People in Worcester have been reminded of the dangers of committing benefit fraud after two people were prosecuted for not declaring changes in their circumstances.
Nick Jefferies, head of South Worcestershire Revenues and Benefits Shared Services, said it was not worth trying to play the system and that people that chose to would be prosecuted.
His warning came after two city residents pleaded guilty to charges of benefit fraud at Worcester Magistrates Court on December 8. Tasha Hawkins, 41, of Alma Street, pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to disclose that she was living together as husband and wife with a partner - the father of her two children - at two separate addresses in Worcester between March 2009 and June 2010. During that period she received a total of £12,708 in overpaid benefits. She was sentenced to a six-month curfew order covering the hours of 7pm to 7am, and ordered to pay £100 costs.
Michael Drinkwater, 57, pleaded guilty to three charges, two of which related to his failure to disclose two periods of paid employment between July 2009 and October 2010. The third charge was over his failure to disclose that his care and mobility needs had decreased. As a result he claimed £10,010 in overpaid benefits. Drinkwater, who now lives in Frenchay, Bristol, was sentenced to a curfew order of 20 weeks covering the hours of 7pm to 7am, and ordered to pay £100 costs. Both Hawkins and Drinkwater have also been ordered to repay the full amounts that were fraudulently claimed.
29 Dec 2011
Councillor attacks benefit fraud sentence
A fraudster who claimed benefits despite her partner having £80,000 of savings in the bank has escaped with just a curfew.
The sentence was slammed by one councillor, who called it “outrageous”.
Joanne White, 36, of Sunnedon, Vange, failed to tell Basildon Council her partner had the huge stash of savings.
Between February 2009 and August 2010, White fraudulently claimed £8,000 in housing benefit and a further £1,500 in council tax benefit.
At Basildon Magistrates’ Court, she admitted failing to notify Basildon Council.
She was given an eight-week curfew, banning her going out between the hours of noon and 10pm.
But the sentence was condemned as too lenient by Phil Turner, Basildon Council’s cabinet member for finance and resources:
The sentence was slammed by one councillor, who called it “outrageous”.
Joanne White, 36, of Sunnedon, Vange, failed to tell Basildon Council her partner had the huge stash of savings.
Between February 2009 and August 2010, White fraudulently claimed £8,000 in housing benefit and a further £1,500 in council tax benefit.
At Basildon Magistrates’ Court, she admitted failing to notify Basildon Council.
She was given an eight-week curfew, banning her going out between the hours of noon and 10pm.
But the sentence was condemned as too lenient by Phil Turner, Basildon Council’s cabinet member for finance and resources:
Any reasonable person whose partner has £80,000 in the bank would not continue to claim benefit they know they are not entitled to.White, who has since lodged an appeal against her conviction, was also ordered to pay £730 in prosecution costs.
But it never fails to amaze me how such criminal behaviour can warrant such a slap on the wrist.
It is so disproportionate – what sort of deterrent is that for others?
We diligently dish these cases up to the court after a thorough investigation and no referral about benefit cheats is ever not looked into.
But when they go before the courts, all they seem to say is ‘don’t do it again’.”
- Coun Turner has attacked sentences for benefit fraud before. For his previous appearances in this blog, click the label below.
28 Dec 2011
Jail for long term benefit fraud
A North Yorkshire woman who fraudulently claimed almost £100,000 in benefits has been jailed for 15 months.
Elaine Hetherington, from Scarborough, posed as a single parent and lied on a number of forms dating back to July 1995 to claim housing benefit, council tax benefit and income support.
Hetherington, 53, pleaded guilty to nine charges of dishonestly claiming the support, and hiding the fact her husband lived with her and was working full time.
Sentencing her to 15 months in jail at York Crown Court, Recorder Deborah Sherwin said she could not suspend the sentence because of the length of time of the fraud and the amount involved. She said other people struggled on low incomes and with health problems but they did not resort to crimes like this.
Nick Edwards, Scarborough Borough Council’s head of finance and asset management, said: “The council brought this case to prosecution because of the huge amount of public money that has been stolen. This person’s claim was never an honest one and this dishonesty continued for more than ten years.
“This crime is committed against local residents, as it reduces the money available for projects that support the local community and takes funds away from people who most need them.”
Elaine Hetherington, from Scarborough, posed as a single parent and lied on a number of forms dating back to July 1995 to claim housing benefit, council tax benefit and income support.
Hetherington, 53, pleaded guilty to nine charges of dishonestly claiming the support, and hiding the fact her husband lived with her and was working full time.
Sentencing her to 15 months in jail at York Crown Court, Recorder Deborah Sherwin said she could not suspend the sentence because of the length of time of the fraud and the amount involved. She said other people struggled on low incomes and with health problems but they did not resort to crimes like this.
Nick Edwards, Scarborough Borough Council’s head of finance and asset management, said: “The council brought this case to prosecution because of the huge amount of public money that has been stolen. This person’s claim was never an honest one and this dishonesty continued for more than ten years.
“This crime is committed against local residents, as it reduces the money available for projects that support the local community and takes funds away from people who most need them.”
23 Dec 2011
Jail for £68k benefits thief
A benefits cheat has been jailed after fraudulently claiming nearly £70,000 in benefits over six years.
Following an extensive investigation by the council’s benefit investigations team, Sohail Uddin, 41, was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison at Chester Crown Court.
Uddin, from Crewe pleaded guilty to the charges on November 17.
The overpayment of £68,406 was in relation to the time he worked as a night-shift warehouse operative while claiming benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions and Cheshire East Council between January 13, 2003 and September 20, 2009.
Uddin fraudulently claimed income support, severe disablement benefit, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
Pretty much a full house. And this went undetected for six years.
The council and the Department for Work and Pensions will seek to recover in full the overpayment of benefits to Uddin.
Following an extensive investigation by the council’s benefit investigations team, Sohail Uddin, 41, was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison at Chester Crown Court.
Uddin, from Crewe pleaded guilty to the charges on November 17.
The overpayment of £68,406 was in relation to the time he worked as a night-shift warehouse operative while claiming benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions and Cheshire East Council between January 13, 2003 and September 20, 2009.
Uddin fraudulently claimed income support, severe disablement benefit, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
Pretty much a full house. And this went undetected for six years.
The council and the Department for Work and Pensions will seek to recover in full the overpayment of benefits to Uddin.
22 Dec 2011
And Wokingham loses money to an IVA
Benefit fraudsters will not have to repay nearly £25,000 they falsely claimed from taxpayers’ coffers after council bosses wrote off the debt.
The £24,976 of housing benefit money fraudulently claimed by a woman who claimed to be living alone, but who was actually living with her partner, will not be repaid in full to Wokingham Borough Council by the couple after they entered into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA).
These agreements are an alternative for people who want to avoid bankruptcy, and constitutes a formal repayment proposal presented to the debtor’s creditors.
However in this case, the council’s claims for the outstanding balance resulted in just £478.18 being repaid, which added to the £200 they had already paid before entering the IVA.
The couple were prosecuted after the council uncovered the claims, which were made between May 2005 and February 2008.
The council has received £9,990.42 from the Government’s housing benefit subsidy arrangement, which offers 40 per cent of the original overpayment value, however it will still be out of pocket.
The cash is a significant percentage of the estimated £300,000 to £350,000 in fraudulently claimed benefit payouts made by the council each year.
Kevin Mercer, head of revenues and benefits at the council, said the case was extremely rare.
He said: “Historically across all the areas we write off very low amounts.
“This is the first time this type of case has come before me.
“Because this person has come into IVA we have had to stop the action.
“It is frustrating. We are just like any other body that administers public money – we want to make sure it goes in the right amount to the right people.
“That’s why we work extremely hard to prevent and detect fraud.”
The council is investigating around a dozen cases at present and annually investigates around 250 cases.
It identifies around £300,000 to £350,000 of fraudulently claimed funds each year and takes action, which includes taking offenders to court, issuing fines or giving cautions, in around 10 per cent of cases.
Between April and November this year, the council took nine cases to court which resulted in successful prosecution.
The council is actively working to stamp our false housing and council tax benefit fraud.
And it also collected 99.3 per cent of the council tax required from residents last year – the highest of all unitary authorities in the country.
Mr Mercer added: “We want people to know that if you have a legitimate claim you can expect the money you are entitled to.
“But if you try to claim money in the wrong way, we will make every effort to find you and take action where appropriate.”
The £24,976 of housing benefit money fraudulently claimed by a woman who claimed to be living alone, but who was actually living with her partner, will not be repaid in full to Wokingham Borough Council by the couple after they entered into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA).
These agreements are an alternative for people who want to avoid bankruptcy, and constitutes a formal repayment proposal presented to the debtor’s creditors.
However in this case, the council’s claims for the outstanding balance resulted in just £478.18 being repaid, which added to the £200 they had already paid before entering the IVA.
The couple were prosecuted after the council uncovered the claims, which were made between May 2005 and February 2008.
The council has received £9,990.42 from the Government’s housing benefit subsidy arrangement, which offers 40 per cent of the original overpayment value, however it will still be out of pocket.
The cash is a significant percentage of the estimated £300,000 to £350,000 in fraudulently claimed benefit payouts made by the council each year.
Kevin Mercer, head of revenues and benefits at the council, said the case was extremely rare.
He said: “Historically across all the areas we write off very low amounts.
“This is the first time this type of case has come before me.
“Because this person has come into IVA we have had to stop the action.
“It is frustrating. We are just like any other body that administers public money – we want to make sure it goes in the right amount to the right people.
“That’s why we work extremely hard to prevent and detect fraud.”
The council is investigating around a dozen cases at present and annually investigates around 250 cases.
It identifies around £300,000 to £350,000 of fraudulently claimed funds each year and takes action, which includes taking offenders to court, issuing fines or giving cautions, in around 10 per cent of cases.
Between April and November this year, the council took nine cases to court which resulted in successful prosecution.
The council is actively working to stamp our false housing and council tax benefit fraud.
And it also collected 99.3 per cent of the council tax required from residents last year – the highest of all unitary authorities in the country.
Mr Mercer added: “We want people to know that if you have a legitimate claim you can expect the money you are entitled to.
“But if you try to claim money in the wrong way, we will make every effort to find you and take action where appropriate.”
Family keeps benefit fraud money
A Southall woman has been imprisoned after falsely claiming £25,838 in housing benefit.
Taj Ali, from Southall, pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday 9 December. She was sentenced to four months in prison and is paying the money back to the council at a rate of £15 per week under a voluntary arrangement. This amount is the maximum per week that the council can take as Ms Ali is in receipt of income support.
She had been claiming housing benefit on the Crispin Close property for three years and had falsely declared that she was not related to her landlord.
However, a council investigation discovered that the property was actually owned by her sister and her brother and that the money was being used to pay the mortgage.
Housing Benefit is only paid to people when they are part of a commercial tenancy and claimants are asked to declare any relationships as part of their application. When interviewed under caution, Ms Ali admitted that she was living in her family’s house.
Councillor Yvonne Johnson, cabinet member for Finance and Performance, said: “Ms Ali stole this money from all of us, so it is only right that she is given a custodial sentence. What she did was wrong and she is now paying the price. I hope that this judgement will serve as a lesson to anyone making fraudulent claims.”
The family gets to keep the benefit fraud money. That's not just.
Taj Ali, from Southall, pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday 9 December. She was sentenced to four months in prison and is paying the money back to the council at a rate of £15 per week under a voluntary arrangement. This amount is the maximum per week that the council can take as Ms Ali is in receipt of income support.
She had been claiming housing benefit on the Crispin Close property for three years and had falsely declared that she was not related to her landlord.
However, a council investigation discovered that the property was actually owned by her sister and her brother and that the money was being used to pay the mortgage.
Housing Benefit is only paid to people when they are part of a commercial tenancy and claimants are asked to declare any relationships as part of their application. When interviewed under caution, Ms Ali admitted that she was living in her family’s house.
Councillor Yvonne Johnson, cabinet member for Finance and Performance, said: “Ms Ali stole this money from all of us, so it is only right that she is given a custodial sentence. What she did was wrong and she is now paying the price. I hope that this judgement will serve as a lesson to anyone making fraudulent claims.”
The family gets to keep the benefit fraud money. That's not just.
21 Dec 2011
Slow prosecution of incapacity benefit thief
Benefits cheat Brent Perkins, who claimed nearly £10,000 of incapacity benefits despite the fact that he boxed and exercised at a gym, has escaped going to prison.
The dad arrived at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court with the aid of a single crutch.
But during a surveillance operation by the Department for Works and Pensions he was watched walking unaided, carrying a child, boxing and attending spinning classes at a gym in Barnwood.
The 50-year-old, from Matson, was the subject of surveillance in January, July and August 2009.
He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to wrongly claiming disability living allowance and income support, amounting to £9,217, between February 2009 and February 2010.
District Judge Joti Bopa-Rai sentenced him to eight weeks' jail, suspended for two years. He was also made the subject of a four-month curfew and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £100.
Perkins was said to suffer arthritis of the knee, back problems following an injury and depression.
Prosecuting solicitor, Tim Burrows, said: "In 2005, the defendant was virtually unable to walk and needed constant support, but his health improved and he failed to notify the department of those improvements, which he is required to do.
"Information was received in June 2008 that the defendant was not disabled.
"He was seen walking unaided to his car, lifting bags into the boot and he joined a gym where he took part in spinning and boxing classes and stretching exercises."
Defending solicitor, Nicola Berryman, said: "This is not so much a case of my client acting fraudulently but he has been culpable of not keeping the department informed of his fluctuating state of health."
District Judge Bopa-Rai told Perkins: "The amount you claimed wrongly was substantial."
Perkins said afterwards: "I went to the gym after my doctor told me to try something but I couldn't do anything there. I am already paying the money back, but I live on £85 a week."
The dad arrived at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court with the aid of a single crutch.
But during a surveillance operation by the Department for Works and Pensions he was watched walking unaided, carrying a child, boxing and attending spinning classes at a gym in Barnwood.
The 50-year-old, from Matson, was the subject of surveillance in January, July and August 2009.
He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to wrongly claiming disability living allowance and income support, amounting to £9,217, between February 2009 and February 2010.
District Judge Joti Bopa-Rai sentenced him to eight weeks' jail, suspended for two years. He was also made the subject of a four-month curfew and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £100.
Perkins was said to suffer arthritis of the knee, back problems following an injury and depression.
Prosecuting solicitor, Tim Burrows, said: "In 2005, the defendant was virtually unable to walk and needed constant support, but his health improved and he failed to notify the department of those improvements, which he is required to do.
"Information was received in June 2008 that the defendant was not disabled.
"He was seen walking unaided to his car, lifting bags into the boot and he joined a gym where he took part in spinning and boxing classes and stretching exercises."
Defending solicitor, Nicola Berryman, said: "This is not so much a case of my client acting fraudulently but he has been culpable of not keeping the department informed of his fluctuating state of health."
District Judge Bopa-Rai told Perkins: "The amount you claimed wrongly was substantial."
Perkins said afterwards: "I went to the gym after my doctor told me to try something but I couldn't do anything there. I am already paying the money back, but I live on £85 a week."
Council checks on market traders
A 49-year-old woman who illegally claimed more than £40,000 in benefits was snared by an "enterprising" council scheme.
Sharon Straw, who claimed income support, housing benefit and council tax, did not tell the authorities when her partner moved in with her.
She was caught five years later, after Erewash Borough Council decided to compare addresses of market traders in the area with people claiming benefits.
During the investigation, the council discovered trader Terrance Newcombe was living at Straw's address in Ilkeston.
Derby Crown Court heard that Mr Newcombe had £16,000 in savings.
Sentencing Straw, Judge Andrew Hamilton said: "You managed to get out of the State over £40,000. It was thoroughly and utterly dishonest."
He handed Straw an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, after she admitted two counts of failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions of a change in circumstances.
Judge Hamilton said: "Congratulations to Erewash Borough Council – extremely enterprising to come up with this idea and clearly there will be other skeletons in the cupboard waiting for a knock on the door."
A judge who has a way with a mixed metaphor
He said he hoped the case would make other people own up and avoid court.
The court was told Straw had paid back all £40,633 to the council. The repayments began with a £20,000 lump sum from Mr Newcombe.
Andrew Wesley, in mitigation, said the couple had not been using the benefits to fund an "exotic lifestyle", instead the money was being used for day-to-day living.
He said Straw suffered from depression and cared for her teenage daughter, who had learning difficulties.
