability handouts after saying she could barely walk more than 40 yards.
She had been claiming disability living allowance (DLA) since February 1996 for arthritis and depression she said she had suffered after serving as a witness in a murder trial.
But when her health improved around 2004, she continued to claim the benefits.
Yet three times a week she attended a local gym where she was spotted jogging on a treadmill, using an exercise bike and other gym equipment.
She was unmasked as a cheat after a tip off which led to investigators from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) secretly filming her working out three times a week as member of the Spindler Fields Gym in Liverpool.
Surveillance footage showed the mother-of-two using the treadmill at a ‘steep incline’ for 55 minutes, enjoying the free weights and resistance machines and even going for swims.
Kevin Slack, prosecuting, said that initially Mrs Grace correctly claimed for her disability.
He said: ‘However, in September 2004 she filled out a form stating she was severely restricted. She said she could only walk 40 yards and needed someone with her at all times. She said she had a tendency to fall over and stumble.
‘She dishonestly exaggerated the true extend of her difficulties. In May 2006 she filled out another form and described a similar level of disability and restricted ability to walk and the need to have someone with her at all times and that was a dishonest exaggeration.’
Mr Slack said: ‘The defendant was in the habit of attending the Spindler Fields leisure centre. She was recorded using a treadmill at a steep incline for 55 minutes. She also used weights, resistance machines, exercise bikes and the hotel swimming pool.
‘She had been a member of the gym since November 2004 and she attended three times a week. During that time a no stage had any member of staff been required to assist the defendant.’
She was arrested and made ‘full and frank’ admission to the police in interview.
Philip Lieb, defending, said that she had been ‘physically and mentally’ affected by her role as a witness in a murder trial some 17 years prior.
He said: ‘The consequences were that there were reprisals. Her home was shot at and set on fire. She had to move.’
Mr Lieb told how she suffered from arthritis and depression at the time of making the original claim and she was prescribed medication including prozac.
She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a 12-week suspended sentence at Liverpool magistrates court.
Passing sentence District Judge Ian Lomax said: ‘These are not claims that were false from the outset, they subsequently became false.
‘You have a historic record of dishonesty. On the review claims you completed you exaggerated your disability.
‘At your age it's admirable to have a fitness regime and to want to keep fit but not at the public's expense.
‘It's always been a serious offence and it deprives those with genuine needs of their money. These offences are taking on a great level of scrutiny and the impact will clearly be felt.
‘A clear message needs to be sent out that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated.’
Mrs Grace was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £75 at the rate of £15 a fortnight.
She will face a proceeds of crime hearing later this year about paying back the benefits she wrongly claimed.
- So a suspended sentence, a separate hearing about restitution later this year, but seemingly she can only afford £7.50 a week towards a nominal award of prosecution costs.
Another one gets away with it.
Benefit fraudster worked at DWP
Benefits cheat John Pickard left Department of Work and Pensions officials red-faced after scamming £18,000 while working at his local Job Centre.
Well, not the whole £18,000 as it turns out ... but it's still pretty astonishing.
The 64-year-old fiddled taxpayers' cash, including incapacity benefit, while he was a claims processor at the employment outlet.
Pickard, of Whissonsett, near Dereham, Norfolk, continued to claim benefits, including pension credits, when he was a taxi driver for a private hire company after he quit the Job Centre.
Judge Peter Jacobs said: 'At some stage you also worked for the DWP which seems bizarre.'
Pickard is now repaying the money out of his weekly benefits, the court heard.
Under current guidelines he avoided a prison term, instead being ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work and given a 12-month community order.
Andrew Oliver, defending, said he had worked all his life and had started claiming incapacity benefit after needing a knee operation.
Mr Oliver said: 'He got a job at a job centre and was already claiming incapacity benefit.'
'His condition is substantially impaired. He has wanted to work, as he has worked all his life and there came a time when he needed to rely on benefits.'
Well, not the whole £18,000 as it turns out ... but it's still pretty astonishing.
The 64-year-old fiddled taxpayers' cash, including incapacity benefit, while he was a claims processor at the employment outlet.
Pickard, of Whissonsett, near Dereham, Norfolk, continued to claim benefits, including pension credits, when he was a taxi driver for a private hire company after he quit the Job Centre.
Judge Peter Jacobs said: 'At some stage you also worked for the DWP which seems bizarre.'
Pickard is now repaying the money out of his weekly benefits, the court heard.
Under current guidelines he avoided a prison term, instead being ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work and given a 12-month community order.
Andrew Oliver, defending, said he had worked all his life and had started claiming incapacity benefit after needing a knee operation.
Mr Oliver said: 'He got a job at a job centre and was already claiming incapacity benefit.'
'His condition is substantially impaired. He has wanted to work, as he has worked all his life and there came a time when he needed to rely on benefits.'
28 Apr 2011
DWP releases incapacity benefit figures AGAIN
How do they get away with it? Byers in his time was famed for re-announcing good news, but Chris Grayling manages to recycle the IB story time and again.
Thus the BBC, for instance:
Of the 87 comments it has published, the BBC has chosen three as Editors' Picks. And all three oppose the new programme - how surprising is that?!
Still, the government's got coverage in the Mail and the Sun - the Sun even calling them "shock figures"!
Good to see the campaign rolling on.
Thus the BBC, for instance:
Three-quarters of people who apply for sickness benefit are found fit to work or drop their claims before they are completed, official figures show.At the end of their story they tell us that "the DWP figures cover the period from 27 October 2008 - when ESA was introduced by the former Labour government - to 31 August 2010". Nothing new there then. But the message remains utterly consistent, so someone at the DWP has learned from Labour the tactic of repetition, repetition, repetition.
Of the 87 comments it has published, the BBC has chosen three as Editors' Picks. And all three oppose the new programme - how surprising is that?!
Still, the government's got coverage in the Mail and the Sun - the Sun even calling them "shock figures"!
Good to see the campaign rolling on.
Trivial sentences for tax credit fraud scheme
The leader of a fraud ring has been jailed after he helped people claim thousands of pounds for fictitious disabled children.
Liam Stanford, 36, of Coppull, Lancashsire, was jailed for four years and three months.
Stanford, a former civil servant at HMRC in Preston, falsified the accounts of 21 people who then claimed a total of £360,000 in tax credits.
All twenty two people pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their part in the tax credits fraud.
The investigation by HMRC found that Stanford had been responsible for inputting the false details on to the tax credits system.
Paul Whittle, 37, and Neil Burrows, 43, from Chorley, were jailed for 25 weeks and 20 weeks respectively and Paul Hulme, 37, from Blackburn, was jailed for 21 weeks.
Ian Horridge, senior manager at HMRC, told the Preston Citizen: “This group has been responsible for a deliberate and sustained attack against the UK tax credits system in a deplorable attempt to defraud a system aimed at supporting the most vulnerable in our society.
“HMRC is committed to the highest levels of integrity and we take decisive action against the tiny minority who let us all down by falling short of those standards.”
The rest of the group received suspended sentences.
They were Laura Entwhistle, 29, from Oswaldtwistle; Caroline Lea, 30; Corinne Austin, 49; Burrows, 42; Caroline Whittle, 31; Lee Benson, 41; Paul Kirfoot, 41;and Tracey Nolan, 46, all from Chorley.
Liam Stanford, 36, of Coppull, Lancashsire, was jailed for four years and three months.
Stanford, a former civil servant at HMRC in Preston, falsified the accounts of 21 people who then claimed a total of £360,000 in tax credits.
All twenty two people pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their part in the tax credits fraud.
The investigation by HMRC found that Stanford had been responsible for inputting the false details on to the tax credits system.
Paul Whittle, 37, and Neil Burrows, 43, from Chorley, were jailed for 25 weeks and 20 weeks respectively and Paul Hulme, 37, from Blackburn, was jailed for 21 weeks.
