Benefit fraud

Three people will have to pay tens of thousands of pounds back to Bromley Council after being caught committing benefit fraud.

Jibike Adelagun, Roger Byrne and Lindsey Thorpe will have to repay all the money they falsely claimed.

Adelagun, 49, defrauded the council out of £22,630 in housing and council tax benefit between August 2011 and June 2014 by not declaring that she had three jobs. She was also ordered to do 170 hours’ unpaid community work and pay £575 costs.

Byrne, 62, did not declare that he was a company director and receiving a pension, thereby defrauding the council out of £2,908 in housing benefit from December 2012 to February last year. He was also fined £145 and ordered to pay £575 in costs and a victim surcharge of £20.

Thorpe, 36, defrauded the council out of £20,166 in housing and council tax benefit from April 2011 to June last year, after not declaring various sources of income and a salary increase. She was ordered to do 80 hours’ unpaid community work and pay £575 costs.

All three admitted fraud at Bromley Magistrates’ Court.

Source

Five fraudsters must repay more than £50,000 of falsely claimed benefits following a flurry of successful prosecutions by South Cambridgeshire District Council.

The five residents from Cambridge, Longstanton, Waterbeach, Great Shelford and Peterborough were brought to justice for cheating the system last week.

Trudi Johnson, of Longstanton, was given a prison sentence of 18 weeks – suspended for 18 months – after falsely claiming £10,325 in council tax benefit, income support and jobseeker’s allowance. The 45-year-old pleaded guilty to 11 charges of making dishonest claims for benefits from the council between 2000 and 2011 – and a charge of dishonestly making a false statement to the DWP in 2010. When making her claims for benefit, Ms Johnson did not declare that she owned other properties – one which she received rent from. On top of her sentence and repayment of the benefits, she was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £800 in costs.

Meanwhile, Karen Moore, from Cambridge, admitted failing to report changes in circumstances when she changed work to a higher paid job and didn’t tell the council that her daughter who lived with her had started work. This led to overpayments of housing and council tax benefit worth £6,952. The 47-year-old will complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £230.

Dawn Lennie, from Waterbeach, admitted making a false claim to obtain benefit as she did not declare that she was receiving a private pension, resulting in £9,742 in housing and council tax benefit. The 56-year-old was sentenced to a curfew order for six months and ordered to pay £220 costs.

Barbara Tindley, from Great Shelford, also pleaded guilty to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain benefits as she had been receiving payments from her husband whom she had separated from but had not declared this, causing an overpayment of housing benefit of £13,722 and council tax benefits and income support of £2,056. The 49-year-old was sentenced to a community order, 100 hours unpaid work, costs of £230 and a victim surcharge of £60.

Source

A hospital car volunteer swindled £36,000 in housing benefits by hiding an inheritance and pension in secret bank accounts.

David Yarde claimed housing and council tax benefits on his home in Bideford, North Devon, for seven years when he had so much money in the accounts that he was not entitled to a penny.

He started making his claims honestly but sent Torridge District Council a series of false declarations after he inherited £39,000 from his mother in 2006.

He also failed to tell officials he had received a £25,000 lump sum and a £360 a month private pension because they also mode him ineligible for the benefits.

Yarde, aged 62, of Victoria Garden, Bideford, admitted five counts of fraud and was jailed for six months, suspended for a year and ordered to do 40 hours community payback by Recorder Mr Ignatius Hughes, QC, at Exeter Crown Court.

He was also told to pay £1,115 in costs in addition to the money which he is repaying to the council at £169 per month.

The judge told him: "This was a calculated decision to conceal these windfalls and it was greedy and dishonest. You went into it with open eyes and kept the money away from the authorities by using accounts from which these sums were distributed to you. I accept you did not live the high life but these are times when the government is restricting state assistance to all sorts of people and you were topping up your income at the expense of those who are entitled to it and that is very wrong.”

Ian Graham, for the prosecution, said Yarde claimed benefits from 2006 to 2013, during which time he repeatedly declared his assets to be less than £4,000.

He said during that time he inherited £39,000 from his mother and received a £25,000 lump sum when he partially cashed in a pension. He paid the money into an undeclared account which enabled him to hide if from the council and continue claiming benefits.