Straw had not reported the change because she had been uncertain of the long-term future of her relationship.
Straw was told to do 150 hours' unpaid work and must abide by a four-month curfew between 7pm and 6am. She must also pay £250 costs.
After the case, Ian Sankey, director for resources at the council, said: "We continually look for new ways to find people who are falsely claiming money.
"Most of the investigative work is done by using information that we have, liaising with the Department for Work and Pensions and cross-matching data."
Sharon Straw, who claimed income support, housing benefit and council tax, did not tell the authorities when her partner moved in with her.
She was caught five years later, after Erewash Borough Council decided to compare addresses of market traders in the area with people claiming benefits.
During the investigation, the council discovered trader Terrance Newcombe was living at Straw's address in Ilkeston.
Derby Crown Court heard that Mr Newcombe had £16,000 in savings.
Sentencing Straw, Judge Andrew Hamilton said: "You managed to get out of the State over £40,000. It was thoroughly and utterly dishonest."
He handed Straw an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, after she admitted two counts of failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions of a change in circumstances.
Judge Hamilton said: "Congratulations to Erewash Borough Council – extremely enterprising to come up with this idea and clearly there will be other skeletons in the cupboard waiting for a knock on the door."
A judge who has a way with a mixed metaphor
He said he hoped the case would make other people own up and avoid court.
The court was told Straw had paid back all £40,633 to the council. The repayments began with a £20,000 lump sum from Mr Newcombe.
Andrew Wesley, in mitigation, said the couple had not been using the benefits to fund an "exotic lifestyle", instead the money was being used for day-to-day living.
He said Straw suffered from depression and cared for her teenage daughter, who had learning difficulties.
Straw had not reported the change because she had been uncertain of the long-term future of her relationship.
Straw was told to do 150 hours' unpaid work and must abide by a four-month curfew between 7pm and 6am. She must also pay £250 costs.
After the case, Ian Sankey, director for resources at the council, said: "We continually look for new ways to find people who are falsely claiming money.
"Most of the investigative work is done by using information that we have, liaising with the Department for Work and Pensions and cross-matching data."
20 Dec 2011
Confiscation order against fraudster
A rogue trader serving a five-year prison sentence after a judge branded him “a dyed-in-the-wool criminal” has been ordered to stump up almost £50,000 of his ill-gotten gains.
David Martin, 62, of Parsonage Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford, amassed a £56,000 fortune while illegally pocketing benefits.
He was well known to Bradford criminals as a professional “fence”, Bradford Crown Court heard when he was jailed in April last year.
Martin fooled the authorities into believing he could hardly walk while busy counterfeiting DVDs and travelling to the continent to trade in tobacco.
Yesterday, he was brought back to court from prison for a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, who locked him up 20 months ago, ruled that Martin’s criminality netted him £62,862. His available assets were agreed at £49,689.
If Martin has not raised the cash in six months he will spend an extra 18 months behind bars.
He pleaded guilty to benefit fraud, handling stolen goods, selling counterfeit DVDs, possessing a computer hard drive for use in fraud and possessing money as criminal property. Martin dishonestly claimed £23,331 in Income Support and Disability Living Allowance between 2002 and 2008. He did not reveal he had savings and stated he could hardly walk and was unable to make a meal or dress himself.
In February, 2008, police searched Martin’s home and seized DVDs to burn copies from and £12,000 in Sterling and Euros that he admitted was from his criminal activities. A further £44,663 was seized from his three bank accounts.
Prosecutor Gerald Hendron said Martin was well known to criminals in the area for “fencing” goods from his back door to sell at car boot sales.
He sold copied DVDs in pubs and travelled to Spain, Brussels and Tenerife to bring back tobacco to sell.
After the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Mark McManus said: “The confiscation hearing today should act as a warning to criminals that we won’t tolerate people who handle stolen goods, abuse the benefits system and live off the proceeds.”
“The assets confiscated from Martin will help in the continued fight against crime.”
David Martin, 62, of Parsonage Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford, amassed a £56,000 fortune while illegally pocketing benefits.
He was well known to Bradford criminals as a professional “fence”, Bradford Crown Court heard when he was jailed in April last year.
Martin fooled the authorities into believing he could hardly walk while busy counterfeiting DVDs and travelling to the continent to trade in tobacco.
Yesterday, he was brought back to court from prison for a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, who locked him up 20 months ago, ruled that Martin’s criminality netted him £62,862. His available assets were agreed at £49,689.
If Martin has not raised the cash in six months he will spend an extra 18 months behind bars.
He pleaded guilty to benefit fraud, handling stolen goods, selling counterfeit DVDs, possessing a computer hard drive for use in fraud and possessing money as criminal property. Martin dishonestly claimed £23,331 in Income Support and Disability Living Allowance between 2002 and 2008. He did not reveal he had savings and stated he could hardly walk and was unable to make a meal or dress himself.
In February, 2008, police searched Martin’s home and seized DVDs to burn copies from and £12,000 in Sterling and Euros that he admitted was from his criminal activities. A further £44,663 was seized from his three bank accounts.
Prosecutor Gerald Hendron said Martin was well known to criminals in the area for “fencing” goods from his back door to sell at car boot sales.
He sold copied DVDs in pubs and travelled to Spain, Brussels and Tenerife to bring back tobacco to sell.
After the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Mark McManus said: “The confiscation hearing today should act as a warning to criminals that we won’t tolerate people who handle stolen goods, abuse the benefits system and live off the proceeds.”
“The assets confiscated from Martin will help in the continued fight against crime.”
Jail for clampers and benefit thieves
A gang of cowboy clampers who terrorised motorists across the West and committed benefit fraud on a massive scale were jailed for a total of ten years yesterday.
Carlton Williams, 47, Lee Stagg, 43, and Michael Riddle, 30, aggressively enforced “eye-watering” clamping fees – charging drivers up to £600 to free their cars.
They lurked in the shadows and pounced on unsuspecting motorists – often vulnerable women with children – who had parked on private land they managed.
The trio would intimidate them into handing over larger cash sums, while in other cases some cars were lifted onto a tow truck with the horrified motorists still inside.
Williams was given five-and-a-half years, Stagg three years and Riddle 18 months in prison after admitting blackmail charges totalling £3,775. But police estimated the clampers could have netted up to £350,000 from their illicit activity.
Two of the gang, Williams and Stagg, were also found to be taking £54,000 from the state in council tax, housing benefit and income support.
His Honour Judge Graham Hume Jones, sitting at Taunton Crown Court, told the trio: “It is clear that in the course of this business you extorted considerable sums of money from members of the public by arrogant, bullying and aggressive behaviour.
"You were licensed to clamp cars and I am told you had a form of uniform and badges to show your authenticity.
“In my judgement this aggravates the position because it gave the impression the sums you were demanding and the behaviour you were exhibiting was authentic.”
The court heard that the trio demanded large cash sums from motorists while operating A1 Clamping Services between 2005 and 2008.
Williams – considered to be the ringleader – operated the firm with Stagg and employed Riddle as a clamper.
The court was told that a ‘spotter’ car would lurk, waiting for motorists to park on private land they managed on behalf of shops and businesses. A tow truck would then be sent within minutes to haul clamped cars away.
The gang, who were fully licensed to clamp cars, would then aggressively confront the motorists, often giving them little chance to pay the minimum release fee.
The company had stated on its notices that the price of releasing a clamp was £100, but if the vehicle was towed away this would increase to £350 and rising to £500 if ‘storage fees’ were applied.
Police eventually became inundated with complaints that they were demanding as much as £600 to return cars.
One female victim, in Bridgwater, was inside her car when A1 Clamping Services lifted it up to tow it away.
Another woman was forced to sit on the roof of her vehicle, in a pub car park in Bridgwater to stop the gang from taking it. A third motorist, Chloe Brant, successfully got the clamping gang to release her car after calling the police.
The court heard when forced to unchain her vehicle, one of the clampers sneered: “I will get you next time.”
As the trio expanded their business, complaints reached officers from Wells, Torbay and Torquay and even as far as Staffordshire.
The court also heard that the gang targeted popular Bridgwater Carnival in 2006 – towing away numerous vehicles in the town.
During that time the court heard Williams kept clamping, this time in Bristol.
Williams, from Bridgwater, eventually pleaded guilty to blackmail of £3,775 and making unwarranted demands for money with menaces between January 1, 2005 and January 1, 2008.
He also admitted benefit fraud totalling £42,518 and engaging in an aggressive commercial practice between July 18, 2009 and April 4, 2010, in Bristol, pocketing £675.
Stagg, also from Bridgwater, admitted blackmail for the same amount, making unwarranted demands with menaces and benefit fraud totalling £12,000.
Riddle, from Weston-super-Mare, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to blackmail and making unwarranted demands.
Defence barristers for all three had pleaded for lenient sentences, claiming their clients had spared victims the ordeal of giving evidence in court.
The court was told there was no chance of costs being recovered from the defendants.
Carlton Williams, 47, Lee Stagg, 43, and Michael Riddle, 30, aggressively enforced “eye-watering” clamping fees – charging drivers up to £600 to free their cars.
They lurked in the shadows and pounced on unsuspecting motorists – often vulnerable women with children – who had parked on private land they managed.
The trio would intimidate them into handing over larger cash sums, while in other cases some cars were lifted onto a tow truck with the horrified motorists still inside.
Williams was given five-and-a-half years, Stagg three years and Riddle 18 months in prison after admitting blackmail charges totalling £3,775. But police estimated the clampers could have netted up to £350,000 from their illicit activity.
Two of the gang, Williams and Stagg, were also found to be taking £54,000 from the state in council tax, housing benefit and income support.
His Honour Judge Graham Hume Jones, sitting at Taunton Crown Court, told the trio: “It is clear that in the course of this business you extorted considerable sums of money from members of the public by arrogant, bullying and aggressive behaviour.
"You were licensed to clamp cars and I am told you had a form of uniform and badges to show your authenticity.
“In my judgement this aggravates the position because it gave the impression the sums you were demanding and the behaviour you were exhibiting was authentic.”
The court heard that the trio demanded large cash sums from motorists while operating A1 Clamping Services between 2005 and 2008.
Williams – considered to be the ringleader – operated the firm with Stagg and employed Riddle as a clamper.
The court was told that a ‘spotter’ car would lurk, waiting for motorists to park on private land they managed on behalf of shops and businesses. A tow truck would then be sent within minutes to haul clamped cars away.
The gang, who were fully licensed to clamp cars, would then aggressively confront the motorists, often giving them little chance to pay the minimum release fee.
The company had stated on its notices that the price of releasing a clamp was £100, but if the vehicle was towed away this would increase to £350 and rising to £500 if ‘storage fees’ were applied.
Police eventually became inundated with complaints that they were demanding as much as £600 to return cars.
One female victim, in Bridgwater, was inside her car when A1 Clamping Services lifted it up to tow it away.
Another woman was forced to sit on the roof of her vehicle, in a pub car park in Bridgwater to stop the gang from taking it. A third motorist, Chloe Brant, successfully got the clamping gang to release her car after calling the police.
The court heard when forced to unchain her vehicle, one of the clampers sneered: “I will get you next time.”
As the trio expanded their business, complaints reached officers from Wells, Torbay and Torquay and even as far as Staffordshire.
The court also heard that the gang targeted popular Bridgwater Carnival in 2006 – towing away numerous vehicles in the town.
All three were arrested in September 2007, but not charged until March 2010.
During that time the court heard Williams kept clamping, this time in Bristol.
Williams, from Bridgwater, eventually pleaded guilty to blackmail of £3,775 and making unwarranted demands for money with menaces between January 1, 2005 and January 1, 2008.
He also admitted benefit fraud totalling £42,518 and engaging in an aggressive commercial practice between July 18, 2009 and April 4, 2010, in Bristol, pocketing £675.
Stagg, also from Bridgwater, admitted blackmail for the same amount, making unwarranted demands with menaces and benefit fraud totalling £12,000.
Riddle, from Weston-super-Mare, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to blackmail and making unwarranted demands.
Defence barristers for all three had pleaded for lenient sentences, claiming their clients had spared victims the ordeal of giving evidence in court.
The court was told there was no chance of costs being recovered from the defendants.
Jail for £32k benefit thief
A Huntingdon couple who together defrauded the taxpayer out of more than £32,000 have been handed prison sentences.
Lawrence Stevens was sentenced to 12 months in jail for benefit fraud offences committed over a seven-year period.
He appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court where he and his partner Ruth Edley – a Cambridgeshire County Council employee – pleaded guilty to 15 charges of benefit fraud.
Edley received a two-month sentence, suspended for a year, for her part in allowing Stevens to make claims totalling £32,882 between 2004 and 2011.
The court heard that between those dates Stevens had claimed unemployment benefit eight times, declaring on each occasion that he was the sole occupant of his rented flat and reliant on state benefits.
But a tip-off from a member of the public alerted Huntingdonshire District Council and the Department for Work and Pensions to the fact that Stevens had lived with Edley for 10 years.
Investigators discovered that Edley had lived at the same address as Stevens since at least 2004, and that she owned a flat in Leicester which she rented out.
During the seven years, the couple had had concealed Edley’s residence with Stevens on benefit claims, electoral roll forms, council tax liability and rent agreements.
When investigators interviewed Stevens and Edley about the allegations, both refused to answer questions.
When the scale of the fraud was revealed, Stevens was charged with making false claims for benefit and Edley with allowing him to make those claims
David Potter, mitigating for Edley, said she and Stevens had made arrangements to pay back £350 a month, and asked the court to take into account her guilty plea and previous good character.
Elaine Havord, for Stevens, said he had previous convictions dating from before 2003, and asked the court to ignore his history of offending.
Stevens was sentenced to 12 months in prison, while Edley was sentenced to two months, suspended for 12 months, with a requirement to do 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £480 in costs.
Lawrence Stevens was sentenced to 12 months in jail for benefit fraud offences committed over a seven-year period.
He appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court where he and his partner Ruth Edley – a Cambridgeshire County Council employee – pleaded guilty to 15 charges of benefit fraud.
Edley received a two-month sentence, suspended for a year, for her part in allowing Stevens to make claims totalling £32,882 between 2004 and 2011.
The court heard that between those dates Stevens had claimed unemployment benefit eight times, declaring on each occasion that he was the sole occupant of his rented flat and reliant on state benefits.
But a tip-off from a member of the public alerted Huntingdonshire District Council and the Department for Work and Pensions to the fact that Stevens had lived with Edley for 10 years.
Investigators discovered that Edley had lived at the same address as Stevens since at least 2004, and that she owned a flat in Leicester which she rented out.
During the seven years, the couple had had concealed Edley’s residence with Stevens on benefit claims, electoral roll forms, council tax liability and rent agreements.
When investigators interviewed Stevens and Edley about the allegations, both refused to answer questions.
When the scale of the fraud was revealed, Stevens was charged with making false claims for benefit and Edley with allowing him to make those claims
David Potter, mitigating for Edley, said she and Stevens had made arrangements to pay back £350 a month, and asked the court to take into account her guilty plea and previous good character.
Elaine Havord, for Stevens, said he had previous convictions dating from before 2003, and asked the court to ignore his history of offending.
Stevens was sentenced to 12 months in prison, while Edley was sentenced to two months, suspended for 12 months, with a requirement to do 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £480 in costs.
Tax-cheat mum was benefit worker
A fraudster worked at a benefits office while fleecing taxpayers out of almost £39,000 in tax credits by claiming she was a single mum.
Janice Lee lied about her childcare costs and denied that she was living with someone to rack up the Government cash she was receiving.
The mum launched the swindle while she was working for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and so was the man she failed to notify officials she was living with.
Lee, 37, pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud, which were carried out between April 2005 and September 2010, at Teesside Crown Court.
Judge Peter Bowers ordered a report be prepared on Lee, from Hartlepool, by probation officers and granted her unconditional bail until she is sentenced on January 20 next year.
But he warned Lee: “The fact you have bail does not mean you won’t go to prison when you come back.”
Andrew West, prosecuting, said that the £38,862 Lee admitted to illegally gaining was on top of benefits she was rightfully due to and received.
Mr West added: “She was entitled to some, but not all. It wasn’t dishonest from the beginning, it seems to have slipped into dishonesty.
“She was working for the DWP at the time.”
Richard Herrmann, mitigating, read out sentencing guidelines that indicated Lee faces a prison term of between eight weeks and 12 months, but said he hopes any jail could be suspended with it being his client’s first time in court.