Ian Horridge, senior manager at HMRC, told the Preston Citizen: “This group has been responsible for a deliberate and sustained attack against the UK tax credits system in a deplorable attempt to defraud a system aimed at supporting the most vulnerable in our society.
“HMRC is committed to the highest levels of integrity and we take decisive action against the tiny minority who let us all down by falling short of those standards.”
The rest of the group received suspended sentences.
They were Laura Entwhistle, 29, from Oswaldtwistle; Caroline Lea, 30; Corinne Austin, 49; Burrows, 42; Caroline Whittle, 31; Lee Benson, 41; Paul Kirfoot, 41;and Tracey Nolan, 46, all from Chorley.
27 Apr 2011
Benefit fraudster jailed after slow investigation
A Merstham woman has been handed an eight month prison sentence after pleading guilty to committing benefit fraud dating back to 2003, write Redhill Councillors.
Sarah Ford, 32, submitted false claims for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit to which she was not entitled amounting to over £19,000 in overpayment. She also falsely claimed £38,946 in Income Support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) from August 2005.
Ms Ford, previously of Mansfield Drive, Merstham, falsely claimed to be a single parent to her three children, living separately from her husband. However she had been living with her husband since moving to the property in September 2003, for which she had signed a joint tenancy agreement.
Excellent due diligence, then.
Ms Ford was prosecuted following a joint investigation led by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, during which she failed to attend four appointments for interviews under caution. She was arrested at her home on the 7 September 2010 by Surrey Police, who also assisted the investigation by conducting a house search and seizing various pieces of documentary evidence. Ms Ford was then interviewed at Reigate Police Station by investigators from the Council’s Anti Fraud team and Jobcentre Plus.
Her husband, Mr Ford, was later interviewed voluntarily and no further action was taken against him.
The case was heard at Guildford Crown Court where, on the 16 March 2011, Ms Ford pleaded guilty to six counts of making a false representation under the Social Security Administration Act. She was later sentenced to eight months imprisonment on the 15 April this year.
Cllr Victor Broad, the Council’s Executive Member for Finance, said:
“We operate a zero tolerance approach to benefit fraud. Our Anti Fraud and Anti Corruption team make every effort to prevent, detect and investigate any fraud that is committed against the Council, including benefit fraud.
“Ms Ford set out to deliberately cheat the benefit system and so we are pleased that the judge handed down what he thought was an appropriate sentence. We hope this serves as a warning to others that benefit fraud will not be tolerated and we will seek to gain the maximum penalty through the courts for this offence.”
Whilst no Compensation Order was made by the judge, Ms Ford is required to repay the overpayments in full to the Council and the DWP, on terms to be mutually agreed.
This slow process gives government no chance of tackling the billions of pounds of benefit fraud happening every year.
Sarah Ford, 32, submitted false claims for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit to which she was not entitled amounting to over £19,000 in overpayment. She also falsely claimed £38,946 in Income Support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) from August 2005.
Ms Ford, previously of Mansfield Drive, Merstham, falsely claimed to be a single parent to her three children, living separately from her husband. However she had been living with her husband since moving to the property in September 2003, for which she had signed a joint tenancy agreement.
Excellent due diligence, then.
Ms Ford was prosecuted following a joint investigation led by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, during which she failed to attend four appointments for interviews under caution. She was arrested at her home on the 7 September 2010 by Surrey Police, who also assisted the investigation by conducting a house search and seizing various pieces of documentary evidence. Ms Ford was then interviewed at Reigate Police Station by investigators from the Council’s Anti Fraud team and Jobcentre Plus.
Her husband, Mr Ford, was later interviewed voluntarily and no further action was taken against him.
The case was heard at Guildford Crown Court where, on the 16 March 2011, Ms Ford pleaded guilty to six counts of making a false representation under the Social Security Administration Act. She was later sentenced to eight months imprisonment on the 15 April this year.
Cllr Victor Broad, the Council’s Executive Member for Finance, said:
“We operate a zero tolerance approach to benefit fraud. Our Anti Fraud and Anti Corruption team make every effort to prevent, detect and investigate any fraud that is committed against the Council, including benefit fraud.
“Ms Ford set out to deliberately cheat the benefit system and so we are pleased that the judge handed down what he thought was an appropriate sentence. We hope this serves as a warning to others that benefit fraud will not be tolerated and we will seek to gain the maximum penalty through the courts for this offence.”
Whilst no Compensation Order was made by the judge, Ms Ford is required to repay the overpayments in full to the Council and the DWP, on terms to be mutually agreed.
This slow process gives government no chance of tackling the billions of pounds of benefit fraud happening every year.
26 Apr 2011
Tragic mother cheated on benefits
A judo champion who was hoping to represent Great Britain at next year’s Paralympics has been exposed as a benefits cheat who exaggerated her disability.
Alexis Farrington, 37, claimed she could only crawl across her house on a bad day and could barely make a meal because of her problems with mobility.
But a court was shown footage of the mother-of-four throwing an opponent to the floor during a judo bout.
In fact she is one of the country’s leading competitors in visually impaired judo and came fifth in the world championships in Turkey last year.
She also came second in the German Open while in 2009 she won a bronze medal at the Samurai Open Championships in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, despite competing against fully-sighted opponents.
Surveillance images also showed her out walking and shopping with her family as well as going running. While the court heard she is genuinely disabled, it was told she had made false claims totalling almost £8,000 by overstating the difficulties she faced in day-to-day life.
Neil Bisarya, prosecuting for the Department of Work and Pensions at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court, said she had failed to notify them when her mobility improved.
‘She said she could not walk more than 20 yards, limping, and that on a bad day she had to crawl around the house,’ he added.
Farrington had competed successfully in judo in earlier life, but a car crash had severely damaged her eyesight, the court heard.
Her spine, hips and legs were all broken but she continued taking part in the sport on doctors’ advice. In 2005 she had made a claim for Disability Living Allowance, saying she had epilepsy, arthritis, depression and visual impairment.
But fraud investigators received reports that she was able to get around unaided and carried out video surveillance on her and her family in June last year.
She was filmed walking with her husband and children for more than three miles, shopping and going to a pub in her home town of Heysham, Lancashire.
After being arrested she admitted that her mobility problems had reduced.
Farrington, who is no longer a member of the British Judo visually impaired squad, pleaded guilty to one count of failing to notify of a change of circumstances affecting benefit.
She was sentenced to a 12-month community order.
A spokesman for the British Paralympic judo squad said afterwards: ‘She is no longer one of our team.’
The British Judo Association said she was no longer a member of the organisation.
Alexis Farrington, 37, claimed she could only crawl across her house on a bad day and could barely make a meal because of her problems with mobility.
But a court was shown footage of the mother-of-four throwing an opponent to the floor during a judo bout.
In fact she is one of the country’s leading competitors in visually impaired judo and came fifth in the world championships in Turkey last year.
She also came second in the German Open while in 2009 she won a bronze medal at the Samurai Open Championships in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, despite competing against fully-sighted opponents.
Surveillance images also showed her out walking and shopping with her family as well as going running. While the court heard she is genuinely disabled, it was told she had made false claims totalling almost £8,000 by overstating the difficulties she faced in day-to-day life.
Neil Bisarya, prosecuting for the Department of Work and Pensions at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court, said she had failed to notify them when her mobility improved.
‘She said she could not walk more than 20 yards, limping, and that on a bad day she had to crawl around the house,’ he added.
Farrington had competed successfully in judo in earlier life, but a car crash had severely damaged her eyesight, the court heard.
Her spine, hips and legs were all broken but she continued taking part in the sport on doctors’ advice. In 2005 she had made a claim for Disability Living Allowance, saying she had epilepsy, arthritis, depression and visual impairment.
But fraud investigators received reports that she was able to get around unaided and carried out video surveillance on her and her family in June last year.