Eleanor Purkis, for the defence, said Yarde would be able to carry on repaying the money if he was not sent to jail and has taken work as a newspaper boy to increase his income.

She said he also works as a volunteer driver for patients for which he is only paid expenses.

Miss Purkis said Yarde had not lived the high life with the money but had used it to make ends meet and is now in serious financial difficulties.

Source

An illegal migrant who swindled almost £100,000 of taxpayers’ cash in benefits while evading authorities for 14 years has been jailed for four years.

Lillian Wade, 55, arrived at Gatwick airport from Jamaica in 1999 but was granted only temporary admission.

However, a court heard she stayed on and fraudulently obtained two British passports.

In 2000 she started work as a cleaner at Sandwell Council in the West Midlands under the false name of Yvette Logan.

During her four-year employment she earned £30,000 before she quit due to an injury.

Wade, who lived in Tipton, went on to collect £99,729 in incapacity benefit, income support, employment and support allowance and disability living allowance.

Her applications prompted the Department for Work and Pensions to contact a British woman, also called Yvette Logan, from London, who had claimed benefits, the court heard.

The DWP initially believed there was a mix-up and issued Wade with a new National Insurance number.

She then fraudulently obtained a second passport in the name of Katherine Dunnaway.

By 2013 suspicions were raised and police asked to see her passport.

She handed over the fake passport in the name of Yvette Logan but was not arrested until last November after the DWP carried out an inquiry.

At Wolverhampton Crown Court, Wade admitted cheating the public revenue and obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception by falsely saying she was a British citizen.

Wade also pleaded guilty on Wednesday to being in possession of an identity document with improper intention and possession of a false identity document with intent.

Sentencing her, Judge Helen Hughes said: “You knew you shouldn’t be in this country.”

Howard Searle, prosecuting, said Wade would probably be deported after her sentence.

Source

A fomer Gwent publican who obtained £25,000 in a benefit fraud can pay it back at £5 a month - something which would take 426 years.

At Newport Magistrates Court yesterday, Ian Meyrick, 62, pleaded guilty to false representation to obtain benefits, after failing to disclose £80,000 he had in an investment bond.

He was given a suspended sentence.

The court heard that Meyrick had failed to disclose an investment bond which contained £80,000 when he applied for housing benefit in February 2010.

The court heard that Meyrick, the former landlord of the Coach and Horses pub in Chepstow, had received £25,572.66 in benefits including £21,622.53 in housing benefits and £3,910.13 in council tax benefits.

Meyrick is currently paying back the money at £5 a month and has paid back £22.53 so far.

Ioan Gealy, prosecuting on behalf of Monmouthshire County Council, told the court when Meyrick was first interviewed he said he was no financial expert and didn’t have control of the bond.

Gary Driscoll, defending, told the court that Meyrick was out of work for a time in 2009 after he broke his leg in five places and was in hospital. He said: “As he was in hospital he was not working any longer when he made the claim for benefits. At the time he was aware he had the bond but didn't have control or wasn't in a position in order to access it. In his mind that money was in a bond and was not readily available.”

Mr Driscoll told the court that Meyrick’s daughter who was in her 30s was going through IVF at the time which was costly. He said: “He comes across as a person who clearly is law abiding and lived generally an honest lifestyle. He talks about family in a way he clearly is a proud man. He is humiliated and embarrassed by being here today.”

Meyrick, of Tilt Road, Cobham, Surrey, who is originally from Pontypridd, spent the majority of his life mining in Africa. He spent from the age of 22 there before coming back to the UK in 1994. He ran the Coach and Horses pub on Welsh Street in Chepstow for 12 years before he moved to Surrey last year.

The court heard he now has an engineering job in Surrey and earns £1,700 a month, but his monthly outgoings are more than that.

How is that being financed?

Richard Davies, head of revenue and benefits at Monmouthshire council, said after the hearing they were not aware of Meyrick's employment and the repayment figure was based on him receiving no income. "We we will be looking at his ability to repay and what other commitments which he might have. We will expect to increase the level of repayment. We are pleased with the outcome of today’s case. This sends a clear message to fraudsters that the theft of money from the Housing Benefits scheme will not be tolerated and that the courts will deal with them appropriately.”