He added: “Her employment gave her no access. She could have been working anywhere else. It’s an interesting fact rather than one that aggravates the offence.
“This clearly crosses the custody threshold as it is in the bracket of between £20,000 and £100,000 and was carried out over a period of time.
“The argument will be that she is of good character and has children. Maybe it could be suspended.”
A spokesman for the DWP said Lee has not worked for the department since 2009.
Janice Lee lied about her childcare costs and denied that she was living with someone to rack up the Government cash she was receiving.
The mum launched the swindle while she was working for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and so was the man she failed to notify officials she was living with.
Lee, 37, pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud, which were carried out between April 2005 and September 2010, at Teesside Crown Court.
Judge Peter Bowers ordered a report be prepared on Lee, from Hartlepool, by probation officers and granted her unconditional bail until she is sentenced on January 20 next year.
But he warned Lee: “The fact you have bail does not mean you won’t go to prison when you come back.”
Andrew West, prosecuting, said that the £38,862 Lee admitted to illegally gaining was on top of benefits she was rightfully due to and received.
Mr West added: “She was entitled to some, but not all. It wasn’t dishonest from the beginning, it seems to have slipped into dishonesty.
“She was working for the DWP at the time.”
Richard Herrmann, mitigating, read out sentencing guidelines that indicated Lee faces a prison term of between eight weeks and 12 months, but said he hopes any jail could be suspended with it being his client’s first time in court.
He added: “Her employment gave her no access. She could have been working anywhere else. It’s an interesting fact rather than one that aggravates the offence.
“This clearly crosses the custody threshold as it is in the bracket of between £20,000 and £100,000 and was carried out over a period of time.
“The argument will be that she is of good character and has children. Maybe it could be suspended.”
A spokesman for the DWP said Lee has not worked for the department since 2009.
Hove man jailed for £164k benefit fraud
A man from Hove has been jailed for 20 months and his wife given a 12-month sentence suspended for two years after pleading guilty to benefit fraud worth more than £160,000.
Marcus and Zoe Bradbrook illegally claimed:
The prosecution was brought jointly by the council and the Department for Work and Pensions, with the help of Sussex Police. The fraud came to light following an anonymous tip-off.
Between April 1999 and December 2010 Zoe Bradbrook, known at the time as Zoe Fitzgerald, claimed benefits as a lone parent with three children. In reality she was living with her partner Marcus Bradbrook, who was the father of her children and the owner of both the properties for which she claimed benefits.
Mr Bradbrook aided the offence by providing information that he resided at a different address to Zoe, producing and signing false tenancy agreements and receiving payments on her behalf.
Council investigators checked bank records, the Land Registry, birth and marriage records, household bills, and with the NHS and many other agencies to get the evidence they needed.
Zoe Bradbrook was also given a 200-hour community order with unpaid work requirement as part of her sentence.
She should have to serve a prison sentence once he gets out. And as they have property, presumably we will get our money back?
Marcus and Zoe Bradbrook illegally claimed:
- Housing Benefit from Brighton & Hove City Council worth £83,582
- Income Support worth £70,982
- Housing Benefit from Lewes District Council worth £9560 relating to an address in Newhaven.
The prosecution was brought jointly by the council and the Department for Work and Pensions, with the help of Sussex Police. The fraud came to light following an anonymous tip-off.
Between April 1999 and December 2010 Zoe Bradbrook, known at the time as Zoe Fitzgerald, claimed benefits as a lone parent with three children. In reality she was living with her partner Marcus Bradbrook, who was the father of her children and the owner of both the properties for which she claimed benefits.
Mr Bradbrook aided the offence by providing information that he resided at a different address to Zoe, producing and signing false tenancy agreements and receiving payments on her behalf.
Council investigators checked bank records, the Land Registry, birth and marriage records, household bills, and with the NHS and many other agencies to get the evidence they needed.
Zoe Bradbrook was also given a 200-hour community order with unpaid work requirement as part of her sentence.
She should have to serve a prison sentence once he gets out. And as they have property, presumably we will get our money back?
Computer shall not speak unto computer
Pembrokeshire County Council paid off a teacher and then helped to prosecute her for not telling them about the redundancy payout, a jury has heard.
Christine Page, aged 54, had been working as a supply teacher at Penally VC School At the same time she had been claiming housing benefit and council tax relief.
Swansea crown court was told that in January, 2007, the county council made her redundant and sent her £5,249, representing redundancy compensation and outstanding salary.
But at the same time the authority was acting for the Department for Work and Pensions – and prosecuted her for not declaring the payment.
Bob Hawkins, prosecuting, said Page, from Tenby, went on to work at the Five Arches pub in Tenby and then the Kiln Park holiday complex, but continued to claim benefits without declaring her earnings.
Page denied failing to notify the authority that her circumstances had changed and receiving a total of £6,332 in housing benefit and £528 in council tax relief, to which she had not been entitled.
The jury was told that Page accepted that she should have written to the council telling them about her employment but she said she had contacted them four times, in person or by telephone, and so had not acted dishonestly.
That, Mr Hawkins said, was the central question for the jury.
Mr Hawkins said Page maintained that as the £5,249 had come from the county council they must have been aware she had received it.
But Karen Ann Evans, representing the branch of the authority acting for the DWP, said they did not have access to the council’s payroll.
Page was found guilty of three offences and will be sentenced after probation reports.
Christine Page, aged 54, had been working as a supply teacher at Penally VC School At the same time she had been claiming housing benefit and council tax relief.
Swansea crown court was told that in January, 2007, the county council made her redundant and sent her £5,249, representing redundancy compensation and outstanding salary.
But at the same time the authority was acting for the Department for Work and Pensions – and prosecuted her for not declaring the payment.
Bob Hawkins, prosecuting, said Page, from Tenby, went on to work at the Five Arches pub in Tenby and then the Kiln Park holiday complex, but continued to claim benefits without declaring her earnings.
Page denied failing to notify the authority that her circumstances had changed and receiving a total of £6,332 in housing benefit and £528 in council tax relief, to which she had not been entitled.
The jury was told that Page accepted that she should have written to the council telling them about her employment but she said she had contacted them four times, in person or by telephone, and so had not acted dishonestly.
That, Mr Hawkins said, was the central question for the jury.
Mr Hawkins said Page maintained that as the £5,249 had come from the county council they must have been aware she had received it.
But Karen Ann Evans, representing the branch of the authority acting for the DWP, said they did not have access to the council’s payroll.
Page was found guilty of three offences and will be sentenced after probation reports.
19 Dec 2011
Failed asylum seeker was also benefits thief
A failed asylum seeker has been jailed for 14 months after he was found guilty of fraudulently obtaining £20,559 in benefit money and possessing false documentation.
Mohamed Chenoun, a 36 year old Algerian national, from Slough, was convicted after pleading guilty to five offences at Reading Crown Court on December 12, relating to:
Using a false identity document to claim housing and council tax benefit between 4/12/06 and the 28/11/11.
Possessing a false French identity document with intent.
Possessing a false Italian identity documents without reasonable excuse.
Officers from Slough Borough Council, Thames Valley Police and the Department for Work and Pensions visited Chenoun’s home on December 1, where he was arrested on suspicion of fraudulently claiming benefits using false French identity documents in the name of Olivier Marc Arnaud.
A subsequent search of the property revealed he also possessed Italian identity documents in another false name of Luca De Carlo.
Chenoun appeared in front of a district judge at Slough Magistrates Court the following day, where he was remanded in custody and his case referred to Reading Crown Court.
At Reading Crown Court on December 12, following his early guilty pleas to all counts on the indictment, Chenoun was sentenced to a total of 14 months imprisonment.
Chenoun had been residing in the UK illegally having had a claim for asylum refused in 1999. UKBA are aware of the situation and it is hoped Chenoun will be deported after serving his sentence.
Mohamed Chenoun, a 36 year old Algerian national, from Slough, was convicted after pleading guilty to five offences at Reading Crown Court on December 12, relating to:
Using a false identity document to claim housing and council tax benefit between 4/12/06 and the 28/11/11.
Possessing a false French identity document with intent.
Possessing a false Italian identity documents without reasonable excuse.
Officers from Slough Borough Council, Thames Valley Police and the Department for Work and Pensions visited Chenoun’s home on December 1, where he was arrested on suspicion of fraudulently claiming benefits using false French identity documents in the name of Olivier Marc Arnaud.
A subsequent search of the property revealed he also possessed Italian identity documents in another false name of Luca De Carlo.
Chenoun appeared in front of a district judge at Slough Magistrates Court the following day, where he was remanded in custody and his case referred to Reading Crown Court.
At Reading Crown Court on December 12, following his early guilty pleas to all counts on the indictment, Chenoun was sentenced to a total of 14 months imprisonment.
Chenoun had been residing in the UK illegally having had a claim for asylum refused in 1999. UKBA are aware of the situation and it is hoped Chenoun will be deported after serving his sentence.
16 Dec 2011
Man bucked immigration rules and was benefit thief
A bogus asylum seeker who returned to the UK after being deported has been sentenced for a £16,000 benefit fraud.
Erzen Selmani, from Harlesden, has been given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12-months, and ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid community work.
We believe this criminal is meekly going to do this?
A lengthy investigation revealed that Selmani had first come to the UK from Kosovo in 2003 and used a false name and date of birth to claim asylum. He then used his fraudulently obtained asylum papers to claim benefit in Ealing and Brent and while in the country married a woman with a British passport.
When the Home Office became aware of Selmani’s fraudulent asylum claim he was deported, but later returned to the UK legally on a spousal visa. The benefit fraud only came to light when eagle-eyed council officers received a claim from Selmani’s wife in 2007.
Benefit claimants have to give details of their spouse and when officers checked they realised several years before there had been other claims from a man at the same address with a similar name. Because Selmani was originally living in the UK illegally and used false papers he was not entitled to the benefit he claimed.
Councillor Yvonne Johnson, cabinet member for finance and performance at Ealing Council, said: “This man cheated honest tax-payers out of £16,000 in benefits to which he was not entitled. If it wasn’t for our eagle-eyed benefits officers this fraud could have gone undetected. I hope this sends a strong message to people that even if their fraud was many years ago or they change their name, we will still track them down.”
Councillor Muhammed Butt, Lead Member for Resources at Brent Council, said: “I’d like to congratulate officers from both councils who worked together to bring about this case. Stealing from one council is bad enough but to steal from two is horrendous and shows a high level of greed. Brent Council will not stop in its pursuit of benefit thieves and anyone falsely claiming benefits should beware.”
Selmani pleaded guilty to six offences at a hearing at the court on 24 October. He will now have to repay all the money he fraudulently claimed.
Hm, right.
Erzen Selmani, from Harlesden, has been given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12-months, and ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid community work.
We believe this criminal is meekly going to do this?
A lengthy investigation revealed that Selmani had first come to the UK from Kosovo in 2003 and used a false name and date of birth to claim asylum. He then used his fraudulently obtained asylum papers to claim benefit in Ealing and Brent and while in the country married a woman with a British passport.
When the Home Office became aware of Selmani’s fraudulent asylum claim he was deported, but later returned to the UK legally on a spousal visa. The benefit fraud only came to light when eagle-eyed council officers received a claim from Selmani’s wife in 2007.
Benefit claimants have to give details of their spouse and when officers checked they realised several years before there had been other claims from a man at the same address with a similar name. Because Selmani was originally living in the UK illegally and used false papers he was not entitled to the benefit he claimed.
Councillor Yvonne Johnson, cabinet member for finance and performance at Ealing Council, said: “This man cheated honest tax-payers out of £16,000 in benefits to which he was not entitled. If it wasn’t for our eagle-eyed benefits officers this fraud could have gone undetected. I hope this sends a strong message to people that even if their fraud was many years ago or they change their name, we will still track them down.”
Councillor Muhammed Butt, Lead Member for Resources at Brent Council, said: “I’d like to congratulate officers from both councils who worked together to bring about this case. Stealing from one council is bad enough but to steal from two is horrendous and shows a high level of greed. Brent Council will not stop in its pursuit of benefit thieves and anyone falsely claiming benefits should beware.”
Selmani pleaded guilty to six offences at a hearing at the court on 24 October. He will now have to repay all the money he fraudulently claimed.
Hm, right.
15 Dec 2011
There should be an immediate confiscation order
There should be an immediate confiscation order in cases of assets fraud like this, but the law moves at its own sedate pace.
A Worthing man has been sentenced to a 12 month community order after admitting benefit fraud.
Shahan Ali pleaded guilty to six matters of dishonestly making false statements to obtain housing and council tax benefit at Worthing Magistrates’ Court.
He was sentenced to a 12 month community order, on the condition he completes 200 hours unpaid work.
He was also ordered to pay £971.25 prosecution costs, incurred by Worthing Borough Council.
The court heard Ali, of Meadway Court, Worthing, first claimed housing and council tax benefit in December, 2008, whilst living in Lyndhurst Road, Worthing.
His award was calculated upon low income received from self employment and £400 held in a bank account.
It was revised in June 2011 when he purchased and moved to Meadway Court.
His new claim declared the same low earnings and single bank account
Following an investigation by the corporate investigations section of the council, a number of additional bank accounts were identified.
Statements obtained for the undeclared accounts confirmed, at the time of the initial application submitted in November, 2008, his capital had been in excess of £19,000.
During the period of his claim for means tested benefits, funds in excess of £92,000 had been deposited into these additional accounts.
The investigation also established rental income was being received from a second property in Cardiff, purchased by Ali’s wife in 2006.
This meant Ali and his family would not have qualified for benefits.
As a result, he received £16,842 housing benefit and £2156 council tax benefit, to which he was not entitled.
A spokeswoman for Worthing Borough Council said it would be seeking to recover the overpaid benefit.
Sentencing, magistrates said Ali had been “within a whisker” of going to prison.
A Worthing man has been sentenced to a 12 month community order after admitting benefit fraud.
Shahan Ali pleaded guilty to six matters of dishonestly making false statements to obtain housing and council tax benefit at Worthing Magistrates’ Court.
He was sentenced to a 12 month community order, on the condition he completes 200 hours unpaid work.
He was also ordered to pay £971.25 prosecution costs, incurred by Worthing Borough Council.
The court heard Ali, of Meadway Court, Worthing, first claimed housing and council tax benefit in December, 2008, whilst living in Lyndhurst Road, Worthing.
His award was calculated upon low income received from self employment and £400 held in a bank account.
It was revised in June 2011 when he purchased and moved to Meadway Court.
His new claim declared the same low earnings and single bank account
Following an investigation by the corporate investigations section of the council, a number of additional bank accounts were identified.
Statements obtained for the undeclared accounts confirmed, at the time of the initial application submitted in November, 2008, his capital had been in excess of £19,000.
During the period of his claim for means tested benefits, funds in excess of £92,000 had been deposited into these additional accounts.
The investigation also established rental income was being received from a second property in Cardiff, purchased by Ali’s wife in 2006.
This meant Ali and his family would not have qualified for benefits.
As a result, he received £16,842 housing benefit and £2156 council tax benefit, to which he was not entitled.
A spokeswoman for Worthing Borough Council said it would be seeking to recover the overpaid benefit.
Sentencing, magistrates said Ali had been “within a whisker” of going to prison.
Suspended sentence for £54k benefit fraud
A 61-year-old woman has been sentenced after pleading guilty to being overpaid more than £54,000 in Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
Barbara Purcell, from Winsford, appeared before Chester Crown Court.
She pleaded guilty to three offences of dishonesty to both the Department for Work and Pensions and Cheshire West and Cheshire Council in respect of undeclared employment.
Mrs Purcell was sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment suspended for twelve months and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work in the community. She was also ordered to pay £300 prosecution costs.
Mrs Purcell is required to fully repay the overpaid benefit to the Department for Work and Pensions and Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Barbara Purcell, from Winsford, appeared before Chester Crown Court.
She pleaded guilty to three offences of dishonesty to both the Department for Work and Pensions and Cheshire West and Cheshire Council in respect of undeclared employment.
Mrs Purcell was sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment suspended for twelve months and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work in the community. She was also ordered to pay £300 prosecution costs.
Mrs Purcell is required to fully repay the overpaid benefit to the Department for Work and Pensions and Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Cornish benefit thief took £6000
At Bodmin Magistrates Court Julie Pote, from Gunnislake, pleaded guilty to 3 charges of dishonestly failing to declare changes in her circumstances to the Council.