She was filmed walking with her husband and children for more than three miles, shopping and going to a pub in her home town of Heysham, Lancashire.
After being arrested she admitted that her mobility problems had reduced.
Farrington, who is no longer a member of the British Judo visually impaired squad, pleaded guilty to one count of failing to notify of a change of circumstances affecting benefit.
She was sentenced to a 12-month community order.
A spokesman for the British Paralympic judo squad said afterwards: ‘She is no longer one of our team.’
The British Judo Association said she was no longer a member of the organisation.
22 Apr 2011
Benefit fraud can be "hard to prove" - investigator
A fraudster who falsely claimed tens of thousands of pounds in benefits from City of York Council has been successfully prosecuted following a two-year investigation.
The case of 33-year-old Sarah Beattie was described by the council as one of the largest cases of benefit fraud the city had ever seen.
Over a four-year period, Beattie falsely claimed Income Support, Housing and Council Tax Benefit as a single parent.
However, a joint investigation by the council, the DWP and North Yorkshire Police discovered she had been living with the father of her children, Paul Willetts, 40, while he sub-let his own home next door.
So he's guilty of an offence too.
Veritau, the company which investigates fraud on behalf of the council, gathered enough evidence to see Beattie admit defrauding the council and DWP of £20,529 in Income Support, £10,448 in Housing Benefit and £2,415 in Council Tax Benefit.
However the council said it believed the true extent of the fraud to be nearer £60,000.
Max Thomas, head of internal audit at Veritau, said:
A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: “This is a good result for all of the agencies involved. It should send a very clear message to anyone involved with this type of crime that we will continue working together to bring them to justice.”
The case of 33-year-old Sarah Beattie was described by the council as one of the largest cases of benefit fraud the city had ever seen.
Over a four-year period, Beattie falsely claimed Income Support, Housing and Council Tax Benefit as a single parent.
However, a joint investigation by the council, the DWP and North Yorkshire Police discovered she had been living with the father of her children, Paul Willetts, 40, while he sub-let his own home next door.
So he's guilty of an offence too.
Veritau, the company which investigates fraud on behalf of the council, gathered enough evidence to see Beattie admit defrauding the council and DWP of £20,529 in Income Support, £10,448 in Housing Benefit and £2,415 in Council Tax Benefit.
However the council said it believed the true extent of the fraud to be nearer £60,000.
Max Thomas, head of internal audit at Veritau, said:
In terms of the size of the fraud it’s certainly one of the biggest cases for a number of years.Beattie pleaded guilty in York Crown Court and was ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service over a 12-month period.
We have been investigating it for a couple of years.
Generally these cases are hard to prove.
It’s taken investigators a lot of time and effort to get there, but we are just pleased to have reached this conclusion.”
A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: “This is a good result for all of the agencies involved. It should send a very clear message to anyone involved with this type of crime that we will continue working together to bring them to justice.”
21 Apr 2011
Benefit cheat student jailed
A student has been jailed for three months for fraudulently claiming almost £20,000 in housing benefit, after an Ealing Council investigation.
Nimo Saed, 27, from Perivale, made housing benefit claims for nearly three years between 2006 and 2009 while she studied at Thames Valley University. But she failed to disclose on paperwork that she was a student and did not declare the student finance payments she was receiving or the bank account they were being paid into. As a result she received £19,894 she was not entitled to.
Ms Saed appeared before Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday, 14 April where she pleaded guilty to four counts of dishonestly making a false representation under the Social Security Administration Act (1992). She was sentenced to three months in prison and will have to pay back all the wrongly claimed money to the council.
Council Leader, Councillor Julian Bell, said: "It’s quite sad that this young woman has ended up in prison with a criminal record, but I’m afraid she only has herself to blame. I hope when she leaves prison she will be able to turn her life around.
"There have been several cases recently involving students and I hope others will take note of how serious the consequences can be if they make fraudulent benefit claims."
Nimo Saed, 27, from Perivale, made housing benefit claims for nearly three years between 2006 and 2009 while she studied at Thames Valley University. But she failed to disclose on paperwork that she was a student and did not declare the student finance payments she was receiving or the bank account they were being paid into. As a result she received £19,894 she was not entitled to.
Ms Saed appeared before Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday, 14 April where she pleaded guilty to four counts of dishonestly making a false representation under the Social Security Administration Act (1992). She was sentenced to three months in prison and will have to pay back all the wrongly claimed money to the council.
Council Leader, Councillor Julian Bell, said: "It’s quite sad that this young woman has ended up in prison with a criminal record, but I’m afraid she only has herself to blame. I hope when she leaves prison she will be able to turn her life around.
"There have been several cases recently involving students and I hope others will take note of how serious the consequences can be if they make fraudulent benefit claims."
20 Apr 2011
Slowly slowly catchee mother
A mother who fraudulently claimed £23,000 in benefits and spent undeclared sums of money on holidays and property abroad has been spared prison.
Clair Wolsey, 41, fraudulently claimed £10,000 in housing support, £10,000 in income support and £3,000 in council tax between 2004 and 2009.
Over five years she also received money in undeclared bank accounts and used this to invest in a property in Turkey and go on holidays to Turkey, Bulgaria and the Dominican Republic.
Alan Fuller, prosecuting at Bristol Crown Court, explained that Wolsey had initially been correctly claiming benefits. But from 2004, when she said she was an unemployed single parent with no other income, she was actually living with her husband Jamie in Brangwyn Grove, Lockleaze.
The court heard a council officer visited Wolsey in July 2006, where she was asked of any changes to her circumstances.
She did not declare any changes and in 2007 and 2008 she signed forms also declaring there was no change in circumstance.
Mr Fuller explained that the Department for Work and Pensions began an investigation in 2008. And it's come to court in 2011. Wolsey's marriage certificate was found as well as evidence linking her husband to the address.
Credit checks also found the couple had opened an undeclared joint bank account in March 2004 and Wolsey was receiving child maintenance money from an ex-partner, which she had not declared.
Information and passports were also found which showed the couple had been on three foreign holidays and had invested £18,000 in a Turkish property. The court heard that from 2004 to 2009 nearly £75,000 undeclared money had gone into Wolsey's various bank accounts.
Oliver Willmott, defending, said: "It is a feature of living together as husband and wife where the woman is charged that the relationship is an unsatisfactory one – this case is no exception.
"Jamie Wolsey was addicted to drugs until 2007 – it was a fraught relationship, he was sometimes there and sometimes not.
"During the period the offences were committed it would be impossible to say exactly when he was living with her. It wasn't like she had a reliable stream of income and just decided to top it up – she was not living a luxury lifestyle."
Wolsey, who pleaded guilty to four charges of failing to give notification of change of circumstances, was given four concurrent 18 weeks prison sentences, suspended for two years. She was also given a 12-month community order to include 140 hours of unpaid work.
Wolsey was also told that a Proceeds of Crime hearing will take place on June 17 to determine what money should be given back.
htp Dave
Clair Wolsey, 41, fraudulently claimed £10,000 in housing support, £10,000 in income support and £3,000 in council tax between 2004 and 2009.
Over five years she also received money in undeclared bank accounts and used this to invest in a property in Turkey and go on holidays to Turkey, Bulgaria and the Dominican Republic.
Alan Fuller, prosecuting at Bristol Crown Court, explained that Wolsey had initially been correctly claiming benefits. But from 2004, when she said she was an unemployed single parent with no other income, she was actually living with her husband Jamie in Brangwyn Grove, Lockleaze.
The court heard a council officer visited Wolsey in July 2006, where she was asked of any changes to her circumstances.
She did not declare any changes and in 2007 and 2008 she signed forms also declaring there was no change in circumstance.
Mr Fuller explained that the Department for Work and Pensions began an investigation in 2008. And it's come to court in 2011. Wolsey's marriage certificate was found as well as evidence linking her husband to the address.