Great job, Monmouthshire council. Has he still got his investment bond? Or did you fail to find about that too?

Meyrick received an 18 week sentence of imprisonment which was suspended for 12 months. He will pay costs of £150 and a victim surcharge of £15.

Source

A Crawley woman has been sentenced after being found guilty of dishonestly claiming more than £24,000 in benefits by pretending she was no longer living with her husband.

Kerry Allen was found guilty of three counts of benefit fraud by a jury at Hove Crown Court.

Allen had wrongly claimed more than £24,000 in benefits from Crawley Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) since 2009.

She had claimed £15,739.40 in housing benefit, £3,048.46 Council Tax benefit and £5,349.62 income support on the basis her husband had vacated the property they had been living in together in 2009 and that they were no longer part of the same household.

The council received information that Allen was still living with her husband throughout this period so a joint investigation was carried out with the DWP.

The 36-year-old was interviewed under caution by council and DWP officers where she denied that they were a couple during this period.

Mrs Allen pleaded not guilty to all three counts of benefit fraud at Hove Crown Court but was found guilty by a unanimous decision after a three-day trial. She was sentenced to a 12-month community order after falsely claiming £24,137.98.

The housing benefit and council tax benefit overpayments will be paid back to the council and the Income Support overpayments will be repaid to the DWP.

Source

A pensioner who claimed more than £70,000 in false housing benefit payments has been spared jail because she is too old.

Mercy Challiah, 70, from Barkingside netted £71,450.87 over an 11 year period of false statements between 1999-2010, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Redbridge Council said it has begun proceedings to recover the full balance of the overpaid benefits.

Chelliah falsely claimed she was living in privately rented accommodation while she lived at the houses of her two daughters Maralyn Jeevabalaramani, 46, and Jacqueline Keneston, 49.

Chelliah and her daughters were all charged with dishonestly making false statements and each given 12 month prison sentences suspended for 18 months in addition to victim surcharges of £100 each.

Jeevabalaramani and Ms Keneston were also given 250 hours of compulsory unpaid work.

A spokesman from Redbridge Council said: “This case was investigated by Redbridge Council’s benefit fraud team. It was a direct result of their hard work that the Council prosecuted the perpetrators. The full and complete recovery of the overpaid benefit has already commenced. In addition to seeking recovery, the council has also started confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act. A decision on the confiscation proceedings is expected in May and, if successful, the perpetrators will be required to repay the debt in full within six months. We investigate all cases of fraud to stop fraudsters stealing from the public purse. It is a criminal offence and we are cracking down very hard. As a result, deserving people are getting much needed help. Our message is clear – if you commit fraud, you won’t get away with it. We strongly encourage residents to help us and anonymously report fraud.”

Source

A benefits fraudster from Farnborough, who falsely claimed nearly £140,000 from taxpayers over more than 12 years, has been jailed for 10 months. (h/t Dave)

Mum-of-four Idalian Linton, 43, carried out her offending because she didn’t have a financially supportive partner and wanted the best for her children, Winchester Crown Court heard.

Between January 22, 2001, and November 24, 2013, Linton falsely claimed £59,247 in housing benefits and a further £8,743 in council tax benefits.

During that time, she had been living with partner Jason Daniels - the father of her two daughters aged four and 15 - and claimed housing benefits, despite the fact he was working.

Over an eight-year period from March 26, 2002, through September 22, 2010, Linton also fraudulently claimed £71,662 in income support.

There was also a time when she claimed £196 in Jobseeker's Allowance, the court heard.

The scale of her offending was only discovered after a joint investigation by Rushmoor Borough Council and the DWP.

Judge Jane Rowley, sentencing, said the saddest aspect of the case was that Linton was without a "supportive partner". She added her offending was carried out in respect of her children and that her heart was "in the right place":

You were without financial support, but it’s not an excuse for 10 years of dishonesty which underpins a significant amount of taxpayers’ money being stolen in effect. Benefit fraud is a serious matter when committed over a number of years. I have to send out the right message to people such as you and I have to consider the importance of you having a four-year-old child. If I was not to send you to prison it would seem that anybody with children would be spared prison and that’s not a blanket for the charges. As a judge, this is an awful case to deal with to take you away from your children.