Mrs Pote claimed Housing and Council Tax Benefit in December 2008 declaring that she was on a reduced income as she was off sick from work and in receipt of Statutory Sick Pay. She provided her payslips to the Council to support her claim however two weeks after providing this information she returned to work. Mrs Pote was charged with dishonestly failing to declare to the Council that she had returned to full time work on 19 January 2009.
The second charge involved Mrs Pote dishonestly failing to declare a change in her Tax Credit award in October 2009 and then in August 2010 Mrs Pote changed jobs but again she did not notify the Council generating the third dishonesty charge.
In April 2011 the case was referred to the Council’s Investigation Department who discovered the undeclared changes. Mrs Pote’s benefit entitlement was reassessed and over £6,000 of overpaid benefit had been made as a result of the fraudulent activity.
The magistrates acknowledged the seriousness of the case, and gave Mrs Pote credit for her early guilty plea however, they imposed a 6 month community order and a 12 week curfew (reduced from 18 weeks due to the early guilty plea) effective from 10 December 2011. The curfew imposed covers the period 12.00 midnight to 12.00 noon for 6 days a week Tuesday to Sunday.
Mrs Pote was ordered to pay £100 costs to the Council.
The overpaid Housing and Council Tax Benefit of £6602 is being recovered by the Council as a separate matter.
Mrs Pote claimed Housing and Council Tax Benefit in December 2008 declaring that she was on a reduced income as she was off sick from work and in receipt of Statutory Sick Pay. She provided her payslips to the Council to support her claim however two weeks after providing this information she returned to work. Mrs Pote was charged with dishonestly failing to declare to the Council that she had returned to full time work on 19 January 2009.
The second charge involved Mrs Pote dishonestly failing to declare a change in her Tax Credit award in October 2009 and then in August 2010 Mrs Pote changed jobs but again she did not notify the Council generating the third dishonesty charge.
In April 2011 the case was referred to the Council’s Investigation Department who discovered the undeclared changes. Mrs Pote’s benefit entitlement was reassessed and over £6,000 of overpaid benefit had been made as a result of the fraudulent activity.
The magistrates acknowledged the seriousness of the case, and gave Mrs Pote credit for her early guilty plea however, they imposed a 6 month community order and a 12 week curfew (reduced from 18 weeks due to the early guilty plea) effective from 10 December 2011. The curfew imposed covers the period 12.00 midnight to 12.00 noon for 6 days a week Tuesday to Sunday.
Mrs Pote was ordered to pay £100 costs to the Council.
The overpaid Housing and Council Tax Benefit of £6602 is being recovered by the Council as a separate matter.
Jail for £27k benefits thief ... but no jail for £54k offender
A welder who fiddled £27,500 benefits to pay off loan sharks has been jailed.
Adrian Williams, aged 54, started claiming incapacity benefit when he was genuinely sick but carried on doing so after he got better and went back to work. He also fiddled income support, housing and council tax benefits for three years, Exeter Crown Court was told.
Ex-soldier Williams, of Gregory Close, Tiverton, admitted three offences of dishonestly claiming benefits and one of false representation and was jailed for three months by Judge Graham Cottle.
The judge told him: “You carried out a fraud on the Department of Work and Pensions for a significant period of time and obtained £27,500 or thereabouts – a significant amount of money.”
Mr Malcolm Galloway, prosecuting, said Williams claimed a total of £27,546 he was not entitled to for more than three years until he was caught in March 2010.
He was found to have been working for a company called Jansen UK as a fabricator. He admitted he knew he had to report he had started work.
Mr Will Hopkin, defending, said: “He did have genuine medical problems and found himself £15,000 in debt. He went to a loan shark who put him under all sorts of pressure.
“He needed extra money and his accounts show he paid out £200 cash every week. He knows he did wrong. He was under pressure and his response was to work hard as a welder.”
Separately, a 61-year-old Winsford woman has escaped a jail sentence after admitting benefit fraud.
Barbara Purcell, of Caldy Way, Winsford, pleaded guilty to three offences of dishonesty relating to overpayments of more than £54,000 in Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax.
She was sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, 150 hours of unpaid work in the community, and was ordered to pay £300 prosecution costs.
She is required to fully repay the overpaid benefit to the Department for Work and Pensions and Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Adrian Williams, aged 54, started claiming incapacity benefit when he was genuinely sick but carried on doing so after he got better and went back to work. He also fiddled income support, housing and council tax benefits for three years, Exeter Crown Court was told.
Ex-soldier Williams, of Gregory Close, Tiverton, admitted three offences of dishonestly claiming benefits and one of false representation and was jailed for three months by Judge Graham Cottle.
The judge told him: “You carried out a fraud on the Department of Work and Pensions for a significant period of time and obtained £27,500 or thereabouts – a significant amount of money.”
Mr Malcolm Galloway, prosecuting, said Williams claimed a total of £27,546 he was not entitled to for more than three years until he was caught in March 2010.
He was found to have been working for a company called Jansen UK as a fabricator. He admitted he knew he had to report he had started work.
Mr Will Hopkin, defending, said: “He did have genuine medical problems and found himself £15,000 in debt. He went to a loan shark who put him under all sorts of pressure.
“He needed extra money and his accounts show he paid out £200 cash every week. He knows he did wrong. He was under pressure and his response was to work hard as a welder.”
Separately, a 61-year-old Winsford woman has escaped a jail sentence after admitting benefit fraud.
Barbara Purcell, of Caldy Way, Winsford, pleaded guilty to three offences of dishonesty relating to overpayments of more than £54,000 in Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax.
She was sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, 150 hours of unpaid work in the community, and was ordered to pay £300 prosecution costs.
She is required to fully repay the overpaid benefit to the Department for Work and Pensions and Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Light sentences for organised Roma benefit theft
FOUR crooks who falsely claimed benefits of more than £130,000 in a "sophisticated" fraud have been jailed.
Gang members said they had been employed by a fictitious firm and produced fake paperwork.
They went on to claim tax credits, jobseekers allowance, income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
Paperwork was provided by ringleader Kystyna Bil, 39, of Emerson Square, who would receive a fee for her "services".
The fraud was carried out by people from Derby's Eastern European Roma community, said Adrian Farley, from HMRC.
He said: "The prosecution clearly shows how we are tackling the ruthless theft of money from the public purse. This is money needed to fund public services for the benefit of everyone."
Bil admitted three counts of conspiracy to defraud between May 2008 and July this year. She was jailed for 21 months.
A further three people pleaded guilty at Derby Crown Court to conspiracy offences in relation to the fraud, which the judge described as involving "professional planning".
Work records including pay slips, contracts of employment, P45s and worker registration certificates were supplied for a company that only existed on paper.
Maria Bil, 58, also of Emerson Square, admitted two counts of conspiracy to defraud between May 2008 and July this year. She was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Ryszard Lack, 40, of the same address, admitted three counts of conspiracy to defraud, received a six-month suspended sentence and was ordered to do 160 hours unpaid work.
And Irena Pohlodkova, 33 of Burton Road, admitted two counts of conspiracy to defraud between the same dates and was given a six-month suspended sentence, with 200 hours of unpaid work.
More people have been identified as being part of the scam and their cases are currently going through the courts.
That's all you get for organised crime.
Gang members said they had been employed by a fictitious firm and produced fake paperwork.
They went on to claim tax credits, jobseekers allowance, income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
Paperwork was provided by ringleader Kystyna Bil, 39, of Emerson Square, who would receive a fee for her "services".
The fraud was carried out by people from Derby's Eastern European Roma community, said Adrian Farley, from HMRC.
He said: "The prosecution clearly shows how we are tackling the ruthless theft of money from the public purse. This is money needed to fund public services for the benefit of everyone."
Bil admitted three counts of conspiracy to defraud between May 2008 and July this year. She was jailed for 21 months.
A further three people pleaded guilty at Derby Crown Court to conspiracy offences in relation to the fraud, which the judge described as involving "professional planning".
Work records including pay slips, contracts of employment, P45s and worker registration certificates were supplied for a company that only existed on paper.
Maria Bil, 58, also of Emerson Square, admitted two counts of conspiracy to defraud between May 2008 and July this year. She was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Ryszard Lack, 40, of the same address, admitted three counts of conspiracy to defraud, received a six-month suspended sentence and was ordered to do 160 hours unpaid work.
And Irena Pohlodkova, 33 of Burton Road, admitted two counts of conspiracy to defraud between the same dates and was given a six-month suspended sentence, with 200 hours of unpaid work.
More people have been identified as being part of the scam and their cases are currently going through the courts.
That's all you get for organised crime.
14 Dec 2011
Mother imprisoned for £81k benefit fraud
On Friday 2 December at Croydon Crown Court, Lorraine O’Sullivan, from Barfields, was given a six month custodial sentence after pleading guilty to benefit fraud of over £81,000 at an earlier hearing.
In 2002 Mrs O’Sullivan applied for Housing and Council Tax Benefit in her former name of Swain, while living at Whyteleafe on the basis she was a single parent. She also applied for Income Support.
Mrs O’Sullivan failed to notify either the Jobcentre Plus or Tandridge District Council her partner had moved in with her in May 2005. Mrs O’Sullivan was interviewed by Fraud Investigation Officers from the Council and Jobcentre Plus in 2009 and again in 2010. She denied her partner was living with her during both interviews.
As a result of Mrs O’Sullivan’s failure to notify the change in her circumstances to either organisation she received £81,430 in Income Support, Housing and Council Tax Benefit which she was not entitled to. She is currently repaying the debt to Tandridge District Council
After initially pleading not guilty, Mrs O’Sullivan changed her plea to guilty at a hearing on 14 October 2011. The judge gave her credit for her guilty plea and the fact she had spent the money on household expenditure. He was also aware of the impact of taking her away from her children. But he said there were no signs she would have stopped claiming the benefit and the amount of public funds lost was so great it was unrealistic to expect it would be paid back.
Councillor Martin Fisher, Chairman of the Resources Committee, said: “We worked with JobCentre Plus on this investigation and for both agencies prosecution is always a last resort. This was a large amount of money claimed fraudulently and we will continue to seek recovery of the Housing and Council Tax Benefit debt, although it is unlikely the total amount will ever be paid back. “
h/t Dave
In 2002 Mrs O’Sullivan applied for Housing and Council Tax Benefit in her former name of Swain, while living at Whyteleafe on the basis she was a single parent. She also applied for Income Support.
Mrs O’Sullivan failed to notify either the Jobcentre Plus or Tandridge District Council her partner had moved in with her in May 2005. Mrs O’Sullivan was interviewed by Fraud Investigation Officers from the Council and Jobcentre Plus in 2009 and again in 2010. She denied her partner was living with her during both interviews.
As a result of Mrs O’Sullivan’s failure to notify the change in her circumstances to either organisation she received £81,430 in Income Support, Housing and Council Tax Benefit which she was not entitled to. She is currently repaying the debt to Tandridge District Council
After initially pleading not guilty, Mrs O’Sullivan changed her plea to guilty at a hearing on 14 October 2011. The judge gave her credit for her guilty plea and the fact she had spent the money on household expenditure. He was also aware of the impact of taking her away from her children. But he said there were no signs she would have stopped claiming the benefit and the amount of public funds lost was so great it was unrealistic to expect it would be paid back.
Councillor Martin Fisher, Chairman of the Resources Committee, said: “We worked with JobCentre Plus on this investigation and for both agencies prosecution is always a last resort. This was a large amount of money claimed fraudulently and we will continue to seek recovery of the Housing and Council Tax Benefit debt, although it is unlikely the total amount will ever be paid back. “
h/t Dave
13 Dec 2011
Cheat told to pay back £18,000 of stolen benefits
A benefits cheat who falsely claimed more than £18,000 has been ordered to repay what she stole.
Lindsay Cleminshaw received housing benefit, council tax benefit and income support benefits over a two year period – to which she was not entitled.
Cleminshaw, who falsely claimed £18,870 in total, pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining benefits after failing to notify Rochdale council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that she was living with her partner – who was in full time employment.
A joint investigation was launched after an anonymous tip off was received by the benefit fraud hotline.
Cleminshaw later admitted the offences during an interview under caution.
At Rochdale magistrates court, she was sentenced to a community punishment order. She will have to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, as well as repay £12,329 to the council and a further £6,441 to the DWP.
Coun Farooq Ahmed, Rochdale’s cabinet member for finance, said: “This serves as a warning to others who are withholding information in order to dishonestly receive benefits they are not entitled to.They can be sure we will continue to investigate and prosecute deliberate fraudsters.”
Lindsay Cleminshaw received housing benefit, council tax benefit and income support benefits over a two year period – to which she was not entitled.
Cleminshaw, who falsely claimed £18,870 in total, pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining benefits after failing to notify Rochdale council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that she was living with her partner – who was in full time employment.
A joint investigation was launched after an anonymous tip off was received by the benefit fraud hotline.
Cleminshaw later admitted the offences during an interview under caution.
At Rochdale magistrates court, she was sentenced to a community punishment order. She will have to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, as well as repay £12,329 to the council and a further £6,441 to the DWP.
Coun Farooq Ahmed, Rochdale’s cabinet member for finance, said: “This serves as a warning to others who are withholding information in order to dishonestly receive benefits they are not entitled to.They can be sure we will continue to investigate and prosecute deliberate fraudsters.”
Councillor criticises light benefit fraud sentence
A woman who fraudulently claimed more than £9,000 in benefits has been sentenced at Basildon Magistrates Court.
Shirley Allen, 64, from East Bergholt, Colchester, knowingly claimed housing benefit amounting to £7675 and council tax benefits of £1768 between 1 December 2008 and 12 December 2010.
She pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to notify a change of circumstances, namely that she had left The Brambles, Laindon, and moved to her current address.
She appeared at the court on Wednesday 7 December and received a 12 month community order with a requirement of supervision and ordered to pay costs of £475.
Councillor Phil Turner, cabinet member for resources, said the work of the Council’s fraud investigations team was excellent but unfortunately we see yet again that the judgement did not carry with it a custodial sentence.
He said: “Benefit fraud is not a victimless crime and anyone trying to defraud the taxpayer will be brought to task.
“Would-be cheats should take note. There is no way to avoid paying the penalty for stealing from the public purse and as well as paying the fine the criminals will have to pay back every penny they stole from our residents.”
Shirley Allen, 64, from East Bergholt, Colchester, knowingly claimed housing benefit amounting to £7675 and council tax benefits of £1768 between 1 December 2008 and 12 December 2010.
She pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to notify a change of circumstances, namely that she had left The Brambles, Laindon, and moved to her current address.
She appeared at the court on Wednesday 7 December and received a 12 month community order with a requirement of supervision and ordered to pay costs of £475.
Councillor Phil Turner, cabinet member for resources, said the work of the Council’s fraud investigations team was excellent but unfortunately we see yet again that the judgement did not carry with it a custodial sentence.
He said: “Benefit fraud is not a victimless crime and anyone trying to defraud the taxpayer will be brought to task.
“Would-be cheats should take note. There is no way to avoid paying the penalty for stealing from the public purse and as well as paying the fine the criminals will have to pay back every penny they stole from our residents.”
Benefit cheat worked as court security guard
A man who said he could only walk with a stick falsely claimed benefits while holding down several jobs – including working as a security guard at a court.
John Heaton, 44, pocketed more than £19,000 in Disability Living Allowance over more than eight years.
He worked physical jobs including head doorman at a holiday park and as a security guard at Bodmin Magistrates' Court.
But Plymouth magistrates heard he claimed he had no strength in an injured leg, no balance and needed a stick to help him walk.
Heaton, of Porth Bean Road, Newquay, admitted failing to notify a change of circumstances which would affect his benefit claim between October 2002 and March 2011.
Magistrates gave him an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.
He was ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work and pay £50 towards prosecution costs.
The court heard he was paying back the £19,431 he was overpaid, at the rate of £60 a month.
John Major, prosecuting for the Department for Work and Pensions, said Heaton began claiming DLA in 1993 because he had fractured his right femur or thigh-bone in a road accident.
Mr Major said he claimed in 1994 that he could not walk without sticks and needed help with shopping and to get into the bath.
He added that in 2004 he was still saying he had no balance and needed a stick to walk.
But Mr Major said investigators found he had done a range of physical jobs since 2002, including pressure washing industrial plant, factory work at a creamery and as a security guard at Bodmin Magistrates' Court.
Ken Papenfus, for Heaton, said in the years after the accident he had been genuinely unable to work. He added that the money involved was substantial but did not represent a "significant income" over nearly nine years.