Credit checks also found the couple had opened an undeclared joint bank account in March 2004 and Wolsey was receiving child maintenance money from an ex-partner, which she had not declared.
Information and passports were also found which showed the couple had been on three foreign holidays and had invested £18,000 in a Turkish property. The court heard that from 2004 to 2009 nearly £75,000 undeclared money had gone into Wolsey's various bank accounts.
Oliver Willmott, defending, said: "It is a feature of living together as husband and wife where the woman is charged that the relationship is an unsatisfactory one – this case is no exception.
"Jamie Wolsey was addicted to drugs until 2007 – it was a fraught relationship, he was sometimes there and sometimes not.
"During the period the offences were committed it would be impossible to say exactly when he was living with her. It wasn't like she had a reliable stream of income and just decided to top it up – she was not living a luxury lifestyle."
Wolsey, who pleaded guilty to four charges of failing to give notification of change of circumstances, was given four concurrent 18 weeks prison sentences, suspended for two years. She was also given a 12-month community order to include 140 hours of unpaid work.
Wolsey was also told that a Proceeds of Crime hearing will take place on June 17 to determine what money should be given back.
htp Dave
19 Apr 2011
Slow benefit fraud prosecution brings light sentence
A benefits cheat who pocketed more than £50,000 by saying he could barely walk was filmed dancing and belting out hits as a pub entertainer.
Geoffrey Lindley was given a suspended jail sentence for illegally claiming disability living allowance and incapacity benefit for six years.
The 54-year-old was paid £54,259 after convincing council officers he could barely walk and suffered chest pains and panic attacks.
However, all the while he was working as a pub singer and entertainer in venues on the Lincolnshire coast.
Covert footage collected by Department for Work and Pensions officers showed Lindley singing and dancing in a pub and also calling out bingo numbers.
At 3.15pm on September 30, 2008, the cheat was filmed in the Archers pub, Lincoln, singing the Snow Patrol hit Chasing Cars while bantering with the crowd and asking the barman to pour him a pint.
Prosecutor Faye Mellor told Lincoln Crown Court yesterday that Lindley was seen performing energetically for up to half a hour.
She said: ‘The DWP became aware he had been working. As a result, covert observations were made and the defendant was found to be working.
‘He was singing and calling out bingo numbers. He was seen kneeling down and getting up without difficulty.
Caught on camera: Lindley's act included singing and dancing
‘He said he could walk only eight to ten metres for ten to 20 minutes. He said he had to be accompanied and suffered chest pains and had panic attacks.
‘He said he didn’t go out alone and used a stick or someone’s arm. He said he required assistance getting in and out of chairs.
‘He said he had difficulty going to the toilet and feeding himself.
‘This clearly wasn’t the case. He was able to sing for up to 30 minutes. He appeared to be a confident person. He seemed to move about without any difficulty.’
Lindley, of Skegness, admitted the fraud, committed between March 2003 and July 2009, but has paid back only £300 of the money.
Colin Hart, defending, claimed the entertainer donated the proceeds of his performances to cancer charities, the British Heart Foundation and the local air ambulance.
He said: ‘He never charged them anything and asked for all the money to go to charity.
‘He was recovering from a serious condition. His brother died and his son had heart problems. That is why he started doing these appearances.’
Lindley was sentenced to nine months in prison suspended for two years.
Recorder Tim Spencer said: ‘I take a very serious view of your offending but you are going home tonight.
‘The complaint was not that you were giving money to charity, it is that you were obtaining benefits to the tune of more than £54,000.
‘The reality is that you would not have been able to afford to give money to charity, which in effect means hard-working taxpayers have provided the money.’
The reality is that it took over two years to get this to court after it was first filmed and he has had no real punishment.
Pull your fingers out!
Geoffrey Lindley was given a suspended jail sentence for illegally claiming disability living allowance and incapacity benefit for six years.
The 54-year-old was paid £54,259 after convincing council officers he could barely walk and suffered chest pains and panic attacks.
However, all the while he was working as a pub singer and entertainer in venues on the Lincolnshire coast.
Covert footage collected by Department for Work and Pensions officers showed Lindley singing and dancing in a pub and also calling out bingo numbers.
At 3.15pm on September 30, 2008, the cheat was filmed in the Archers pub, Lincoln, singing the Snow Patrol hit Chasing Cars while bantering with the crowd and asking the barman to pour him a pint.
Prosecutor Faye Mellor told Lincoln Crown Court yesterday that Lindley was seen performing energetically for up to half a hour.
She said: ‘The DWP became aware he had been working. As a result, covert observations were made and the defendant was found to be working.
‘He was singing and calling out bingo numbers. He was seen kneeling down and getting up without difficulty.
Caught on camera: Lindley's act included singing and dancing
‘He said he could walk only eight to ten metres for ten to 20 minutes. He said he had to be accompanied and suffered chest pains and had panic attacks.
‘He said he didn’t go out alone and used a stick or someone’s arm. He said he required assistance getting in and out of chairs.
‘He said he had difficulty going to the toilet and feeding himself.
‘This clearly wasn’t the case. He was able to sing for up to 30 minutes. He appeared to be a confident person. He seemed to move about without any difficulty.’
Lindley, of Skegness, admitted the fraud, committed between March 2003 and July 2009, but has paid back only £300 of the money.
Colin Hart, defending, claimed the entertainer donated the proceeds of his performances to cancer charities, the British Heart Foundation and the local air ambulance.
He said: ‘He never charged them anything and asked for all the money to go to charity.
‘He was recovering from a serious condition. His brother died and his son had heart problems. That is why he started doing these appearances.’
Lindley was sentenced to nine months in prison suspended for two years.
Recorder Tim Spencer said: ‘I take a very serious view of your offending but you are going home tonight.
‘The complaint was not that you were giving money to charity, it is that you were obtaining benefits to the tune of more than £54,000.
‘The reality is that you would not have been able to afford to give money to charity, which in effect means hard-working taxpayers have provided the money.’
The reality is that it took over two years to get this to court after it was first filmed and he has had no real punishment.
Pull your fingers out!
18 Apr 2011
£19k benefit thief unpunished
A woman who illegally claimed more than £19,000 in Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit has been prosecuted by Tamworth Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions.
Sarah English, 31, from Bolehall, failed to declare that she was living with her partner during two periods in 2008 / 2009 and had been claiming as a single parent during these periods.
The total overpayment was £19,775.09, which consisted of £15,444.58 Income Support, £3,573.65 Housing Benefit and £756.86 Council Tax Benefit.
Mrs English pleaded guilty when she appeared before magistrates at Burton. She was given an eight-week custodial sentence suspended for 18 months, an 18 month supervision order and was ordered to pay £100 costs. No punishment so far, then.
She was also told to pay back the £19,775.09 which was fraudulently obtained. This will be at some nominal rate which they know she won't keep up. No wonder benefit fraud's rampant.
Sarah English, 31, from Bolehall, failed to declare that she was living with her partner during two periods in 2008 / 2009 and had been claiming as a single parent during these periods.
The total overpayment was £19,775.09, which consisted of £15,444.58 Income Support, £3,573.65 Housing Benefit and £756.86 Council Tax Benefit.
Mrs English pleaded guilty when she appeared before magistrates at Burton. She was given an eight-week custodial sentence suspended for 18 months, an 18 month supervision order and was ordered to pay £100 costs. No punishment so far, then.
She was also told to pay back the £19,775.09 which was fraudulently obtained. This will be at some nominal rate which they know she won't keep up. No wonder benefit fraud's rampant.
- 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.
15 Apr 2011
Couple fined £200 for £8k benefit fraud
A Barwell couple who fraudulently claimed almost £9,000 in benefits from the Borough Council have appeared before Hinckley magistrates.
Robert Jones (63) and his wife, Marilyn Jones (60) admitted falsely claiming £8,926 in housing benefit and council tax benefit payments between March 2008 and September 2010, which they will have to repay to the council in full.