Linton fought back tears as she was led away from the dock by security to begin her jail term. She will spend at least five months in custody.

She admitted six counts of dishonestly failing to notify the local authority of a change in circumstances last month at Aldershot Magistrates' Court - defrauding taxpayers out of more than £139,000.

Linton, who sat throughout in a Parka jacket, also has 15 other convictions for 35 offences including shoplifting, the court heard, the most recent of which happened in 1994.

James Doyle, defending, told how Linton had two grown-up sons - a car mechanic aged 20 and another son being treated for severe schizophrenia aged 25 who calls her "five times a day".

Linton had also battled alcoholism since the death of her brother in 2013, Mr Doyle said.

He added: “Why have these offences been committed over such a long period of time? Well the answer given is relatively straight forward. She has stated that as far as Jason [Daniels] is concerned, he never provided her with any security. She committed these offences to create a financial security for herself. However, if she’s to go to prison today he will look after his daughters. She is clearly a woman who is lacking in self-esteem and self confidence but throughout at least she has provided some strong emotional support for her children. That is greatly to her credit.”

The court also heard Linton had begun to repay her debts at £140 a month.

Source

A clairvoyant who swindled almost £70,000 in disability benefit by claiming he could barely was jailed after he was filmed working out in a gym.

Spiritualist Timothy Abbott, 53, conned the taxpayer out of thousands of pounds in disability, council tax and housing benefits along with his wife Jeanette, 46.

The couple pocketed a total of £170,000 during their 16-year scam, including Mr Abbott taking £35,496 in incapacity benefit and £22,848 in disability living allowance.

The medium was filmed lifting heavy dumbbells, using an exercise bike, rowing machine and running on a treadmill and pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to notify the DWP of a change in circumstances.

Mr Abbott also admitted conning HMRC out of £9,532 by failing to pay income tax or national insurance contributions.

Meanwhile his wife falsely claimed £19,477 in disability allowance and £713 in incapacity benefit, along with £1,000 in council tax benefit, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard.

Investigators filmed her bending down and carrying a heavy shoulder bag while on a shopping trip in 2012.

She also failed to pay £37,000 worth of income support [sic] and conned Staffordshire County Council out of £44,000 in housing benefits.

On his website, Abbott is described as being one of Britain's most 'evidential platform Mediums'. It goes on to say he was aware of the spirit world from the age of 19 before he 'embarked on his journey of development' by studying for over 30 years.

His services are apparently in demand in countries such as Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Canada.

He and his wife lived together in a modern £200,000 detached house in Stafford until their scam, which went on for 16 years between 1998 and 2014, was rumbled.

Mr Abbott - who advertises himself as an 'international spiritualist clairvoyant medium and tutor' - was jailed for eight months.

Mrs Abbott admitted three counts of failing to notify the DWP of a change in circumstances, one count of making a false statement and one of falsely obtaining benefits by deception. She was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

A proceeds of crime hearing on June 30 will determine how much the couple must pay back.

Speaking after the sentencing, Mrs Abbott said: 'It has been two and half years of hell and I don't really want to talk about it as my husband got put away yesterday. It's killing me. In our opinion the truth has not been fully told and we feel very unfairly treated.'

Ah, that old chestnut

Source with video

A benefits cheat who fiddled £26,000 by saying he was too handicapped to walk has been jailed for six months - after being filmed playing in golf tournaments.

Golfer Alan Bannister, who played off a handicap of seven, was convicted of benefits fraud after being caught on camera happily walking around the course on his daily game.

He even had taxpayer-funded mobility car by claiming he was in too much pain to walk. But a court heard he was was in fact the "club champion" at his local golf course and had won a number of tournaments.

Bannister, aged 56, was investigated by the Department of Work and Pensions who filmed him completing a 5,400 yard course in just four and a half hours.

They discovered he used his mobility car, intended for people "virtually unable to walk", to drive to the golf club to play with the "Sunday Swingers" and "The Crazy Gang" players despite claiming he could barely walk 50 yards at a time.