Mr Papenfus made the unusual step of giving his client a brief character reference, having met him in his capacity of a security guard at the Bodmin court.
John Heaton, 44, pocketed more than £19,000 in Disability Living Allowance over more than eight years.
He worked physical jobs including head doorman at a holiday park and as a security guard at Bodmin Magistrates' Court.
But Plymouth magistrates heard he claimed he had no strength in an injured leg, no balance and needed a stick to help him walk.
Heaton, of Porth Bean Road, Newquay, admitted failing to notify a change of circumstances which would affect his benefit claim between October 2002 and March 2011.
Magistrates gave him an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.
He was ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work and pay £50 towards prosecution costs.
The court heard he was paying back the £19,431 he was overpaid, at the rate of £60 a month.
John Major, prosecuting for the Department for Work and Pensions, said Heaton began claiming DLA in 1993 because he had fractured his right femur or thigh-bone in a road accident.
Mr Major said he claimed in 1994 that he could not walk without sticks and needed help with shopping and to get into the bath.
He added that in 2004 he was still saying he had no balance and needed a stick to walk.
But Mr Major said investigators found he had done a range of physical jobs since 2002, including pressure washing industrial plant, factory work at a creamery and as a security guard at Bodmin Magistrates' Court.
Ken Papenfus, for Heaton, said in the years after the accident he had been genuinely unable to work. He added that the money involved was substantial but did not represent a "significant income" over nearly nine years.
Mr Papenfus made the unusual step of giving his client a brief character reference, having met him in his capacity of a security guard at the Bodmin court.
Council employee hid overtime to get benefits
A woman who claimed housing and council tax benefits has been found guilty of failing to declare her full income after working overtime for the council responsible for paying her the support.
Samantha Gray, from Hinckley, pleaded not guilty to the offence committed between April 7, 2008, and November 12, 2010, but was given an 18-month community order with 100 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £425 costs after Leicester Magistrates' Court found the case proven.
Peter Bear, for Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, said Gray had claimed housing and council tax benefits based on her basic income as a visitors' centre assistant, averaging at about £203 a month.
However, over 30 months between 2008 and 2010, she put in overtime which sent her income up to nearly £9,000.
Mr Bear said: "The issue was whether she notified the council about the change in her circumstances."
He said that over the period Gray had been overpaid benefits in the region of £7,000.
"The prosecution took her as a customer of benefits rather than an employee."
Chris Black, for Gray, said: "She was then and still is employed by the council.
"She was contracted to work 12 hours a week at the visitors' centre. The overtime was worked and the money earned. The council's wages department is in the same building as the benefits department and, as the wages department did not divulge the overtime works, she did not declare it."
Mr Black said she was paying back the overpayment at £16 a week and had been doing so for nearly a year.
h/t Dave
Samantha Gray, from Hinckley, pleaded not guilty to the offence committed between April 7, 2008, and November 12, 2010, but was given an 18-month community order with 100 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £425 costs after Leicester Magistrates' Court found the case proven.
Peter Bear, for Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, said Gray had claimed housing and council tax benefits based on her basic income as a visitors' centre assistant, averaging at about £203 a month.
However, over 30 months between 2008 and 2010, she put in overtime which sent her income up to nearly £9,000.
Mr Bear said: "The issue was whether she notified the council about the change in her circumstances."
He said that over the period Gray had been overpaid benefits in the region of £7,000.
"The prosecution took her as a customer of benefits rather than an employee."
Chris Black, for Gray, said: "She was then and still is employed by the council.
"She was contracted to work 12 hours a week at the visitors' centre. The overtime was worked and the money earned. The council's wages department is in the same building as the benefits department and, as the wages department did not divulge the overtime works, she did not declare it."
Mr Black said she was paying back the overpayment at £16 a week and had been doing so for nearly a year.
h/t Dave
He had money but he stole ours too
Ian Musgrove (66) of Arnhem Close, Eaton Socon pleaded guilty to two charges of claiming council tax benefit and pension credit between 2007 and 2011. The court heard that Musgrove had claimed pension credit in 2007 declaring that he held capital of around £12,000, and claimed council tax benefit in 2008 declaring capital of £7,000. Investigators from the council conducting exercises to track down claimants who had more capital than they had declared found that Musgrove held capital in more than a dozen bank, building society and ISA accounts between 2007 and 2011 totalling more than £60,000. As a result he had been overpaid £12,007 in various benefits that he was never entitled to claim.
David Potter for Musgrove said that his client had co-operated with the investigation, paid all the sums overpaid in full and was of previous good character. Musgrove received a 12 month Community Order with a requirement to complete 80 hours unpaid work and pay the council's full costs of £580.
David Potter for Musgrove said that his client had co-operated with the investigation, paid all the sums overpaid in full and was of previous good character. Musgrove received a 12 month Community Order with a requirement to complete 80 hours unpaid work and pay the council's full costs of £580.
- Benefit thieves do it for the money. They should know they will have to pay back twice what they stole, and that they will get no benefits until they have. A confiscation order should be made immediately.
Any benefit thieves who don't go to prison should also have to do community service.
Public attitudes to benefit fraud
With the survey interviews undertaken way back in February, DWP Communications finally publishes the results in December. Headlines
- The proportion of people claiming to have seen, read or heard anything about benefit fraud was high (79%), despite a decrease in campaign spend over the last year.
- Over half of the general public sample perceived benefit fraud as being easy to get away with (53%). This was lower amongst national claimants (41%).
- The general public are less likely to think that the consequences of getting caught committing fraud are serious than claimants. 44% of the general public sample agreed that the penalties of getting caught committing benefit fraud are ‘not that bad’, compared to 36% of the national claimant sample.
- There is a general acceptance amongst both the general public and national claimants that benefit fraud is wrong. 74% of the general public sample and 72% of the national claimants sample thought that benefit fraud is wrong all of the time, regardless of the circumstances.
- 65% of the national claimant sample said that they ‘definitely would’ report a change in their life or circumstances to JCP or their local council straight away.
- Around a quarter (26%) of the national claimant sample were ‘on the cusp’ of becoming fraudsters while 4% said that they ‘definitely would not’ report a change in circumstances straight away. 5% of the sample responded ‘don’t know’ to this question.
- 42% of the general public sample said that they ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ would report a neighbour who they knew was claiming more money than they were entitled to. This was slightly lower amongst national claimants at 36%.
12 Dec 2011
Tap on the wrists for York benefit thieves
A couple have been charged and sentenced for fraudulently claiming Housing and Council Tax Benefit from City of York Council.
Megan Tate (aged 23) of Holgate Road, claimed Housing Benefit using a false address while she lived with her boyfriend Mark Taylor (aged 29) of Holgate Road, who also claimed Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit fraudulently by claiming that he lived alone.
The fraud was discovered after a member of the public tipped off City of York Council. The investigation was conducted by Veritau, a specialist company which investigates fraud on behalf of the Council.
Tate was charged with defrauding City of York Council of £1,097 in Housing Benefit and Taylor was charged with defrauding City of York Council of £3,000 in Housing Benefit and £390 in Council Tax Benefit.
The investigation concluded with the defendants both pleading guilty to all charges at York Magistrates Court on 1 December 2011.
Megan Tate (aged 23) of Holgate Road, claimed Housing Benefit using a false address while she lived with her boyfriend Mark Taylor (aged 29) of Holgate Road, who also claimed Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit fraudulently by claiming that he lived alone.
The fraud was discovered after a member of the public tipped off City of York Council. The investigation was conducted by Veritau, a specialist company which investigates fraud on behalf of the Council.
Tate was charged with defrauding City of York Council of £1,097 in Housing Benefit and Taylor was charged with defrauding City of York Council of £3,000 in Housing Benefit and £390 in Council Tax Benefit.
The investigation concluded with the defendants both pleading guilty to all charges at York Magistrates Court on 1 December 2011.
Tate was given a two-year conditional discharge and Taylor a three-year conditional discharge.
- What was the point of that then?
Benefit thieves do it for the money. They should know they will have to pay back twice what they stole, and that they will get no benefits until they have. A confiscation order should be made immediately.
Any benefit thieves who don't go to prison should also have to do community service.
11 Dec 2011
Single parent frauds in Tamworth
A continued crackdown on benefit fraud has led to the conviction of three Tamworth mums.
The borough council and the Department for Work and Pensions successfully prosecuted the women in separate court cases last week.
Bryony Payne, Amy Wright and Kelly Rogerson pocketed almost £26,000 of taxpayers' money after claiming benefits they weren't entitled to.
Appearing before Burton magistrates, the trio pleaded guilty to failing to notify the authorities of a change in personal circumstances.
Valley Drive resident Payne claimed £13,528 in income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit in January 2009.
The 29-year-old had said she was a single parent, but had been living with her partner.
The overpayment was made up of £8,446 housing benefit, £1,081 council tax benefit and £4,001 income support.
Last Tuesday (November 29), magistrates sentenced Payne to a 12-month community order, with 240 hours' unpaid work, and ordered her to pay £100 costs.
She was also made to repay the £13,528 which was falsely claimed.
Twenty-eight-year-old Wright attended Burton Magistrates' Court on Monday, November 21, where she admitted to claiming benefits as a single parent while living with her partner.
The Honeybourne resident was overpaid £4,558 – £858 housing benefit, £570 council tax benefit and £3,129 income support.
Wright was sentenced to a community order, with 60 hours' unpaid work. She was ordered to pay £100 costs, as well as paying back the £4,558.
Tamworth's Kelly Louise Rogerson also claimed benefits as a single parent.
She failed to inform the council and DWP that her partner had moved in with her.
As a result, she illegally claimed £7,711. This was made up of £3,857 housing benefit, £755 council tax benefit and £3,098.95 income support.
Rogerson, who also appeared in court on Tuesday, was given a 12-month community order, 60 hours' unpaid work and ordered to pay £100 costs.
In addition, she must also repay the £7,711 unlawfully obtained.
The borough council and the Department for Work and Pensions successfully prosecuted the women in separate court cases last week.
Bryony Payne, Amy Wright and Kelly Rogerson pocketed almost £26,000 of taxpayers' money after claiming benefits they weren't entitled to.
Appearing before Burton magistrates, the trio pleaded guilty to failing to notify the authorities of a change in personal circumstances.
Valley Drive resident Payne claimed £13,528 in income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit in January 2009.
The 29-year-old had said she was a single parent, but had been living with her partner.
The overpayment was made up of £8,446 housing benefit, £1,081 council tax benefit and £4,001 income support.
Last Tuesday (November 29), magistrates sentenced Payne to a 12-month community order, with 240 hours' unpaid work, and ordered her to pay £100 costs.
She was also made to repay the £13,528 which was falsely claimed.
Twenty-eight-year-old Wright attended Burton Magistrates' Court on Monday, November 21, where she admitted to claiming benefits as a single parent while living with her partner.
The Honeybourne resident was overpaid £4,558 – £858 housing benefit, £570 council tax benefit and £3,129 income support.
Wright was sentenced to a community order, with 60 hours' unpaid work. She was ordered to pay £100 costs, as well as paying back the £4,558.
Tamworth's Kelly Louise Rogerson also claimed benefits as a single parent.
She failed to inform the council and DWP that her partner had moved in with her.
As a result, she illegally claimed £7,711. This was made up of £3,857 housing benefit, £755 council tax benefit and £3,098.95 income support.
Rogerson, who also appeared in court on Tuesday, was given a 12-month community order, 60 hours' unpaid work and ordered to pay £100 costs.
In addition, she must also repay the £7,711 unlawfully obtained.
Tap on the wrist for stealing £4,600
A benefits cheat who won £250,000 on a scratchcard has admitted claiming incapacity payouts despite his windfall.
Andrew Crossthwaite, 23, landed the six-figure sum on a National Lottery game, but failed to tell the authorities about his win, Preston magistrates were told.
Crossthwaite admitted wrongfully claiming £4,614 in employment and support allowance (ESA), the new version of incapacity benefit and income support.
However, the court was told he had been left with nothing after blowing his lottery win on cars and drugs and giving the rest away to friends - including half of his winnings to a pal who bought the ticket on his behalf.
Stephen Scott, prosecuting on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), said: 'The defendant was claiming employment and support allowance for him, his partner and child until January 20 this year on the basis he was unemployed and was incapable of work due to a problem with alcohol abuse.
'He was paid ESA but won £250,000 on a scratchcard on June 25, 2010 - a significant amount of money which should have been disclosed to the DWP and would have impacted on the right to benefits.
'That was not disclosed and proceedings were brought.'
Crossthwaite, of Mersey Street, Longridge, near Preston, pleaded guilty to failing to notify the authorities of a change in his circumstances.
James Ball, defending, said Crossthwaite had been so wrapped up in his new-found wealth that he neglected to tell the DWP, but that the win had now ruined his life.
Mr Ball said: "At the time, the last thing on his mind was ESA. This money which he won is now all gone - he has no tangible assets.
'It is fair to say he has wasted it. He purchased a few cars but nothing special and these cars have gone.
'He wasted a lot of it on a drug habit, though for the last six months, he has not taken any substances at all. Certain sums of money were given away to friends.
'A friend, on his behalf, purchased the scratchcard and Mr Crossthwaite gave his friend half of it.
'In one way, (winning) was the best thing that happened to him but in another, it was the worst. He was not able to deal with the windfall. He and his partner have split up.'
Two other charges of wrongfully claiming council tax benefit and housing benefit following the win were withdrawn in court.
James Park, chairman of the magistrates' bench, told Crossthwaite: 'You have a poor record and we are not impressed.'
Crossthwaite was placed on a one-year supervision order, with 36 hours at an attendance centre, and must pay £100 costs.
Andrew Crossthwaite, 23, landed the six-figure sum on a National Lottery game, but failed to tell the authorities about his win, Preston magistrates were told.
Crossthwaite admitted wrongfully claiming £4,614 in employment and support allowance (ESA), the new version of incapacity benefit and income support.
However, the court was told he had been left with nothing after blowing his lottery win on cars and drugs and giving the rest away to friends - including half of his winnings to a pal who bought the ticket on his behalf.
Stephen Scott, prosecuting on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), said: 'The defendant was claiming employment and support allowance for him, his partner and child until January 20 this year on the basis he was unemployed and was incapable of work due to a problem with alcohol abuse.
'He was paid ESA but won £250,000 on a scratchcard on June 25, 2010 - a significant amount of money which should have been disclosed to the DWP and would have impacted on the right to benefits.
'That was not disclosed and proceedings were brought.'
Crossthwaite, of Mersey Street, Longridge, near Preston, pleaded guilty to failing to notify the authorities of a change in his circumstances.
James Ball, defending, said Crossthwaite had been so wrapped up in his new-found wealth that he neglected to tell the DWP, but that the win had now ruined his life.
Mr Ball said: "At the time, the last thing on his mind was ESA. This money which he won is now all gone - he has no tangible assets.
'It is fair to say he has wasted it. He purchased a few cars but nothing special and these cars have gone.
'He wasted a lot of it on a drug habit, though for the last six months, he has not taken any substances at all. Certain sums of money were given away to friends.
'A friend, on his behalf, purchased the scratchcard and Mr Crossthwaite gave his friend half of it.
'In one way, (winning) was the best thing that happened to him but in another, it was the worst. He was not able to deal with the windfall. He and his partner have split up.'
Two other charges of wrongfully claiming council tax benefit and housing benefit following the win were withdrawn in court.
James Park, chairman of the magistrates' bench, told Crossthwaite: 'You have a poor record and we are not impressed.'
Crossthwaite was placed on a one-year supervision order, with 36 hours at an attendance centre, and must pay £100 costs.
- That's for stealing over £4,000.
Nearly 5% wrongly claiming council tax discount in review
A review of council tax single person discounts in Derbyshire has revealed almost 5% of claimants reviewed were not entitled to it.
Nine of the Derbyshire councils who are part of the Derbyshire Transformational Partnership have been working with Capita to conduct a single person’s council tax discount review.
Capita reviewed 135,000 cases of single person discount eligibility. 6,545 claimants were found to not be entitled to the discount and these have now been removed. This has generated additional revenue for the councils of £2.5million....
Capita analysed credit reference data to identify cases where there was a risk that single person discount was not appropriate. They contacted these claimants initially by letter for review. Those seen as high risk were also reviewed with a phone interview using voice risk analysis, a process that uses technology and behavioural analysis to pick up on potential fraud.
8 Dec 2011
How much tax credit fraud is there?