The court was told that when the couple were first paid benefits in March 2008, they failed to tell the council’s Benefits team that Mrs Jones had just started a full time job.
They maintained the deception for two-and-a-half years, with Robert Jones making two further statements to the council when their claims were reviewed, falsely declaring that Mrs Jones did not work.
It wasn’t until an investigation was launched in August 2010 that the truth emerged.
Speaking after the case, Claire Webber, the council’s Strategic Investigations Manager, said:
Robert Jones (63) and his wife, Marilyn Jones (60) admitted falsely claiming £8,926 in housing benefit and council tax benefit payments between March 2008 and September 2010, which they will have to repay to the council in full.
In addition, the magistrates fined each of them £100 and ordered them to pay £50 costs plus a £15 victim surcharge. The sentences reflected their co-operation with the council’s investigation team and their early guilty pleas to the court.
The court was told that when the couple were first paid benefits in March 2008, they failed to tell the council’s Benefits team that Mrs Jones had just started a full time job.
They maintained the deception for two-and-a-half years, with Robert Jones making two further statements to the council when their claims were reviewed, falsely declaring that Mrs Jones did not work.
It wasn’t until an investigation was launched in August 2010 that the truth emerged.
Speaking after the case, Claire Webber, the council’s Strategic Investigations Manager, said:
Mr and Mrs Jones’ claims for housing benefit and council tax benefit were false from the day they were first paid and now, because of their dishonesty, they both have criminal records.I suppose she's tried to make the best of a pathetic sentence. They've got away with it.
The council has a zero tolerance approach to benefit fraud and when caught, fraudsters not only have to repay the money they have stolen, but will find themselves named and shamed in the local press.
14 Apr 2011
Dishonest Gravesend mother gets community service
A woman who claimed benefits totalling £18,333 was found guilty and given 200 hours community punishment and ordered to repay the money and £150 towards court costs.
Toni Marie Titshall, 24, from Gravesend, pleaded not guilty at Dartford magistrates court to three counts of benefit fraud for not declaring that her partner was living with her.
She pleaded guilty to a fourth count for failing to declare that she had been working.
After a day-long trial at Dartford magistrates on 8 April she was found guilty of all the charges.
The court decided that Ms Titshall was a "very unreliable witness" who gave "inconsistent answers" in her original interview and her evidence to the court.
By dishonestly failing to declare that she had her partner living with her whilst she had been in receipt of benefits as a lone parent and also working herself, she had obtained a total of £18,333.62 from Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Income Support that she was not entitled to from Gravesham Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions.
Mrs Sandra Treloar, chairman of the bench said when sentencing Ms Titshall: "We have considered custody in this case. This is not a victimless crime as you may think, but you have taken from honest tax payers and have diverted this money from people who really need it. The young culture of today thinks they don't have to work hard and they can have money dishonestly but this is not the case.
"As this is your first offence, we have decided on 200 hours community punishment order to be carried out over 12 months. This must be carried out and we will not accept excuses. You were very fortunate that a full report was not ordered for custody. "
Ms Titshall was also ordered to pay £150 towards her court costs and has to continue paying back the overpaid benefits she received.
Toni Marie Titshall, 24, from Gravesend, pleaded not guilty at Dartford magistrates court to three counts of benefit fraud for not declaring that her partner was living with her.
She pleaded guilty to a fourth count for failing to declare that she had been working.
After a day-long trial at Dartford magistrates on 8 April she was found guilty of all the charges.
The court decided that Ms Titshall was a "very unreliable witness" who gave "inconsistent answers" in her original interview and her evidence to the court.
By dishonestly failing to declare that she had her partner living with her whilst she had been in receipt of benefits as a lone parent and also working herself, she had obtained a total of £18,333.62 from Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Income Support that she was not entitled to from Gravesham Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions.
Mrs Sandra Treloar, chairman of the bench said when sentencing Ms Titshall: "We have considered custody in this case. This is not a victimless crime as you may think, but you have taken from honest tax payers and have diverted this money from people who really need it. The young culture of today thinks they don't have to work hard and they can have money dishonestly but this is not the case.
"As this is your first offence, we have decided on 200 hours community punishment order to be carried out over 12 months. This must be carried out and we will not accept excuses. You were very fortunate that a full report was not ordered for custody. "
Ms Titshall was also ordered to pay £150 towards her court costs and has to continue paying back the overpaid benefits she received.
13 Apr 2011
Mum of Sky's Got to Dance £100k winner a benefit thief
A benefit cheat mum has been caught out after appearing on a Sky documentary with her £100,000 winning, breakdancing son.
Jenifer Osei falsely claimed housing and council tax benefit and income support, even after her 11-year-old son Akai Osei-Mansfield won £100,000 on Sky’s Got to Dance competition in February last year.
The Orpington mum continued to claim benefits as a single parent but was found out when a documentary about her son, broadcast on Sky last May, showed her partner was living with her at their Crofton Road home.
The documentary also revealed she and her partner had set up a company to manage Akai’s earnings, none of which she had declared to Bromley Council.
Since winning Got to Dance, Akai has appeared in hit film Street Dance 3D and hip-hop musical theatre show Into the Hoods at the Royal Festival Hall in Southbank, London.
Osei, aged 34, falsely claimed £44,750 in total between July 2007 and June 2010, and was sentenced at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on March 30 after pleading guilty to four counts of benefit fraud.
She was sentenced to two months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to do 180 hours unpaid work. She will also have to pay back all the money she falsely claimed.
Not much of a punishment for stealing all that money, is it.
Jenifer Osei falsely claimed housing and council tax benefit and income support, even after her 11-year-old son Akai Osei-Mansfield won £100,000 on Sky’s Got to Dance competition in February last year.
The Orpington mum continued to claim benefits as a single parent but was found out when a documentary about her son, broadcast on Sky last May, showed her partner was living with her at their Crofton Road home.
The documentary also revealed she and her partner had set up a company to manage Akai’s earnings, none of which she had declared to Bromley Council.
Since winning Got to Dance, Akai has appeared in hit film Street Dance 3D and hip-hop musical theatre show Into the Hoods at the Royal Festival Hall in Southbank, London.
Osei, aged 34, falsely claimed £44,750 in total between July 2007 and June 2010, and was sentenced at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on March 30 after pleading guilty to four counts of benefit fraud.
She was sentenced to two months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to do 180 hours unpaid work. She will also have to pay back all the money she falsely claimed.
Not much of a punishment for stealing all that money, is it.
12 Apr 2011
Another "disabled" golfer
Here's another case of a golfer (see recently here and here) who was on disability benefits. Chris Mowatt claimed £16,000 disability allowance over three-and-a-half years after convincing benefit chiefs a slipped disc in his back had left him unable to walk. He was given a two month suspended sentence and ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work.
A still from the DWP surveillance footage here is dated 2009. It does seem to take ages for some of these cases to come to court.
A commenter calling himself Chris Mowatt complains about parts of the paper's report. However he is said to have "admitted his scam".
A still from the DWP surveillance footage here is dated 2009. It does seem to take ages for some of these cases to come to court.
A commenter calling himself Chris Mowatt complains about parts of the paper's report. However he is said to have "admitted his scam".
11 Apr 2011
Benefit thief claimed husband was a 'cabbage'
A benefits cheat claimed more than £100,000 for her ‘disabled’ husband, despite the fact that they had won £120,000 on the lottery and he was able to work. Accusing her of ‘naked greed’, Judge Jacqueline Davies jailed Mrs Brogan for 21 months after she admitted false accounting and two charges of failing to notify a change in circumstances.
More
More
8 Apr 2011
Two benefit thieves
A Cinderford man who was overpaid £7,714 in benefits after he failed to tell the council his partner had moved in with him has been given a 12 month community order.