Judge Recorder David Miller said: "It was a blatant fraud. You grossly and dishonestly distorted your condition and your ability to walk. You said you could only walk 50 metres but you were an active member of your golf club with a handicap of seven."

He said Bannister was club champion in 2006 and also won competitions "almost on annual basis" even when claiming benefits.

He said: "You were filmed effortlessly removing your golf trolley and clubs from your car and walking at a decent pace at the golf course. At time of national austerity, claiming benefits you are not entitled to is very serious. This benefit is for people virtually unable to walk."

Prosecutor Stuart McLeese said: "Bannister made dishonest representations about the extent of his disabilities and needs and failed to notify the DWP about what his true care and mobility needs were. He didn't accurately record the effect his condition had on him and then didn't notify the DWP at any time that his abilities were greater than he indicated in those claim forms."

Bannister started claiming Disability Living Allowance in 2007 saying he had a form of arthritis called Ankylosing Spondylitis.

He filled in forms saying he needed help raising his arms, putting on his shirt and shoes and carrying saucepans.

Bannister said he could only walk 50 yards before experiencing "severe discomfort" and it would take him 10 to 15 minutes to cover this distance.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how he also needed help making a meal or getting dressed.

But an anonymous tipster called the DWP to tell that how Bannister was a keen golfer - who had played in five-day-long competitions.

He was filmed in 2012 driving in his mobility car to St Andrews Major golf club near his home in Barry, South Wales, and completing the 5,400 yard course in just four and a half hours. Covert officers filmed him happily walking to the first tee with his clubs on a trolley and then teeing off before walking 400 yards down the fairway without a problem.

In interview with Department of Work and Pensions officers, Bannister admitted knowing that he should tell them if there was any improvement in his arthritis: "I have to do something if I am not working - I can't sit in the house and melt away. I have got to get out there and get on with my life. I have to be up two or three hours before I can play golf. My illness if there all the time. I never ever thought I wasn't entitled."

A DWP officer told Bannister: "The fact you are getting on and fighting your illness is admirable but it doesn't mean the state has to pay for it."

In interview Bannister said he still suffered "flare ups" around six times a month and had to take strong medication in order to play golf.

The court was told Bannister dishonestly claimed £26,090.55 from 2007 until 2012 in Disability Living Allowance.

Bannister denied committing fraud by false representation and dishonestly obtaining money transfers by deception but was found guilty by a jury after a four-day trial.

Source

A mother of two from Dudley has been jailed for seven months for fiddling nearly £67,000 in benefits.

It was the second time Siobhan Lane, aged 34, had been caught working a benefits scam, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Judge Peter Barrie was told she was ordered to carry out unpaid work in the community for the first fraud, which was carried out between July 2001 and August 2002.

She pocketed money from the second fraud by claiming over a nine year period she was a single parent when she was living with her partner.

It was serious offending, said the judge, as he ruled an aggravating feature in the case was the previous conviction for benefit fraud.

The court was told Lane, of Wellfield Gardens, had claimed income support and housing and council tax benefits she was not entitled to, between October 2004 and January 2012.

But she was rumbled when the Department of Work and Pensions were tipped off about what was going on, the judge was told.

You might think they might check up on a previous offender's claims. But no.

Lane admitted failing to notify the department of a change in her circumstances and the judge said only a prison sentence was appropriate for her offending.

The court was told Lane’s partner had used her address as his own when seeking employment, when insuring his car and on bank and financial statements.

Surveillance carried out by investigators from the department also confirmed the couple were living together.

Source

A couple falsely claimed £90,000 in benefits to fund their dream wedding in Cuba which took place while they were on bail for previous fraud.

Tracey Dougherty, 38, and Stephen Turner, 60, claimed tens of thousands of pounds together over a period of 15 years.

Dougherty told officials she was a single mother of four to claim income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit while Turner claimed out-of-work benefits despite being a self-employed driving instructor.

The couple's deception was discovered when police searching their Wigan home found wedding invitations on which Ms Dougherty boasted about paying for guests' flights.

She was jailed for eight months while her husband was ordered to repay more than £2,000 following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

The court heard how Dougherty had been claiming taxpayers' money on the premise that she was a single parent since 2000.