What's happening with tax credit fraud? Back in 2007-08, HMRC seemed to be suggesting that tax credit fraud might be running at £150m+. For 2008-09 I suggested £250m was a conservative estimate of tax credit fraud.
Conservative, yes. Fujitsu has produced some mind boggling numbers.
But what's this? Not two weeks later The Guardian tells us that
Back to The Guardian, which suggests Experian is employing the revolutionary procedure of data matching.
However, if Experian's expected to identify £700m of fraud over 12 months, the total level of fraud must surely be at least £1bn.
It's probably more.
Conservative, yes. Fujitsu has produced some mind boggling numbers.
HMRC has saved £400million in the past six months due to fraud detection software which targets fake tax credit claims, it has been revealed today.So confident were they in the software that they were offering a 'no-win, no-fee' contract with HMRC.
IT service provider Fujitsu, working closely with the taxman, has been processing new applications for tax credits since the start of the year and has sounded out thousands of fraudulent claims, using clever data analytics software it has developed.
But what's this? Not two weeks later The Guardian tells us that
HMRC and the DWP have signed a deal with credit reference agency Experian to use its data to detect fraud and error in the tax credits and benefits systems.Maybe, but elsewhere we learn that the contract is for 12 months.
They said that a recent pilot protected more than £16m of potential losses in tax credits, and that the move could save about £700m for HMRC over the life of the contract and £100m for DWP. A spokesman for HMRC said the duration and value of the contract are confidential.
Back to The Guardian, which suggests Experian is employing the revolutionary procedure of data matching.
HMRC has released a number of case studies illustrating where savings have been made in the pilot. One involved a woman claiming as a single parent with four children, where a search of Experian's information on financial applications showed that she had a partner living at the same address. This led to her awards being stopped.We aren't told whether they will concentrate on new applications, or whether Experian will be digging right through tax credit claims which have already been processed.
Others showed up fraudulent claims through reference to data from sources as diverse as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Passport Office, credit card companies and mobile phone contracts.
However, if Experian's expected to identify £700m of fraud over 12 months, the total level of fraud must surely be at least £1bn.
It's probably more.
Too ill for proper punishment
A Scarborough benefits cheat who illegally claimed nearly £85,000 in a “truly shocking” act of deceit has escaped an immediate jail sentence.
Carol Blackburn, of Prospect Park, was handed a 10 month sentence - suspended for 18 months - after being prosecuted on six charges of benefit fraud.
The judge in the case had threatened 59-year-old Blackburn with immediate custody but was unable to enforce the sentence on health grounds.
Blackburn had deliberately failed to disclose that her landlord was, in fact, her husband and had made several false statements to Scarborough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions claiming to be a single person.
She even claimed by using a different name than her married name in order to hide her relationship.
The offences were carried out between 2003 and 2009.
Nicholas Edwards, Scarborough Council’s Head of Finance and Asset Management said: “The amount of money stolen in this case is truly shocking.
“This case represents a prolonged and organised attack on the benefits system and the public funds that support the most vulnerable in society.”
After being handed the suspended sentence, Blackburn was also ordered to abide by a curfew, confining her to her home between 7pm and 7am each day during the next six months.
Carol Blackburn, of Prospect Park, was handed a 10 month sentence - suspended for 18 months - after being prosecuted on six charges of benefit fraud.
The judge in the case had threatened 59-year-old Blackburn with immediate custody but was unable to enforce the sentence on health grounds.
Blackburn had deliberately failed to disclose that her landlord was, in fact, her husband and had made several false statements to Scarborough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions claiming to be a single person.
She even claimed by using a different name than her married name in order to hide her relationship.
The offences were carried out between 2003 and 2009.
Nicholas Edwards, Scarborough Council’s Head of Finance and Asset Management said: “The amount of money stolen in this case is truly shocking.
“This case represents a prolonged and organised attack on the benefits system and the public funds that support the most vulnerable in society.”
After being handed the suspended sentence, Blackburn was also ordered to abide by a curfew, confining her to her home between 7pm and 7am each day during the next six months.
7 Dec 2011
PCSO turned to benefit theft
A cheating police community support officer was caught red-handed running a florist despite telling bosses he was too sick to work.
Daniel Earls, 45, set up the family business while dishonestly claiming more than £23,000 in pay and benefits.
But the former traffic warden was caught out by an extraordinary undercover operation launched by suspicious colleagues.
Plain-clothes officers made a string of purchases at his shop in Sittingbourne, Kent, to prove that he was fit enough to patrol the beat.
They discovered the PCSO had fooled senior officers with claims that he was suffering stress and was too exhausted to get out of bed.
But Earls avoided jail yesterday after a judge heard of his bravery in tackling two armed men while on duty in South-East London.
Sentencing him to a 12-month suspended prison sentence and 300 hours of community work, Judge Stephen Robbins said he would 'temper justice with mercy.'
He said: 'This was a blatant and persistent course of conduct, you went to great lengths to fool your employers and string them along with this breach of trust.
'You thereby undermined the system that is in place for people who are genuinely ill. The amount involved was £23,000.
'You could not have complained if you had gone to prison for some length of time but there are more ways of restricting someone's freedom than putting someone in prison.'
Earls, who resigned from the Metropolitan Police after his arrest, joined the force in 2001 and was a PCSO based in Catford, South-East London.
Southwark Crown Court heard he first called in sick on November 30, 2008, telling senior officers that he was suffering from flu.
But the very next day he registered the Little Covent Garden Florist, in High Street, Sittingbourne, with the tax authorities.
Over the next 12 months he fobbed off bosses with a variety of ailments including stress, a gastric disorder and extreme exhaustion.
The civilian employee even attended meetings with occupational health workers designed to help him get back on the streets.
Meanwhile he ran the florist with his wife Silvana, opening up at 8am, serving customers, making deliveries in a van and organising the finances.
The court he had moved to Kent for a better environment for his 12-year-old son and intended to leave the police and run the florist permanently.
But despite investing £80,000 from the sale of his home in to the business, it continued to lose money and he used the illicit sick pay to make ends meet.
Earls was finally rumbled when a supervisor called unannounced at his home in Doddington and a neighbour said he was working at the shop.
The PCSO was seen at the shop and undercover officers were sent in to buy flowers on two occasions. He resigned when confronted with the damning evidence.
Earls was commended for bravery in 2006 and 2008 after helping to tackle armed and dangerous criminals.
In the latest incident he arrested a gunman carrying a loaded .44 Magnum revolver.
Defence barrister Stephen Walters said his client had been an 'exemplary employee' and was 'truly ashamed' of his actions.
Mr Walters added: 'The business continued to lose money and he needed the sick pay to which he was not entitled to keep matters afloat.'
Earls, who admitted fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing, was also ordered to repay the £23,156 he received in sick pay and pension benefits.
Speaking after the hearing, Inspector Mike Rabstein, who investigated the fraud, said he was satisfied with the sentence.
He said: 'We are disappointed that one of our employees should be in such a position but where the evidence suggests wrongdoing we will pursue it all the way to court.'
Daniel Earls, 45, set up the family business while dishonestly claiming more than £23,000 in pay and benefits.
But the former traffic warden was caught out by an extraordinary undercover operation launched by suspicious colleagues.
Plain-clothes officers made a string of purchases at his shop in Sittingbourne, Kent, to prove that he was fit enough to patrol the beat.
They discovered the PCSO had fooled senior officers with claims that he was suffering stress and was too exhausted to get out of bed.
But Earls avoided jail yesterday after a judge heard of his bravery in tackling two armed men while on duty in South-East London.
Sentencing him to a 12-month suspended prison sentence and 300 hours of community work, Judge Stephen Robbins said he would 'temper justice with mercy.'
He said: 'This was a blatant and persistent course of conduct, you went to great lengths to fool your employers and string them along with this breach of trust.
'You thereby undermined the system that is in place for people who are genuinely ill. The amount involved was £23,000.
'You could not have complained if you had gone to prison for some length of time but there are more ways of restricting someone's freedom than putting someone in prison.'
Earls, who resigned from the Metropolitan Police after his arrest, joined the force in 2001 and was a PCSO based in Catford, South-East London.
Southwark Crown Court heard he first called in sick on November 30, 2008, telling senior officers that he was suffering from flu.
But the very next day he registered the Little Covent Garden Florist, in High Street, Sittingbourne, with the tax authorities.
Over the next 12 months he fobbed off bosses with a variety of ailments including stress, a gastric disorder and extreme exhaustion.
The civilian employee even attended meetings with occupational health workers designed to help him get back on the streets.
Meanwhile he ran the florist with his wife Silvana, opening up at 8am, serving customers, making deliveries in a van and organising the finances.
The court he had moved to Kent for a better environment for his 12-year-old son and intended to leave the police and run the florist permanently.
But despite investing £80,000 from the sale of his home in to the business, it continued to lose money and he used the illicit sick pay to make ends meet.
Earls was finally rumbled when a supervisor called unannounced at his home in Doddington and a neighbour said he was working at the shop.
The PCSO was seen at the shop and undercover officers were sent in to buy flowers on two occasions. He resigned when confronted with the damning evidence.
Earls was commended for bravery in 2006 and 2008 after helping to tackle armed and dangerous criminals.
In the latest incident he arrested a gunman carrying a loaded .44 Magnum revolver.
Defence barrister Stephen Walters said his client had been an 'exemplary employee' and was 'truly ashamed' of his actions.
Mr Walters added: 'The business continued to lose money and he needed the sick pay to which he was not entitled to keep matters afloat.'
Earls, who admitted fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing, was also ordered to repay the £23,156 he received in sick pay and pension benefits.
Speaking after the hearing, Inspector Mike Rabstein, who investigated the fraud, said he was satisfied with the sentence.
He said: 'We are disappointed that one of our employees should be in such a position but where the evidence suggests wrongdoing we will pursue it all the way to court.'
Tap on the wrist for Whiston benefit thief
A Whiston man falsely claimed £16,000 in benefits after failing to declare his full earnings.
But Walter Shuttleworth was caught out via a joint investigation by Knowsley Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The 47-year-old had been claiming housing and council tax benefit on the basis that he lived with his partner at Skeffington, Whiston, and was in receipt of income support and carer’s allowance.
But Shuttleworth was found to have stashed substantial earnings from a gardening business in an undeclared bank account.
And he admitted failing to notify Knowsley Council of a change in his circumstances – which he knew would affect his benefit entitlement – before Huyton Magistrates’ Court.
But Walter Shuttleworth was caught out via a joint investigation by Knowsley Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The 47-year-old had been claiming housing and council tax benefit on the basis that he lived with his partner at Skeffington, Whiston, and was in receipt of income support and carer’s allowance.
But Shuttleworth was found to have stashed substantial earnings from a gardening business in an undeclared bank account.
And he admitted failing to notify Knowsley Council of a change in his circumstances – which he knew would affect his benefit entitlement – before Huyton Magistrates’ Court.
Shuttleworth was ordered to abide by a four-month 7pm-7am curfew and ordered to pay £100 costs.
Judge: sentencing guidelines don't agree with public opinion
A mother who said she could barely walk claimed nearly £46,000 in benefits before being filmed training for a half marathon.
Gillian Hulme, 55, was a member of a running club in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, where she lived and regularly went to Willfield Fitness Centre five days a week for spinning and aerobics classes.
She was filmed taking part in a five-mile run despite claims that she could not walk more than 20 yards without 'severe discomfort'.
Tipped off by a member of the public, investigators from the Department for Work and Pensions then discovered that she had claimed £45,925 in disability benefits.
Hulme had a legitimate claim in May 1996 for back pain, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard. But she failed to notify authorities of a change in circumstances between 2009 and 2010.
Judge Mark Eades told Hulme that her life and reputation had been 'publicly ruined' by her actions.
She had claimed she was sometimes housebound because of her pains.
Prosecutor Balvinder Bhatti said: 'When the claim started, the defendant said it could take her up to three minutes to walk 20 yards and she was in pain when she stood up.
'Evidence has since been collected that shows her condition has improved significantly and that she joined a running club.
'She also signed up for Willfield Fitness Centre and signed a certificate declaring herself as medically fit.'
Hulme told investigators that she had joined Potters' Trotters to see if she would be physically able to take part in the exercise.
She later told officers she had been naive and stupid.
Stuart Muldoon, defending, said: 'The money was not being claimed to fund an extravagant lifestyle.
'She is deeply ashamed and has voluntarily been paying back £50 per month since March, despite the threat of custody hanging over her.'
Hulme was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.
Gillian Hulme, 55, was a member of a running club in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, where she lived and regularly went to Willfield Fitness Centre five days a week for spinning and aerobics classes.
She was filmed taking part in a five-mile run despite claims that she could not walk more than 20 yards without 'severe discomfort'.
Tipped off by a member of the public, investigators from the Department for Work and Pensions then discovered that she had claimed £45,925 in disability benefits.
Hulme had a legitimate claim in May 1996 for back pain, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard. But she failed to notify authorities of a change in circumstances between 2009 and 2010.
Judge Mark Eades told Hulme that her life and reputation had been 'publicly ruined' by her actions.
If you asked most people in the street for their opinions on this case, they would probably say lock you up and throw away the key, but there are guidelines the court has to follow.Hulme was a member of the women-only Potters Trotters Running Club and had attended more than 50 events since joining.
You were mobile, in a sports club and taking physical exercise on a regular basis, and you knew perfectly well that what you were doing was utterly wrong.
Disability Living Allowance is for those who require help from the state.
It's for those who suffer misfortune, usually of a health nature, and it's a safety net provided by the state to ensure people who do suffer misfortune do not suffer deprivation in consequence.
The whole system is undermined and its reputation damaged by people who dig into that fund of money when they are not entitled to it.
She had claimed she was sometimes housebound because of her pains.
Prosecutor Balvinder Bhatti said: 'When the claim started, the defendant said it could take her up to three minutes to walk 20 yards and she was in pain when she stood up.
'Evidence has since been collected that shows her condition has improved significantly and that she joined a running club.
'She also signed up for Willfield Fitness Centre and signed a certificate declaring herself as medically fit.'
Hulme told investigators that she had joined Potters' Trotters to see if she would be physically able to take part in the exercise.
She later told officers she had been naive and stupid.
Stuart Muldoon, defending, said: 'The money was not being claimed to fund an extravagant lifestyle.
'She is deeply ashamed and has voluntarily been paying back £50 per month since March, despite the threat of custody hanging over her.'
Hulme was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.
6 Dec 2011
At last a Judge gets it on benefit fraud sentencing
A mother-of-two has been jailed after being filmed going down a water slide despite claiming she could not walk without crutches.
Tina Attanasio, 51, managed to swindle £19,000 in benefits over four and a half years but was caught out when a spurned lover handed family video footage to investigators.
It showed her on an action-packed holiday in the South of France not just going down the water slide but climbing cobbled hills, bouncing down steep steps and strolling on a beach.
She appeared not to have any difficulty in getting out of the pool during the Mediterranean break during the time that she was receiving disability living allowance.
Attanasio was today told that she would spend Christmas behind bars as she serves a 10-week prison sentence after pleading guilty to fraudulently obtaining benefits between August 2005 and February last year.
Judge Nicholas Chook, Recorder of Cardiff, told her:
Prosecutor Nicholas Gedge told the court that Attanasio claimed she needed help and assistance walking, getting in out of bed, going to the toilet and bathing.
He said: 'You said you could only walk 10 metres before feeling severe discomfort and said it would take you three minutes to do this. But these videos show you walking unaided, climbing up steep steps and using water slides.'
Defending her, Jennet Treharne said Attanasio had good days and the warmer climate helped.
'Her back disability was significantly improved on that holiday in the South of France. Tina has good and bad days and the videos were clearly taken on good days when the hot weather eased the pain in her back.'
Tina Attanasio, 51, managed to swindle £19,000 in benefits over four and a half years but was caught out when a spurned lover handed family video footage to investigators.
It showed her on an action-packed holiday in the South of France not just going down the water slide but climbing cobbled hills, bouncing down steep steps and strolling on a beach.
She appeared not to have any difficulty in getting out of the pool during the Mediterranean break during the time that she was receiving disability living allowance.
Attanasio was today told that she would spend Christmas behind bars as she serves a 10-week prison sentence after pleading guilty to fraudulently obtaining benefits between August 2005 and February last year.
Judge Nicholas Chook, Recorder of Cardiff, told her:
Benefit fraud is so easy to commit but difficult to detect and the department relies on partners to come forward.'Attanasio had claimed she was 'too weak to walk any significant distance' without crutches.