And a woman from Hailey has been fined after fraudulently claiming £3,032 in housing and council tax benefits. Gail Silvester pleaded guilty. She was given a £135 fine and ordered to pay £75 costs.
And a woman from Hailey has been fined after fraudulently claiming £3,032 in housing and council tax benefits. Gail Silvester pleaded guilty. She was given a £135 fine and ordered to pay £75 costs.
- What sort of deterrent is that?
7 Apr 2011
Sentence in Nigerian tax credit fraud case
Olajumoke Ademuyiwa (42), a former Jobcentre Plus employee, has now been jailed for her involvement in stealing the identities of at least 350 people and using the identities to submit over 300 fraudulent tax credit claims, in a scam that spanned over four year.
Her accomplice, Olaide (John) Taiwo (35), was jailed for eight and a half years for his part in the scam on 22 February at Inner London Crown Court.
Richard Young, acting Assistant Director for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said:
Upon sentencing, His Honour Judge Simon Davis told Ademuyiwa:
Ademuyiwa, from Canning Town, East London was arrested in July 2008. A search of her home uncovered evidence of the fraud taking place, including details of at least 40 bank accounts held in the defendants’ names and aliases, plus documentation which held hundreds of innocent people’s identities. HMRC investigators also seized £25,000, which is believed to be proceeds of the crime.
Ademuyiwa was found guilty of fraudulently obtaining payments of tax credits, by using the names and addresses of individuals without their consent and acquiring criminal property.
Confiscation proceedings are in place.
Her accomplice, Olaide (John) Taiwo (35), was jailed for eight and a half years for his part in the scam on 22 February at Inner London Crown Court.
Richard Young, acting Assistant Director for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said:
The lengthy jail sentences given to this pair will act as a deterrent to anyone considering committing this type of crime. Over a four year period, they deliberately attacked and abused a system designed to provide financial help to the most vulnerable people in our society, by submitting over 300 fraudulent tax credit claims. Once again, I urge anyone who has information about Tax Credits fraud, to call the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854 440 and help us stamp this fraudulent activity out.
Upon sentencing, His Honour Judge Simon Davis told Ademuyiwa:
You demonstrated blatant disregard for the truth, not only in the witness box where you lied and lied and lied, but also with documentation used in the fraud. With your role in attacking the revenue, you lied and turned things upside down which the jury saw through. You played an essential role as a helper beyond the scope of just opening bank accounts in the fraud.
Ademuyiwa, from Canning Town, East London was arrested in July 2008. A search of her home uncovered evidence of the fraud taking place, including details of at least 40 bank accounts held in the defendants’ names and aliases, plus documentation which held hundreds of innocent people’s identities. HMRC investigators also seized £25,000, which is believed to be proceeds of the crime.
Ademuyiwa was found guilty of fraudulently obtaining payments of tax credits, by using the names and addresses of individuals without their consent and acquiring criminal property.
Confiscation proceedings are in place.
6 Apr 2011
Light sentence for good community man who was benefit thief
A grandad who swindled £37,000 in benefits while his wife had a job has avoided jail. Thomas Dunville, 59, claimed the state handouts illegally for six years between 2004 and last year.
Manchester Crown Court heard Dunville’s wife was working as head cleaner at Manchester Young People’s Theatre during that time, and he was not entitled to the money he claimed.
Dunville was caught by a computer matching system at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP),which showed he was claiming while his partner was employed.
Dunville, from Fallowfield, previously pleaded guilty to five charges of benefit fraud totalling £37,000.
He was given a 32-week jail term, but a judge suspended the sentence for 18 months after hearing about his health problems.
He was also given a four-month night-time curfew.
Judge Martin Steiger QC told him: “You pleaded guilty to effectively obtaining from the welfare authorities a sum of £37,000.
“It was a long-standing claim that was false from the outset.
“I am persuaded by the defence to suspend the sentence for humanitarian reasons.”
Aoife Ryan, defending, said Dunville, a granddad, had a series of medical conditions, including arthritis and arterial disease, that could be made worse by a prison sentence.
She told the court her client was ‘deeply remorseful’ and had already started paying money back to the DWP.
Miss Ryan said: “He’s a family man. He’s a gentleman who is a supportive husband, father, but also a generally supportive member of his community and his neighbours.” Tosh. He stole from them. Did his wife never think to ask where the £37,000 was coming from?
As he walked out of the court room, Dunville told the judge: “Can I just say, your honour, I’m really sorry. I’m very ashamed and I want to say thank you.”
Manchester Crown Court heard Dunville’s wife was working as head cleaner at Manchester Young People’s Theatre during that time, and he was not entitled to the money he claimed.
Dunville was caught by a computer matching system at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP),which showed he was claiming while his partner was employed.
Dunville, from Fallowfield, previously pleaded guilty to five charges of benefit fraud totalling £37,000.
He was given a 32-week jail term, but a judge suspended the sentence for 18 months after hearing about his health problems.
He was also given a four-month night-time curfew.
Judge Martin Steiger QC told him: “You pleaded guilty to effectively obtaining from the welfare authorities a sum of £37,000.
“It was a long-standing claim that was false from the outset.
“I am persuaded by the defence to suspend the sentence for humanitarian reasons.”
Aoife Ryan, defending, said Dunville, a granddad, had a series of medical conditions, including arthritis and arterial disease, that could be made worse by a prison sentence.
She told the court her client was ‘deeply remorseful’ and had already started paying money back to the DWP.
Miss Ryan said: “He’s a family man. He’s a gentleman who is a supportive husband, father, but also a generally supportive member of his community and his neighbours.” Tosh. He stole from them. Did his wife never think to ask where the £37,000 was coming from?
As he walked out of the court room, Dunville told the judge: “Can I just say, your honour, I’m really sorry. I’m very ashamed and I want to say thank you.”
- 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.
Benefit thieves should 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.
Depressed mother spared prison
A fraudster who claimed more than £24,000 in benefits she was not entitled to has been spared jail.
Lisa Seaney, from Gravesend, was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for two years and ordered to complete 240 hours of community service.
The 40-year-old was found guilty of benefit fraud at an earlier hearing after the court heard how she received £20,986 in income support and £3,281 in council tax benefit after failing to tell the authorities her husband had been living with her for four years.
But despite fraudulently claiming the substantial sum as a single parent, Seaney avoided a custodial sentence because of her previous good character (read, getting away with her deliberate fraud for so many years) and the effect a spell in jail would have on her two children.
The court heard she is now likely to lose her job at a local primary school as a result of the conviction and her property could also be put at risk as a result of repayment of the money fraudulently claimed, £3,281 of which has already been repaid.
In sentencing, Mr Recorder Jeans QC said: “You have two dependent teenage children, one with Asperger’s, and this conviction will have a devastating affect on your life. You would also be vulnerable in prison.”
Seaney, who has suffered epileptic fits and been issued with anti-depressants since she was found guilty of the fraud (which is no excuse), will now have her finances examined so a timetable can be set for repayment of the outstanding money. The 240 hours of unpaid work must be completed within a year.
Lisa Seaney, from Gravesend, was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for two years and ordered to complete 240 hours of community service.
The 40-year-old was found guilty of benefit fraud at an earlier hearing after the court heard how she received £20,986 in income support and £3,281 in council tax benefit after failing to tell the authorities her husband had been living with her for four years.
But despite fraudulently claiming the substantial sum as a single parent, Seaney avoided a custodial sentence because of her previous good character (read, getting away with her deliberate fraud for so many years) and the effect a spell in jail would have on her two children.
The court heard she is now likely to lose her job at a local primary school as a result of the conviction and her property could also be put at risk as a result of repayment of the money fraudulently claimed, £3,281 of which has already been repaid.
In sentencing, Mr Recorder Jeans QC said: “You have two dependent teenage children, one with Asperger’s, and this conviction will have a devastating affect on your life. You would also be vulnerable in prison.”