She had in fact moved in with Turner who was also given government money as his mother's carer for a spell.

Alone the woman claimed more than £84,000 over 12 years, all the while living with her partner.

In August 2013 the couple were arrested when officials suspected they had been committing benefit fraud.

The following month, after denying living together, they married in the exotic setting while on bail, the conditions of which did not prevent them from travelling abroad.

They both pleaded guilty to falsely claiming benefits at Liverpool Crown Court. Council bosses have slammed their behaviour since.

Councillor Paul Kenny said: 'This couple lived a lavish lifestyle at the expense of the local taxpayer. At a time when people are struggling to make ends meet, this kind of behaviour will no doubt frustrate those footing the bill. Benefits are there for people who need them, not for those who want to subsidise their income and pay for expensive holidays.'

Source with pictures

Thurrock Council estimates four percent of its homes - 400 - are in the hands of fraudsters.

Councillor Lynn Worrall, who's in charge of housing, was speaking at an event to publicise a council campaign – Know a Cheat in your Street - aimed at tackling housing tenancy fraud.

Thurrock Council say they are taking a hard-hitting approach to ensuring deserving families and vulnerable people are not denied a council home by fraudsters.

Ms Worrall said: “Housing fraud is when a council home is let to a person who has either lied about their circumstances to jump the queue or someone is sub-letting their council house or flat and pocketing the profit.”

Over the last year 71 homes have been successfully recovered by the Council’s Housing Investigation Team saving it over £1.2 million and helping to ease the housing waiting list.

The team has also prevented six potentially fraudulent right-to-buy applications.

Ms Worrell added

We are making it clear to anyone who thinks they can cheat Thurrock residents that they will face serious consequences, including losing their homes, hefty fines, a criminal record and even prison thanks to the recent introduction of the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act.

Those committing housing fraud are denying deserving families the chance of a stable and affordable home.

Housing fraud may be seen to some as a crime that does no harm and has no victim, but with ever-increasing demands for council housing, cheats are leaving families waiting longer on the housing list.

If all these homes were freed up, they would help house those forced to live in emergency accommodation, which costs us millions.

Social housing fraud is the most wicked form of welfare fraud. The sums that can be saved are huge, but it's so much more than the money - needy families are being deprived of the chance to have a settled home that suits their needs.

Source

A benefit cheat lied about a conviction when he ran as a Conservative councillor.

Michael Jefferson Fadaka, from Enfield, was handed an 11 month suspended jail sentence.

Fadaka stood as a Conservative candidate for Enfield Lock in May 2014 but police received a tip off that he had made false declarations on his nomination form.

Police found he had failed to declare a suspended prison sentence for wrongly claiming benefits in 2011, after he claimed thousands in housing benefits and income support whilst studying for a law degree.

Detective Inspector Howard Holt, of the special enquiry team, said: "Trust in the electoral process is paramount in a democratic society and when this system is undermined by an individual's misconduct that trust is diminished. I would urge anyone considering election to any public office to fully familiarise themselves with the rules around qualifications for nomination.

"In the run up to the general elections we will continue to work closely with the Electoral Commission and local authorities across London in a pro-active and preventative capacity to protect the integrity of the electoral process in London.”

Source and picture

Two private hire drivers have been prosecuted for illegally using Blue Badges for the disabled.

Thirty four year old Kamran Khan, from Sheffield, was fined £140 and ordered to pay costs of £300 together with a £20 victim surcharge, after he pleaded guilty by post to using his grandmother’s badge to park his car in a disabled bay on Don Street in January this year.

Rotherham Magistrates heard that his grandmother was not present and that he was undertaking personal business in Riverside House.

The court also fined Imran Khan £35 and ordered him to pay costs of £150 together with a £20 Victim Surcharge after he pleaded guilty by post to using his daughter's blue badge in December last year.

The court heard that the 38-year old, from Rotherham, parked on Percy Street, Rotherham, when his daughter was in school.

Following the cases, which were both heard on Friday March 13, the Council's Parking Services Manager, Martin Beard, said: "This is another good result. Blue badges are for use by people with genuine needs. They are not a free parking permit for family and friends."