Sadly it is necessary for courts to make it clear those who defraud the benefits system as shown in the video will face custody.
Prosecutor Nicholas Gedge told the court that Attanasio claimed she needed help and assistance walking, getting in out of bed, going to the toilet and bathing.
He said: 'You said you could only walk 10 metres before feeling severe discomfort and said it would take you three minutes to do this. But these videos show you walking unaided, climbing up steep steps and using water slides.'
Defending her, Jennet Treharne said Attanasio had good days and the warmer climate helped.
'Her back disability was significantly improved on that holiday in the South of France. Tina has good and bad days and the videos were clearly taken on good days when the hot weather eased the pain in her back.'
Meaningless sentence for benefit thief
A drummer in a marching band who claimed he could walk no more than 15 yards and couldn’t even tie his own shoelaces has been exposed as a benefits cheat, after investigators secretly filmed him marching through the streets.
Alexander Clarkson was caught marching through Great Harwood in Lancashire in full Scottish pipe band regalia and kilt.
At the same time, the 63-year-old was receiving thousands of pounds every year by claiming he could walk only short distances and was always falling over because of his disabilities.
Clarkson, from Blackpool Lancs, admitted cheating the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) out of £17,329 over a six-year period by failing to tell them his disabilities had improved.
District judge Jeff Brailsford at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court handed Clarkson a 56-day jail term, suspended for a year.
He was told the former soldier turned bricklayer had not worked for 33 years.
Prosecutor Michael Woosnam told how Clarkson lived a double life. On one hand he said he needed crutches to get about and could not travel anywhere alone. As well as a disabled living allowance Clarkson also claimed carer's allowance because he needed help cooking meals.
But at the same time he was a dedicated member of the City of Preston Scottish Pipe and Drum band and a member of the Blackpool Male Voice Choir.
The court heard that the DWP were tipped off about Clarksons's cheating and sent a surveillance team to follow him.
They filmed him at a Remembrance Day ceremony in the Lancashire town of Great Harwood where he was lead drummer marching the streets for 30 minutes.
When he was confronted about his actions Clarkson said that he had been mistaken for someone else who had borrowed his car for the day.
The following day he was followed walking to a funeral and then attending the wake that followed.
Mr Woosnam said: ‘In interview Clarkson said he had continued to claim benefits because he quite simply did not want to lose the money. He also said he had applied to have the carer's element of his claim upgraded.’
Peter Manning, defending, said that Clarkson did have arthritic knees, asthma and diabetes and had recently had an operation on his groin. ‘My client accepts he should have informed the department about his improved mobility.’
Sentencing Clarkson, the judge said: ‘It is clear from the film I have seen, you got pleasure from being in the band. You clearly marched and bent down to pick up your drum. There seemed to be no hindrance to your mobility.
‘And when you were questioned about it you denied it was you.
‘You have been living a comfortable lifestyle as a result of your benefits allowing you to pay £100 a month TV subscriptions and £80 a month on drink and £120 a month on travel.’
Alexander Clarkson was caught marching through Great Harwood in Lancashire in full Scottish pipe band regalia and kilt.
At the same time, the 63-year-old was receiving thousands of pounds every year by claiming he could walk only short distances and was always falling over because of his disabilities.
Clarkson, from Blackpool Lancs, admitted cheating the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) out of £17,329 over a six-year period by failing to tell them his disabilities had improved.
District judge Jeff Brailsford at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court handed Clarkson a 56-day jail term, suspended for a year.
He was told the former soldier turned bricklayer had not worked for 33 years.
Prosecutor Michael Woosnam told how Clarkson lived a double life. On one hand he said he needed crutches to get about and could not travel anywhere alone. As well as a disabled living allowance Clarkson also claimed carer's allowance because he needed help cooking meals.
But at the same time he was a dedicated member of the City of Preston Scottish Pipe and Drum band and a member of the Blackpool Male Voice Choir.
The court heard that the DWP were tipped off about Clarksons's cheating and sent a surveillance team to follow him.
They filmed him at a Remembrance Day ceremony in the Lancashire town of Great Harwood where he was lead drummer marching the streets for 30 minutes.
When he was confronted about his actions Clarkson said that he had been mistaken for someone else who had borrowed his car for the day.
The following day he was followed walking to a funeral and then attending the wake that followed.
Mr Woosnam said: ‘In interview Clarkson said he had continued to claim benefits because he quite simply did not want to lose the money. He also said he had applied to have the carer's element of his claim upgraded.’
Peter Manning, defending, said that Clarkson did have arthritic knees, asthma and diabetes and had recently had an operation on his groin. ‘My client accepts he should have informed the department about his improved mobility.’
Sentencing Clarkson, the judge said: ‘It is clear from the film I have seen, you got pleasure from being in the band. You clearly marched and bent down to pick up your drum. There seemed to be no hindrance to your mobility.
‘And when you were questioned about it you denied it was you.
‘You have been living a comfortable lifestyle as a result of your benefits allowing you to pay £100 a month TV subscriptions and £80 a month on drink and £120 a month on travel.’
- This sentence is meaningless, it is no punishment.
Benefit thieves do it for the money. They should know they will have to pay back twice what they stole, and that they will get no benefits until they have. A confiscation order should be made immediately.
Any benefit thieves who don't go to prison should also have to do community service.
5 Dec 2011
Tap on the wrist for Brent benefit thieves
A retired court usher, a buy-to-let landlady and a single father have all been convicted of benefit fraud.
Wood Green Crown Court heard Theresa McGroarty, from Wembley, claimed Housing and Council Tax benefit for more than 13 years after claiming her only income was from a state retirement pension.
However during a datamatching exercise, investigators discovered the 69-year-old was receiving a civil service pension of £200 - £280 a month from her former job as an usher at Harrow Crown Court.
Between July 1996 to December 2009, she pocketed £21,752 she was not entitled to.
McGroarty admitted four charges of benefit fraud.
Brent Magistrates’ Court heard the cases of Sandra Harriott, 37, from Kenton, and 45-year-old Robert Peel, from Neasden.
Harriott claimed benefits citing she was on a low income just days after splashing out on a buy-to-let property in east London.
The mother-of-two received £25,000 in Housing and Council Tax benefits between May 2006 and June 2008.
To date she has paid back £23,000 of her ill-gotten gains.
Peel admitted fraudulently claiming £8,546 in Housing and Council Tax benefit between February 2006 and July 2009.
The court heard the single father failed to declare he was receiving a £250 a month pension from Transport for London.
In a further twist, he chose to go to court by rejecting an administrative penalty where he would have avoided court if he paid back the sum plus a penalty of 30 per cent.
“I hope it will send a clear message to anyone else claiming benefits fraudulently: don’t do it or you will get caught and we will prosecute.”
Wood Green Crown Court heard Theresa McGroarty, from Wembley, claimed Housing and Council Tax benefit for more than 13 years after claiming her only income was from a state retirement pension.
However during a datamatching exercise, investigators discovered the 69-year-old was receiving a civil service pension of £200 - £280 a month from her former job as an usher at Harrow Crown Court.
Between July 1996 to December 2009, she pocketed £21,752 she was not entitled to.
McGroarty admitted four charges of benefit fraud.
She was sentenced to a 12 month conditional discharge, ordered to pay £1,200 towards legal costs at and is paying the sum back to the council in instalments.
Brent Magistrates’ Court heard the cases of Sandra Harriott, 37, from Kenton, and 45-year-old Robert Peel, from Neasden.
Harriott claimed benefits citing she was on a low income just days after splashing out on a buy-to-let property in east London.
The mother-of-two received £25,000 in Housing and Council Tax benefits between May 2006 and June 2008.
She admitted three counts of benefit fraud and was sentenced to a 10-week jail term suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £500 towards the council’s legal costs.
To date she has paid back £23,000 of her ill-gotten gains.
Peel admitted fraudulently claiming £8,546 in Housing and Council Tax benefit between February 2006 and July 2009.
The court heard the single father failed to declare he was receiving a £250 a month pension from Transport for London.
In a further twist, he chose to go to court by rejecting an administrative penalty where he would have avoided court if he paid back the sum plus a penalty of 30 per cent.
He received a conditional discharge for 12 months and was ordered to pay an additional £300 towards legal costs.He must also pay back the overpaid benefits.
- Financially he made the right decision, didn't he.
“I hope it will send a clear message to anyone else claiming benefits fraudulently: don’t do it or you will get caught and we will prosecute.”
4 Dec 2011
Tap on the wrist for Crawley benefit thieves
TWO women have appeared in court for fraudulently claiming a total of £7,000 in benefits.
Emma Legg appeared at Mid Sussex Magistrates’ Court for housing and council tax benefit fraud.
Ms Legg pleaded guilty to failing to disclose that she had left her privately rented accommodation, for which she was receiving housing and council tax benefit.
Neighbours told the council the property had been empty and that she was living with her boyfriend in Chichester.
Crawley Borough Council proved Ms Legg had left the Crawley property but had continued to claim benefit for it as if she was still living there.
In total, Ms Legg fraudulently claimed £2,500 in housing and council tax benefits which she must repay to the council. She was also fined £127 and was ordered to pay costs of £100.
Meichelle Ramsey also appeared at Mid Sussex Magistrates’ Court for benefit fraud.
She pleaded guilty to failing to declare she was in receipt of tax credits and was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge.
Crawley Borough Council was able to prove Meichelle Ramsey had failed to declare she was receiving up to £250 in tax credit payments every week.
Between March 2010 and November 2010 she had been over-paid £4,500 in benefits, which is being recovered by the council.
Cllr Lee Gilroy, Cabinet member for housing at Crawley Borough Council, said: “The council takes a very serious view of people who claim benefits when they are not entitled to them.
“The council’s fraud team works hard to prevent, detect and investigate all fraud committed against the council.
“Those claiming benefits should contact us immediately if their circumstances change.”
Emma Legg appeared at Mid Sussex Magistrates’ Court for housing and council tax benefit fraud.
Ms Legg pleaded guilty to failing to disclose that she had left her privately rented accommodation, for which she was receiving housing and council tax benefit.
Neighbours told the council the property had been empty and that she was living with her boyfriend in Chichester.
Crawley Borough Council proved Ms Legg had left the Crawley property but had continued to claim benefit for it as if she was still living there.
In total, Ms Legg fraudulently claimed £2,500 in housing and council tax benefits which she must repay to the council. She was also fined £127 and was ordered to pay costs of £100.
Meichelle Ramsey also appeared at Mid Sussex Magistrates’ Court for benefit fraud.
She pleaded guilty to failing to declare she was in receipt of tax credits and was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge.
Crawley Borough Council was able to prove Meichelle Ramsey had failed to declare she was receiving up to £250 in tax credit payments every week.
Between March 2010 and November 2010 she had been over-paid £4,500 in benefits, which is being recovered by the council.
Cllr Lee Gilroy, Cabinet member for housing at Crawley Borough Council, said: “The council takes a very serious view of people who claim benefits when they are not entitled to them.
“The council’s fraud team works hard to prevent, detect and investigate all fraud committed against the council.
“Those claiming benefits should contact us immediately if their circumstances change.”
- The council may take a very serious view of benefit fraud, but clearly the courts don't. The court knows the community took a dim view of Ms Legg's benefit fraud - her neighbours reported her. The council responded to their voters' concerns.
The court didn't. The judiciary often seem concerned to administer nominal punishments which won't trouble the judicial system to enforce.
They have no deterrent effect.
Tap on the wrist for Southend benefit thief
A benefits cheat has been ordered to pay back £8,000 to the taxpayer.
Raymond Shutts, 57, from Southend, was granted housing and council tax benefits after telling Southend Council he was receiving incapacity benefit.
However, he then kept quiet about receiving a lump sum payment of between £14,000 to £18,000, meaning the council shelled out £8,000 more than was owed.
Shutts, who admitted benefit fraud, was told to return the money, pay £50 in legal costs and given an 18-month conditional discharge when he appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court.
Raymond Shutts, 57, from Southend, was granted housing and council tax benefits after telling Southend Council he was receiving incapacity benefit.
However, he then kept quiet about receiving a lump sum payment of between £14,000 to £18,000, meaning the council shelled out £8,000 more than was owed.
Shutts, who admitted benefit fraud, was told to return the money, pay £50 in legal costs and given an 18-month conditional discharge when he appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court.
- Benefit thieves do it for the money. They should know they will have to pay back twice what they stole, and that they will get no benefits until they have. A confiscation order should be made immediately.
Any benefit thieves who don't go to prison should also have to do community service.
£56k benefit thief jailed
A Bedfordshire woman has been jailed for over seven months after fraudulently claiming over £56,000 in benefits.
Rebecca Gerrard, from Bedford, pleaded guilty to 15 charges of benefit fraud despite originally entering a not guilty plea.
From December 2001 to October 2008 Gerrard falsely claimed a total of £36,639 in Income Support and £21,521 in Housing and Council Tax Benefit.
A joint investigation carried out between investigators at Bedford Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) commenced after the DWP received an anonymous allegation from a member of the public and established that Gerrard had not told Bedford Borough Council that she was married, continuing to claim Income Support and Housing and Council Tax Benefit as a lone parent.
Luton Crown Court heard that Gerrard originally claimed benefit as a lone parent in July 1993 but failed to notify the authorities that she had been living with her husband at several addresses in Bedford since 1994 and the birth of her second child who was born in 2000.
On the 23rd November she attended Luton Crown Court and was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison.
Councillor Shan Hunt, Portfolio Holder for Revenues and Benefits at Bedford Borough Council said: "Benefits are there to support people in genuine need. For almost 8 years this person has defrauded the benefits system of more than £56,000. Bedford Borough Council works hard to support genuine claimants and this sentence reiterates the message that people who steal from the taxpayer can expect to go to prison."
Rebecca Gerrard, from Bedford, pleaded guilty to 15 charges of benefit fraud despite originally entering a not guilty plea.
From December 2001 to October 2008 Gerrard falsely claimed a total of £36,639 in Income Support and £21,521 in Housing and Council Tax Benefit.
A joint investigation carried out between investigators at Bedford Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) commenced after the DWP received an anonymous allegation from a member of the public and established that Gerrard had not told Bedford Borough Council that she was married, continuing to claim Income Support and Housing and Council Tax Benefit as a lone parent.
Luton Crown Court heard that Gerrard originally claimed benefit as a lone parent in July 1993 but failed to notify the authorities that she had been living with her husband at several addresses in Bedford since 1994 and the birth of her second child who was born in 2000.
On the 23rd November she attended Luton Crown Court and was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison.
Councillor Shan Hunt, Portfolio Holder for Revenues and Benefits at Bedford Borough Council said: "Benefits are there to support people in genuine need. For almost 8 years this person has defrauded the benefits system of more than £56,000. Bedford Borough Council works hard to support genuine claimants and this sentence reiterates the message that people who steal from the taxpayer can expect to go to prison."
The slowwwwwwwwwwwww benefit fraud prosecution
A BENEFITS cheat from Haverhill has been sent to prison after he was overpaid more than £8,000.
David Packer, 46, appeared at Bury St Edmunds Magistrates’ Court charged with three counts of dishonestly failing to give prompt notification about a change in circumstances affecting his entitlement to a benefit.
He was overpaid £3675 housing benefit and £946 council tax benefit by St Edmundsbury Borough Council and £3859 in income support from Job Centre Plus.
He has been sentenced to 12 weeks’ custody for each of the three offences to run concurrently. In 2006, Packer claimed income support from Job Centre Plus and housing and council tax benefits from St Edmundsbury Borough Council.
However, between November 6, 2006, and April 8, 2007, Packer was working for Atlantic Chauffeuring and Milton Cars, but neither Job Centre Plus nor St Edmundsbury Borough Council were informed.
In May 2007 his wife began work at Careforce, of Haverhill, but this change of circumstance was not notified. Packer also had an undeclared bank account. On February 7, 2008, and on December 9, 2009, Packer was interviewed by benefit fraud investigators. He eventually admitted that he had dishonestly failed to declare the bank account and the work.
David Packer, 46, appeared at Bury St Edmunds Magistrates’ Court charged with three counts of dishonestly failing to give prompt notification about a change in circumstances affecting his entitlement to a benefit.
He was overpaid £3675 housing benefit and £946 council tax benefit by St Edmundsbury Borough Council and £3859 in income support from Job Centre Plus.
He has been sentenced to 12 weeks’ custody for each of the three offences to run concurrently. In 2006, Packer claimed income support from Job Centre Plus and housing and council tax benefits from St Edmundsbury Borough Council.