Seaney, who has suffered epileptic fits and been issued with anti-depressants since she was found guilty of the fraud (which is no excuse), will now have her finances examined so a timetable can be set for repayment of the outstanding money. The 240 hours of unpaid work must be completed within a year.
5 Apr 2011
A Liverpool take on the IB tests
More than 76,000 Merseysiders receiving incapacity benefit will be assessed to see if they are fit for work from today, as part of a government crackdown on the “sicknote culture”, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Claimants must undergo a test and score more than 15 “points” if they are to continue to receive state help.
While the Government insisted the process will be “more human” and pledged the most seriously disabled and terminally-ill claimants will not be expected to find work, the rest will be tested.
But Merseyside politicians warned the system was not fool-proof and voiced concerns some claimants with genuine needs would be left without support.
The latest figures reveal in Liverpool alone there are 29,530 people currently deemed unable to work. The borough with the second highest number of claimants is Wirral, with 15,080 receiving the soon-to-be-scrapped benefit.
In Sefton, the number is 12,220, Knowsley 9,870 and St Helens 9,430. Claimants will be assessed on their capability to walk, stand and sit, bend and kneel and reach, including being able to pick up a coin from the floor.
But government employment minister Chris Grayling said these original “work capability assessment” tests will not be used in isolation.
According to a review of the previous scheme by Professor Malcolm Harrington, one woman with suicidal tendencies was rudely treated by her assessor, who told her to “stop crying and hurry up because I need to go and pick up my kids from school”.
Mr Grayling said: “Previously the only contact a claimant had was through letters full of official jargon. Now they will get a sympathetic phone call explaining what is happening.”
If claimants receive enough points they will be given the new employment support allowance, which replaces incapacity benefit.
Mr Grayling added: “I cannot stress strongly enough that this is not about forcing people back to work if they are genuinely unable to do so. Nor are we tied into specific financial targets about the number of people we need to get back to work.”
Liverpool council cabinet member for employment and skills, Cllr Nick Small, said: “We need to be helping people back into work, but in a way that is genuinely supportive and understanding of their needs. I think this is a cost-cutting, target-driven approach, and we need more jobs for people to do.”
Let's cut costs by not giving incapacity benefit to people who do not have an incapacity.
Shadow cabinet member for employment and skills Cllr Gary Millar said he believed the assessments needed to be more scientific, adding: “It’s got to be about more than merely being able to pick something up.”
The Government expects to have assessed all claimants by 2014.
Claimants must undergo a test and score more than 15 “points” if they are to continue to receive state help.
While the Government insisted the process will be “more human” and pledged the most seriously disabled and terminally-ill claimants will not be expected to find work, the rest will be tested.
But Merseyside politicians warned the system was not fool-proof and voiced concerns some claimants with genuine needs would be left without support.
The latest figures reveal in Liverpool alone there are 29,530 people currently deemed unable to work. The borough with the second highest number of claimants is Wirral, with 15,080 receiving the soon-to-be-scrapped benefit.
In Sefton, the number is 12,220, Knowsley 9,870 and St Helens 9,430. Claimants will be assessed on their capability to walk, stand and sit, bend and kneel and reach, including being able to pick up a coin from the floor.
But government employment minister Chris Grayling said these original “work capability assessment” tests will not be used in isolation.
According to a review of the previous scheme by Professor Malcolm Harrington, one woman with suicidal tendencies was rudely treated by her assessor, who told her to “stop crying and hurry up because I need to go and pick up my kids from school”.
Mr Grayling said: “Previously the only contact a claimant had was through letters full of official jargon. Now they will get a sympathetic phone call explaining what is happening.”
If claimants receive enough points they will be given the new employment support allowance, which replaces incapacity benefit.
Mr Grayling added: “I cannot stress strongly enough that this is not about forcing people back to work if they are genuinely unable to do so. Nor are we tied into specific financial targets about the number of people we need to get back to work.”
Liverpool council cabinet member for employment and skills, Cllr Nick Small, said: “We need to be helping people back into work, but in a way that is genuinely supportive and understanding of their needs. I think this is a cost-cutting, target-driven approach, and we need more jobs for people to do.”
Let's cut costs by not giving incapacity benefit to people who do not have an incapacity.
Shadow cabinet member for employment and skills Cllr Gary Millar said he believed the assessments needed to be more scientific, adding: “It’s got to be about more than merely being able to pick something up.”
The Government expects to have assessed all claimants by 2014.
A visitor asks
Hi, I was hoping you could give some advice,I know you don't give advice but this is different. I feel that my neighbour is commiting benefit fraud.I have no proof as such that he is claiming benefits other than a free car tax disc in his car windscreen and a Police officer said to me that the neighbour in question was claiming disability living allowance. I have video footage of the neighbour in question laying paving slabs,carrying compost bags and walking without any walking aids, I have hours of footage at hand. I have reported my neighbour to the benefit fraud team and also the benefit fraud team at my local council leaving my name and address as my contact details, I have not heard anything, I reported him about 3 weeks ago.Do you have any idea how long it should take the fraud team to contact me?Do you have any other advice as regards what I should do with the numerous DVD's and photographs, any help would be gratefully received.
Benefit raids at dawn
Almost 100 police officers raided 10 homes across Bolton after investigators uncovered a suspected benefits fraud worth tens of thousands of pounds.
Fraud investigators had carried out a covert surveillance operation before the dawn raids across Bolton.
Five men and two women were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, and police seized documents, including passports and visas.
Government officials believe members of an organised group of fraudsters have been making false claims for crisis loans and pocketing more than £20,000. Insp Bob Cantrell, who was in charge of one of the raids, said: “People committing benefit fraud are taking money out of every honest taxpayer’s pocket.
“In times of austerity, people committing this kind of fraud mean that everybody else has to suffer.”
It is thought the group, who are all Hungarian nationals but in the UK legally, met at a house in Bolton to organise their activities.
Investigators suspect the men and women have been claiming on behalf of children and partners that do not exist using forged documentation and bogus addresses.
Some of them are believed to have claimed loans for addresses in Preston despite living in Bolton — then collected the cash from the JobCentre office in Preston.
The investigation was triggered when administration staff at the JobCentre reported suspicious activity on a number of claims.
Crisis loans are available from the Government for people who are in desperate short-termneed of cash due to an emergency or disaster.
They can be for any amount, but the claims under investigation are for about £500 each.
Some of the suspected false claims were for help moving house when there is no move.
The investigation was carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions.
DWP fraud investigator Bob Gallagher said fraudulent benefit claims are a national problem.
He said: “We will be making every effort to ensure any fraud is dealt with and referred to the judicial system.”
Fraud investigators had carried out a covert surveillance operation before the dawn raids across Bolton.
Five men and two women were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, and police seized documents, including passports and visas.
Government officials believe members of an organised group of fraudsters have been making false claims for crisis loans and pocketing more than £20,000. Insp Bob Cantrell, who was in charge of one of the raids, said: “People committing benefit fraud are taking money out of every honest taxpayer’s pocket.
“In times of austerity, people committing this kind of fraud mean that everybody else has to suffer.”
It is thought the group, who are all Hungarian nationals but in the UK legally, met at a house in Bolton to organise their activities.
Investigators suspect the men and women have been claiming on behalf of children and partners that do not exist using forged documentation and bogus addresses.
Some of them are believed to have claimed loans for addresses in Preston despite living in Bolton — then collected the cash from the JobCentre office in Preston.
The investigation was triggered when administration staff at the JobCentre reported suspicious activity on a number of claims.
Crisis loans are available from the Government for people who are in desperate short-termneed of cash due to an emergency or disaster.
They can be for any amount, but the claims under investigation are for about £500 each.
Some of the suspected false claims were for help moving house when there is no move.
The investigation was carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions.