Source

A Flixton benefit cheat who falsely claimed more than £22,000 over a five year period has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Alison Lett, 58, was convicted of dishonestly obtaining employment support allowance from the department for work and pensions and housing and council tax benefit from Trafford Council amounting to £22,202.

Lett had claimed employment support allowance, housing and council tax benefit on the basis that she lived alone.

Investigations showed that she had made a number of false representations to the department for work and pensions and Trafford Council, by failing to declare that her partner was living with her. This resulted in an overpayment of benefit between November 2008 and April 2013.

But after that it took nearly two years for the case to reach court.

She was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years and placed under a curfew restriction for 16 weeks between 7pm and 7am.

In addition she was ordered to pay £400 towards the cost of the prosecution and pay a victim surcharge of £80.

Trafford Council and the DWP are recovering all of the monies that were obtained as a result of the offences from Lett.

Council counter fraud officers were alerted to the case as a result of information obtained from a partnership project with Greater Manchester Police, which indicated that she was living with her partner.

Source

This is not about fraud (not ostensibly, anyway). The government claims to have done much on ESA, but there is still more to do.

More than 100,000 people are claiming around £100 a week in benefits after being assessed as unable to work due to addiction, obesity or stress.

They are claiming Employment Support Allowance (ESA), which is awarded to those who have an illness or disability that affects their ability to work.

The benefit replaced incapacity benefit, income support and severe disablement allowance with an annual cost to the taxpayer of £725million.

Now 56,000 people with alcohol problems receive ESA, while 36,650 drug addicts are also claimants.

In addition 47,990 people with stress are also handed around £100 a week, with 1,780 obese people receiving the benefit.

Bournemouth has the biggest proportion of claimants of ESA for people with alcohol and drug addictions, with around one in 14 people in the Dorset town who are handed the benefit abusing alcohol, while one in 20 have drug addiction problems.

Other areas with a high percentage of claimants with drug and alcohol addictions include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Bristol.

Meanwhile, the biggest proportion of claimants due to stress is South Hams in Devon, closely followed by Tamworth in Staffordshire and Richmond in North Yorkshire.

The highest percentage of ESA claimants due to obesity is Sevenoaks as well as Malling and Tonbrige, all in Kent.

According to the government 'you can apply for ESA if you're employed, self-employed, unemployed or a student on disability living allowance'.

The initial assessment phase lasts for 13 weeks, during which your income and capital are analysed.

Last year, the government claimed more than 100 people stopped claiming sickness benefits every day over 2013.

Since May 2010, when the Coalition took over, there has been a fall of 160,000 people claiming sickness payments.

Ministers claim the success is down to the Government's controversial new assessment regime pioneered by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith.

This is due to applicants' physical and mental conditions assessed to show how it would affect their ability to work is also assessed.

Sometimes applicants are asked to undergo a medical examination and are asked about how their condition affects their ability to carry out every day tasks, whether they vary from one day to another and what their normal day is like.

Last year the private French firm that decided whether benefits claimants were fit for work pulled out of its £500million contract after claiming its staff received death threats.

Atos Healthcare, which has been accused of making unfair decisions on when sick and disabled people lose benefits, was ordered to review its tests last summer after a Government report found its assessors were of unacceptably poor quality.

But the IT company claimed it was pulling out as its staff were increasingly coming under attack while carrying out their work.

Source

Following a Borough of Poole-led joint investigation with Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council and the DWP, Eric Stone has been sentenced to two years imprisonment at Bournemouth Crown Court.

He pleaded guilty to charges of making false claims for Income Support, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Employment & Support Allowance totalling over £120,000.

Mr Stone's initial benefit claims were made in Oldham, Greater Manchester, with claims for Housing and Council Tax Benefits made in Poole from July 2009 onwards. All claims were made on the basis that he was a single adult who was not married, had no children, was not working, and had no capital or property.

An investigation started after information received by the Borough of Poole suggesting Mr Stone's partner and two children were living in the property with him established that Mr Stone in fact married in 1996 and had two children with his wife.

Claims for benefit were made for properties owned by his wife, whilst Mr Stone falsely advised the Borough of Poole that she was his sister-in-law. The investigation also revealed that Mr Stone owns two properties in his name, one of which was not declared. His wife also owns at least three properties, including the property for which Mr Stone claimed benefit.