However, between November 6, 2006, and April 8, 2007, Packer was working for Atlantic Chauffeuring and Milton Cars, but neither Job Centre Plus nor St Edmundsbury Borough Council were informed.
In May 2007 his wife began work at Careforce, of Haverhill, but this change of circumstance was not notified. Packer also had an undeclared bank account. On February 7, 2008, and on December 9, 2009, Packer was interviewed by benefit fraud investigators. He eventually admitted that he had dishonestly failed to declare the bank account and the work.
- So what took so long?
Mother fails to appear at court
A 36-year-old mother accused of falsely claiming almost £100,000 in state benefits by pretending her young son had cancer failed to appear at court on Friday and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
It is alleged that the woman, from Berkeley, shaved the head and eyebrows of her son from the age of about four to make it appear he was seriously ill and receiving chemotherapy treatment.
The alleged offences by the mum-of-five are said to have gone on for about seven years.
She appeared before magistrates in Gloucester on October 4 accused of two offences of child cruelty and 15 offences of fraud and deception to obtain disability living and carers' allowances.
She failed to appear for committal proceedings to send the case to Gloucester Crown Court but she contacted her solicitor Nick Cooper's office saying she was at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol suffering from seizures.
Mr Cooper said she had told him a letter would be sent by the doctor treating her, but it had not arrived.
But investigating officer for Stroud District Council Phil English told the bench that the woman had been released from hospital three days ago, and had been seen near her home today.
Prosecutor Andrew Bowdler told the bench the woman now faced a further charge alleging that between June 2010 and February 2011, she committed fraud by failing to inform HM Revenue and Customs that her five children were no longer living with her, but she continued to claim tax credits and child benefit for them.
Mr Cooper told the court he had received a communication from the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, saying that she was in Frenchay Hospital high dependency unit suffering from seizures.
"She said a letter would be sent by the doctor treating her giving the nature of her complaint," he said, "but it has not yet arrived."
Outlining the extra charge, which made a total of 18, Mr Bowdler agreed with Mr Cooper that the case should be put back to see if the doctor's letter arrived.
But after Mr English's evidence, the magistrates issued a warrant for her arrest not backed by bail.
At the earlier hearing the woman had been bailed pending the committal today. She has yet to enter pleas to any of the charges.
It is alleged that the woman, from Berkeley, shaved the head and eyebrows of her son from the age of about four to make it appear he was seriously ill and receiving chemotherapy treatment.
The alleged offences by the mum-of-five are said to have gone on for about seven years.
She appeared before magistrates in Gloucester on October 4 accused of two offences of child cruelty and 15 offences of fraud and deception to obtain disability living and carers' allowances.
She failed to appear for committal proceedings to send the case to Gloucester Crown Court but she contacted her solicitor Nick Cooper's office saying she was at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol suffering from seizures.
Mr Cooper said she had told him a letter would be sent by the doctor treating her, but it had not arrived.
But investigating officer for Stroud District Council Phil English told the bench that the woman had been released from hospital three days ago, and had been seen near her home today.
Prosecutor Andrew Bowdler told the bench the woman now faced a further charge alleging that between June 2010 and February 2011, she committed fraud by failing to inform HM Revenue and Customs that her five children were no longer living with her, but she continued to claim tax credits and child benefit for them.
Mr Cooper told the court he had received a communication from the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, saying that she was in Frenchay Hospital high dependency unit suffering from seizures.
"She said a letter would be sent by the doctor treating her giving the nature of her complaint," he said, "but it has not yet arrived."
Outlining the extra charge, which made a total of 18, Mr Bowdler agreed with Mr Cooper that the case should be put back to see if the doctor's letter arrived.
But after Mr English's evidence, the magistrates issued a warrant for her arrest not backed by bail.
At the earlier hearing the woman had been bailed pending the committal today. She has yet to enter pleas to any of the charges.
Light benefit fraud sentence "encourages others"
A mum who swindled the state out of more than £43,000 in benefits over five years has been ordered to do 200 hours’ unpaid community work.
Jacqueline Hall falsely claimed state handouts by hiding the fact that she was living with her working partner, Peter Carr, from the authorities.
At one point she asked for her benefits to be paid to him, claiming he was her brother, Teesside Crown Court heard.
She claimed to live alone and took £43,278 between November 2005 and February 2011 - about £8,000 a year - to which she was not entitled.
She was overpaid £23,558 in income support, £15,864 in housing benefit and £3,855 in council tax benefit.
The mum’s claims started legitimately in 1999 but became fraudulent later, said Joan Smith, prosecuting for Middlesbrough Council.
Investigators found Mr Carr was registered on the voters’ roll and with his employer at Hall’s home on Denham Close, Pallister Park.
She was also listed as his next of kin. When interviewed, she suggested Mr Carr was homeless and sometimes stayed over.
She accepted she had been deceitful and done wrong, and since paid back about £525.
Hall admitted two counts of making a false representation to obtain benefits and two of failing to give notification of a change in her circumstances.
Andrew Teate, defending, said: “She is not a stereotypical offender.”
He said she had lost the good character she held dear, expressed great remorse and didn’t try to excuse herself.
He said part of the reason for the fraud was Mr Carr moved in and out of the house, affecting finances and budgets.
She knew the impact of her crime on society, but it also hit her and her family.
Now taking anti-depressants because of the case, she would not claim benefits even if entitled to them, not wanting to risk the same situation again.
Mr Teate said hers was a limited income family, she did not misuse drugs or alcohol and paid back £160 per month.
He added that she was keen to work in charity shops as part of her sentence.
A probation report said prison would halt repayments and badly affect her health and state of mind.
Judge Peter Armstrong said: “I’m persuaded it’s not necessary to lock you up today.”
He gave her a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years with 200 hours’ unpaid work.
Jacqueline Hall falsely claimed state handouts by hiding the fact that she was living with her working partner, Peter Carr, from the authorities.
At one point she asked for her benefits to be paid to him, claiming he was her brother, Teesside Crown Court heard.
She claimed to live alone and took £43,278 between November 2005 and February 2011 - about £8,000 a year - to which she was not entitled.
She was overpaid £23,558 in income support, £15,864 in housing benefit and £3,855 in council tax benefit.
The mum’s claims started legitimately in 1999 but became fraudulent later, said Joan Smith, prosecuting for Middlesbrough Council.
Investigators found Mr Carr was registered on the voters’ roll and with his employer at Hall’s home on Denham Close, Pallister Park.
She was also listed as his next of kin. When interviewed, she suggested Mr Carr was homeless and sometimes stayed over.
She accepted she had been deceitful and done wrong, and since paid back about £525.
Hall admitted two counts of making a false representation to obtain benefits and two of failing to give notification of a change in her circumstances.
Andrew Teate, defending, said: “She is not a stereotypical offender.”
He said she had lost the good character she held dear, expressed great remorse and didn’t try to excuse herself.
He said part of the reason for the fraud was Mr Carr moved in and out of the house, affecting finances and budgets.
She knew the impact of her crime on society, but it also hit her and her family.
Now taking anti-depressants because of the case, she would not claim benefits even if entitled to them, not wanting to risk the same situation again.
Mr Teate said hers was a limited income family, she did not misuse drugs or alcohol and paid back £160 per month.
He added that she was keen to work in charity shops as part of her sentence.
A probation report said prison would halt repayments and badly affect her health and state of mind.
Judge Peter Armstrong said: “I’m persuaded it’s not necessary to lock you up today.”
He gave her a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years with 200 hours’ unpaid work.
- Look at the comments, Judge Peter Armstrong: people think your sentence was actually an encouragement to crime, not a deterrent.
2 Dec 2011
Government to start using its information shock
Absent parents will have their benefits docked in an overhaul of the child maintenance system, says the Daily Mail.
Tough checks will be brought in to make it harder for people to lie about their incomes to escape paying maintenance payments, a minister said.
Officials will cross-check parents' claims about their incomes with tax details held by HMRC. About time the government started cross-checking databases when people want money.
Work and Pensions minister Maria Miller said the reforms would make applications much faster to process. At present, mothers often wait for months before money begins to trickle in from absent fathers.
Tough checks will be brought in to make it harder for people to lie about their incomes to escape paying maintenance payments, a minister said.
Officials will cross-check parents' claims about their incomes with tax details held by HMRC. About time the government started cross-checking databases when people want money.
Work and Pensions minister Maria Miller said the reforms would make applications much faster to process. At present, mothers often wait for months before money begins to trickle in from absent fathers.
Almost no punishment for almost £50k benefit fraud
A former revenue and customs worker has avoided jail after admitting illegally claiming almost £50,000 in benefits.
Daisy Adu-Gyamfi, from Addiscombe, lied about her immigration status to get a job with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and then fraudulently claimed child benefit and tax credit claims.
She also calimed childcare sosts when her children no longer attended nursery and working tax credits when no longer employed.
Appearing in Croydon Crown Court on Monday November 28 Adu-Gyamfi was sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years and 200 hours of community service.
Barbara Duda, HMRC's Internal Governance Criminal Investigations, said: "HMRC expects the highest standards of behaviour from its staff.
“Adu-Gyamfi blatantly lied to gain employment as an HMRC employee and abused the tax credit system, a system designed to provide financial help to the most vulnerable people in our society, for her own personal financial gain.
“We will relentlessly pursue anyone who attempts to steal from public funds and they will face criminal prosecution."
Daisy Adu-Gyamfi, from Addiscombe, lied about her immigration status to get a job with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and then fraudulently claimed child benefit and tax credit claims.
She also calimed childcare sosts when her children no longer attended nursery and working tax credits when no longer employed.
Appearing in Croydon Crown Court on Monday November 28 Adu-Gyamfi was sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years and 200 hours of community service.
Barbara Duda, HMRC's Internal Governance Criminal Investigations, said: "HMRC expects the highest standards of behaviour from its staff.
“Adu-Gyamfi blatantly lied to gain employment as an HMRC employee and abused the tax credit system, a system designed to provide financial help to the most vulnerable people in our society, for her own personal financial gain.
“We will relentlessly pursue anyone who attempts to steal from public funds and they will face criminal prosecution."
- Working for a public body involved in benefits should be an aggravating factor when it comes to sentencing - maybe always imprisonment.
1 Dec 2011
Benefits & tax credits wide open to fraud
They had two children in private education, owned homes worth more than £500,000 and enjoyed running around in luxury cars.
Friends could have been forgiven for thinking sisters Andrea and Roberta Vaughan-Owens had won the lottery.
In reality, however, their lavish lifestyle was funded by conning taxpayers out of £130,000 in benefits and tax credits.
On top of this they managed to trick insurance firms into paying their mortgages by claiming on employment protection policies – despite having no jobs. The scams were going swimmingly until the authorities smelt a rat and began to investigate.
But instead of lying low, the sisters dreamt up an even more audacious fraud – to try to get their hands on an astonishing £161million by claiming back VAT on a fictitious advertising deal with Liverpool Football Club.
And, perhaps unsurprisingly, that’s where they came unstuck.
Yesterday the sisters were both given three and a half year jail terms after being found guilty of fraud.
Judge Niclas Parry, sitting at Caernarfon Crown Court, attacked the ‘lax manner’ in which insurance companies, banks and ‘above all Government departments permitted such blatant fraud’. He said: ‘It’s no wonder this country is financially on its knees.’
In court, the pair were described as more ‘Laurel and Hardy than Bonnie and Clyde’. A jury was told they had a modest upbringing but soon acquired a taste for the high life.
Their fraud began in 2003 when the sisters started taking advantage of the ‘inept’ tax administration system. Between April 2003 and July 2008 they conned the taxpayer out of £120,000 in tax credits by pretending to work 16 hours a week for their own recruitment firm, when, in reality, they did nothing.
Administrators took their claims at face value, but, had they checked, would have discovered the pair were telling another Government department they were too ill to work in order to claim another £10,000 in incapacity benefit.
The sisters used the cash to pay for two of Andrea’s children to attend a private school in North Wales. They lived in a £400,000 detached property in Colwyn Bay, owned a second home worth £137,000 in nearby Caernarfon, enjoyed expensive spa treatments at an upmarket hotel, and drove around in luxury cars.
When authorities started investigating the tax credits scam in 2006, the sisters worked out another way to live rent free.
Despite being unemployed, Andrea managed to get a mortgage on the Colwyn Bay property by telling the bank she was a self-employed recruitment boss earning £120,000 a year.
She then took out insurance cover, ensuring the mortgage would be paid if she lost her ‘job’. Insurance firms handed over £30,808 in mortgage payments before the con was uncovered in the summer of 2007.
And that’s when the sisters came up with their VAT con. The pair thought that if they could secure invoices for multi-million pound properties and expensive cars, they could then claim back VAT as start up costs for two new businesses.
They inquired about purchasing several stately homes as well as a dozen Land Rovers and a £325,000 Rolls Royce Phantom.
However, when no one would provide them with invoices and banks and car dealerships refused them credit they submitted an application for a VAT rebate on a fictitious £920million deal to advertise their recruitment firm at Liverpool FC. The rebate was for £161million.
The demand set alarm bells ringing at the tax office and officials began to investigate.
Both women said the claim had been a mistake because they did not understand the forms. But a jury rejected their version of events.
Andrea, 42, was found guilty of eight counts of fraud, while Roberta, 37, a former police civilian worker, was convicted of five charges.
Friends could have been forgiven for thinking sisters Andrea and Roberta Vaughan-Owens had won the lottery.
In reality, however, their lavish lifestyle was funded by conning taxpayers out of £130,000 in benefits and tax credits.
On top of this they managed to trick insurance firms into paying their mortgages by claiming on employment protection policies – despite having no jobs. The scams were going swimmingly until the authorities smelt a rat and began to investigate.
But instead of lying low, the sisters dreamt up an even more audacious fraud – to try to get their hands on an astonishing £161million by claiming back VAT on a fictitious advertising deal with Liverpool Football Club.
And, perhaps unsurprisingly, that’s where they came unstuck.
Yesterday the sisters were both given three and a half year jail terms after being found guilty of fraud.
Judge Niclas Parry, sitting at Caernarfon Crown Court, attacked the ‘lax manner’ in which insurance companies, banks and ‘above all Government departments permitted such blatant fraud’. He said: ‘It’s no wonder this country is financially on its knees.’
In court, the pair were described as more ‘Laurel and Hardy than Bonnie and Clyde’. A jury was told they had a modest upbringing but soon acquired a taste for the high life.
Their fraud began in 2003 when the sisters started taking advantage of the ‘inept’ tax administration system. Between April 2003 and July 2008 they conned the taxpayer out of £120,000 in tax credits by pretending to work 16 hours a week for their own recruitment firm, when, in reality, they did nothing.
Administrators took their claims at face value, but, had they checked, would have discovered the pair were telling another Government department they were too ill to work in order to claim another £10,000 in incapacity benefit.
The sisters used the cash to pay for two of Andrea’s children to attend a private school in North Wales. They lived in a £400,000 detached property in Colwyn Bay, owned a second home worth £137,000 in nearby Caernarfon, enjoyed expensive spa treatments at an upmarket hotel, and drove around in luxury cars.
When authorities started investigating the tax credits scam in 2006, the sisters worked out another way to live rent free.
Despite being unemployed, Andrea managed to get a mortgage on the Colwyn Bay property by telling the bank she was a self-employed recruitment boss earning £120,000 a year.
She then took out insurance cover, ensuring the mortgage would be paid if she lost her ‘job’. Insurance firms handed over £30,808 in mortgage payments before the con was uncovered in the summer of 2007.
And that’s when the sisters came up with their VAT con. The pair thought that if they could secure invoices for multi-million pound properties and expensive cars, they could then claim back VAT as start up costs for two new businesses.
They inquired about purchasing several stately homes as well as a dozen Land Rovers and a £325,000 Rolls Royce Phantom.
However, when no one would provide them with invoices and banks and car dealerships refused them credit they submitted an application for a VAT rebate on a fictitious £920million deal to advertise their recruitment firm at Liverpool FC. The rebate was for £161million.
The demand set alarm bells ringing at the tax office and officials began to investigate.
Both women said the claim had been a mistake because they did not understand the forms. But a jury rejected their version of events.
Andrea, 42, was found guilty of eight counts of fraud, while Roberta, 37, a former police civilian worker, was convicted of five charges.
- Benefit thieves do it for the money. They should know they will have to repay twice what they stole, and will get no benefits until they have.
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