DWP fraud investigator Bob Gallagher said fraudulent benefit claims are a national problem.
He said: “We will be making every effort to ensure any fraud is dealt with and referred to the judicial system.”
4 Apr 2011
Retesting for IB is right and overdue
The BBC seem to differ. They call the new testing regime a "crackdown", without saying how long it is since many of the claimants were assessed.
This plays to the media luvvies, but out in the real world people don't want to see able-bodies claimants paid at the IB rate.
The BBC adds that the fitness to work test was changed last year, after what it labels "widespread criticism".
One of the charities' concerns was that "people were not being given enough help to prepare for the test".
How much money are taxpayers expected to spend on helping IB claimants to prepare for a test which is well merited?
If the final figures are anything like the government reports, with about 30% of those tested found fit to work, this is a national scandal, and disabled charities should be welcoming the weeding out of the large numbers of the able-bodied.
Almost 30% of those who took the test during pilot schemes in Burnley and Aberdeen were declared fit to work.Chris Grayling is spinning the initiative as "all about helping those who can return to work".
However, disability charities say many of the assessments are unfair.
This plays to the media luvvies, but out in the real world people don't want to see able-bodies claimants paid at the IB rate.
The BBC adds that the fitness to work test was changed last year, after what it labels "widespread criticism".
One of the charities' concerns was that "people were not being given enough help to prepare for the test".
How much money are taxpayers expected to spend on helping IB claimants to prepare for a test which is well merited?
If the final figures are anything like the government reports, with about 30% of those tested found fit to work, this is a national scandal, and disabled charities should be welcoming the weeding out of the large numbers of the able-bodied.
Benefits advisor was benefits thief
A benefits advisor defrauded a council out of £27,000 over a five year period... in benefits.
Alison Power, 47, was spared from being sent to jail despite her using her knowledge of the benefits system to make financial gain.
She volunteered at the Speke branch of the Citizen's Advice Bureau while telling her local council that she needed help cooking, bathing and dressing herself.
She even said she needed help going outdoors and could not walk more than a few paces, according to prosecutor Ian Harris at Liverpool Crown Court.
Between September 2004 and July 2005 she worked as a general advisor, making home visits, sometimes up to four a day. In 2005 she took up a job in Kensington, one of Liverpool's most deprived estates.
Power said in her job application that she suffered from osteoarthritis in her spine but listed her hobbies as swimming, gym and walking.
Between October 2007 and April 2009 she took up a position as an outreach worker for the CAB before becoming a benefits advisor for not-for-profit organisation One Vision Housing
Colleagues said they knew about her back problems but that she was able to complete her work.
Investigators carried out surveillance on Power for four weeks in 2009, during which time she was walking easily, carrying bags and getting out of cars.
Two months after the surveillance she was interviewed and claimed her condition had actually deteriorated since 2004. She even told officers that her children helped her to dress and use the toilet, adding that she often fell over and often lay there waiting for someone to lift her up.
However, she was then shown the footage of her moving freely she asked for the interview to be stopped.
She pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to notify the authorities about a change of circumstances relating to incapacity benefit and disability allowance, pocketing £26,650.
Defending her, David McLachlan said: 'This money was not spent on luxuries. There was no evidence of that, on the contrary Alison Power is in dire financial straits.'
He said she had now lost her good name, her job and had been forced to move out of her home while her health was in serious decline.
Judge Gerald Clifton told power: 'What I don't like about this case is the feeling of hypocrisy.
'You were there advising people in benefits, working working with the Citizens' Advice Bureau and all the time you were yourself dishonestly obtaining benefits.'
Handing her a 36-week prison sentence suspended for two years, 150 hours community service and supervision, he added: 'Consider yourself lucky.'
Alison Power, 47, was spared from being sent to jail despite her using her knowledge of the benefits system to make financial gain.
She volunteered at the Speke branch of the Citizen's Advice Bureau while telling her local council that she needed help cooking, bathing and dressing herself.
She even said she needed help going outdoors and could not walk more than a few paces, according to prosecutor Ian Harris at Liverpool Crown Court.
Between September 2004 and July 2005 she worked as a general advisor, making home visits, sometimes up to four a day. In 2005 she took up a job in Kensington, one of Liverpool's most deprived estates.
Power said in her job application that she suffered from osteoarthritis in her spine but listed her hobbies as swimming, gym and walking.
Between October 2007 and April 2009 she took up a position as an outreach worker for the CAB before becoming a benefits advisor for not-for-profit organisation One Vision Housing
Colleagues said they knew about her back problems but that she was able to complete her work.
Investigators carried out surveillance on Power for four weeks in 2009, during which time she was walking easily, carrying bags and getting out of cars.
Two months after the surveillance she was interviewed and claimed her condition had actually deteriorated since 2004. She even told officers that her children helped her to dress and use the toilet, adding that she often fell over and often lay there waiting for someone to lift her up.
However, she was then shown the footage of her moving freely she asked for the interview to be stopped.
She pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to notify the authorities about a change of circumstances relating to incapacity benefit and disability allowance, pocketing £26,650.
Defending her, David McLachlan said: 'This money was not spent on luxuries. There was no evidence of that, on the contrary Alison Power is in dire financial straits.'
He said she had now lost her good name, her job and had been forced to move out of her home while her health was in serious decline.
Judge Gerald Clifton told power: 'What I don't like about this case is the feeling of hypocrisy.
'You were there advising people in benefits, working working with the Citizens' Advice Bureau and all the time you were yourself dishonestly obtaining benefits.'
Handing her a 36-week prison sentence suspended for two years, 150 hours community service and supervision, he added: 'Consider yourself lucky.'
1 Apr 2011
Slow prosecution of disability benefit cheat
A farmer who claimed thousands in disability benefits because of her supposedly debilitating arthritis was caught out after being filmed hauling heavy farm equipment way back in 2009 - see here.
Kim Porter, 46, said she could barely walk but officers from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) witnessed her carrying a large metal hay feeder.
The woman, from Preesall, Lancashire, had claimed that she needed assistance to be able to get out of bed and even just walking caused her severe pain.
However, during a month of surveillance, authorities witnessed her carrying a bath through a field, climbing over a gate and bending and stretching with ease.
The DWP are not disputing Porter's initial claim - made in 1996 - but say she should have informed them when her condition improved.
From 2002, she was awarded the higher rate of disability living allowance for rheumatoid arthritis which apparently left her unable to stand for an extended period in her house without leaning on furniture for support.
But when the DWP began their investigation in April 2009 they found Porter was much more physically active than they had been led to believe.
The mum-of-two pleaded not guilty to failing to notify authorities of a change in her circumstances but was found guilty by Blackpool magistrates.
She was ordered to repay the £4,433.60 she wrongly claimed and was given a 42-day curfew between 10pm and 6am.
The DWP were alerted to Porter's false claims by an anonymous tip-off to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline.
Kim Porter, 46, said she could barely walk but officers from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) witnessed her carrying a large metal hay feeder.
The woman, from Preesall, Lancashire, had claimed that she needed assistance to be able to get out of bed and even just walking caused her severe pain.
However, during a month of surveillance, authorities witnessed her carrying a bath through a field, climbing over a gate and bending and stretching with ease.
The DWP are not disputing Porter's initial claim - made in 1996 - but say she should have informed them when her condition improved.
From 2002, she was awarded the higher rate of disability living allowance for rheumatoid arthritis which apparently left her unable to stand for an extended period in her house without leaning on furniture for support.
But when the DWP began their investigation in April 2009 they found Porter was much more physically active than they had been led to believe.
The mum-of-two pleaded not guilty to failing to notify authorities of a change in her circumstances but was found guilty by Blackpool magistrates.
She was ordered to repay the £4,433.60 she wrongly claimed and was given a 42-day curfew between 10pm and 6am.
The DWP were alerted to Porter's false claims by an anonymous tip-off to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline.
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