In summing up the case and before passing sentence Judge Harrow stated that 'benefits are for the needy and it is important for those claiming to be honest about their circumstances', describing Mr Stone's actions as 'a breach of trust between you and the taxpayer and authorities'. In sentencing, the judge said that he had 'no option but to consider an immediate prison sentence', adding that 'had it not been for the early guilty pleas and repayment of £82,000 of the overpayment to date, it would have been three years'.

Councillor Elaine Atkinson, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Revenue & Benefits, Borough of Poole, said: "This was an extremely serious case of fraud, not only because of the amount which was overpaid but also because of the deliberate and dishonest actions of Mr Stone, the length of time over which it was perpetrated and the sheer amount of information that was withheld by Mr Stone about his true circumstances."

The full amounts fraudulently claimed were:

Poole - £29,945.18 Housing Benefit and £3,537.04 Council Tax Benefit
Oldham - £24,977.08 Housing Benefit and £7,198.18 Council Tax Benefit
DWP - £46,291.10 and £8,310.70.

All monies claimed from the Borough of Poole have since been repaid in full.

Source

James Bartholomew discusses Iain Duncan Smith's place in history, saying that he has presided over profound changes to our welfare system and a huge reduction in unemployment.

Our interest is Bartholomew's acknowledgement that

Official estimates of the amount of fraud in welfare are dramatically short of the reality. Jobcentre officials have been given the power to require people to sign on more frequently and at varying times of day if they believe a claimant may be working on the side or otherwise not being serious about finding legitimate work.

This is a major claim for IDS and worth reading in full.

What next? If we have a Labour government, the reforms will probably be diluted. What if the Tories get back? Cameron has form for removing potentially great reformers (I'm thinking of Michael Gove). He has already tried to move IDS once. Would IDS be left in post after the election?

Probably not - sadly.

It seems to be Get Off Lightly time in the West Country again. Dave noticed this.

A Torquay woman who cheated the taxpayer of almost £5,000 in benefits has been fined £100 by magistrates.

Audrey Tomlinson, 56, claimed housing benefit on the basis she earned just £81 a week working. But an investigation by Torbay Council found she actually earned £207 a week.

Tomlinson admitted failing to notify the council of a change of circumstances affecting her entitlement to housing benefit when she appeared before magistrates in Torquay. The court was told the offence went on for a 14-month period between November 2012 and March 2014.

Prosecutor Michael McCabe said: "This defendant is a long-term benefit claimant who had a detailed history of benefit claiming. She was aware of the need to inform about her change of circumstances. It is clear this defendant was very well aware that wage increases affect entitlement to benefit. The only explanation for her failure to tell them she was working is because she was aware that had she notified them her benefits would have been cut."

Mr McCabe described the offence as 'multiple fraud committed over a significant period of time'.

The full amount she claimed illegally was £4,716.

The prosecutor said the cost of bringing the prosecution to court would be footed by the council tax payer. He asked for £600, which he described as 'only a proportion' of the full costs.

David Charles, mitigating, said Tomlinson's claim for benefits had not been fraudulent from the beginning. He said she had cooperated straight away when the council raised concerns.

Magistrates said they were satisfied she was paying back the £4,716 she had illegally claimed.

They fined the defendant £100; ordered costs of £300 and told her to pay a surcharge of £20.

Source

Light sentences for Bromley benefit thieves

Five Cambridgeshire benefit thieves

Benefit cheat hid inheritance & pension

Illegal immigrant jailed for £100k benefit fraud

Unanswered questions about 426-year repayment plan

Single person benefit fraud nets £24,000

Council encourages anonymous fraud tip-ffs

Judge jails benefit fraud mother

Benefit fraud investigation took years

Tip-off sends benefits thief to jail

Mother jailed for repeated benefit fraud

Jail for 15 year benefit fraud

Thurrock recovers 71 homes in one year

Benefit cheat lied on election form

Disabled blue badge frauds in Rotherham

Benefit fraud lasted five years

Employment and Support Allowance

Jail for £120k benefits fraud

In praise of IDS

Benefit thief fined £100 for illegally claiming £4700