Thief caught on camera by friend is jailed for two years
1:00pm Friday 4th June 2010
By Julie Magee »
A BUNGLING robber who was brought to justice after a “friend” took a picture of him carrying out the theft has been jailed for two years.
Gary Thompson, 30, was so drunk he couldn’t even remember being captured on the mobile phone camera as he snatched £700 from the till of a Bournemouth restaurant.
But the long arm of the law caught up with him when the incriminating photograph led to his arrest on March 3 this year, five days after the robbery at the Lazy Shark in Christchurch Road, Boscombe.
Prosecuting at Bournemouth Crown Court, Angela England said Thompson, from Grosvenor Gardens, Boscombe, had been drinking with two other men at the bar before owner Anthony Wright overheard one saying: “We are going to take your money.”
Miss England added: “Mr Wright thought it was a joke but he was unnerved when the defendant stood up and gave him a deadly stare.
“The men began arguing and he heard one saying: ‘Don’t do it – you know the consequences’.
“But Mr Thompson ignored that advice and demanded money from the till.
“When Mr Wright refused, Mr Thompson threatened him before grabbing him around the throat. One of the other men had a mobile phone and, as Mr Thompson had his hands in the till, he took a picture.
“Before leaving Mr Thompson head-butted the owner, causing him to fall to the floor. The man who had taken the photograph was arrested and police seized his phone. Officers discovered the photograph and enquiries led them to Mr Thompson.”
The court heard how Mr Wright had suffered neck and chest pains, had trouble sleeping and had not wanted to return to work following his ordeal.
Thompson admitted the robbery on February 26.
Defending, Frank Abbott said his client had apologised for “this completely inexplicable incident”, adding: “They had a fantastic amount to drink and the man took the photograph as a joke, which is quite extraordinary.
“Mr Thompson was being egged on. He pleaded guilty although he can’t remember anything about it.”
Sentencing Thompson, Judge John Harrow told him: “I can’t pretend to understand why you committed this offence; clearly heavy drinking had a part to play. You took advantage of Mr Wright’s vulnerability.”
Tuesday 22 June 2010
Monday 21 June 2010
Gang jailed for 'prolific' chip-and-pin scam
The gang modified chip-and-pin readers in petrol garages
A gang of chip-and-pin fraudsters has been jailed after carrying out one of the UK's "most prolific" scams.
The gang modified chip-and-pin machines at petrol forecourts in Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Kent, Bristol and Sussex, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Ringleader Theogenes De Montford, 29, of Hayes, west London, was given a four-and-a-half year jail sentence.
He admitted conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to possess articles for use in the course of fraud.
Rajakumar Thevathasan, 34, of Wimbledon, south London, Rashid Hassan, 26, of Anerley, south-east London, and Usman Mahmood, 26, of Streatham, south-west London, were each jailed for three-and-a-half years after being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
The gang covertly installed devices in chip-and-pin readers that allowed them to clone cards used by customers and steal their money.
A small hole was burned in the back of the reader and a memory device and bluetooth reader inserted.
Continue reading the main story
Since [De Montford's] arrest there has been a significant reduction in the number of chip-and-pin frauds in the UKAdam Budworth Prosecutor
On other occasions sales staff at the garages were signed up to the scam.
In total the nine-month fraud caused losses totalling £725,000.
De Montford, a Sri Lankan national, will be deported upon his release.
When he was arrested his laptop was found to contain details for 35,000 cards, 7,000 of which came from just one garage in Maidstone, Kent.
Garage franchise owner Amrik Kalsi saw business drop by 47% and his forecourt was subjected to a "campaign of vilification" because customers had money taken from their accounts after visiting it. 'Tip of the iceberg'
During a campaign described as "totally unjustified" by the judge, a Facebook group urged people not to use the forecourt and he suffered verbal abuse.
Adam Budworth, prosecuting, said: "He [De Montford] was perhaps one of the most prolific chip-and-pin fraudsters in the UK.
"Since his arrest there has been a significant reduction in the number of chip-and-pin frauds in the UK."
Mr Budworth added that the cases highlighted in court were "only the tip of the iceberg".
De Montford was a software engineering graduate and used his expertise to carry out the fraud, which could have netted millions of pounds.
Recorder Nicholas Rhodes QC told him: "The motivating factor was greed and the huge profits you could make with your skills from this crime."
A gang of chip-and-pin fraudsters has been jailed after carrying out one of the UK's "most prolific" scams.
The gang modified chip-and-pin machines at petrol forecourts in Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Kent, Bristol and Sussex, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Ringleader Theogenes De Montford, 29, of Hayes, west London, was given a four-and-a-half year jail sentence.
He admitted conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to possess articles for use in the course of fraud.
Rajakumar Thevathasan, 34, of Wimbledon, south London, Rashid Hassan, 26, of Anerley, south-east London, and Usman Mahmood, 26, of Streatham, south-west London, were each jailed for three-and-a-half years after being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
The gang covertly installed devices in chip-and-pin readers that allowed them to clone cards used by customers and steal their money.
A small hole was burned in the back of the reader and a memory device and bluetooth reader inserted.
Continue reading the main story
Since [De Montford's] arrest there has been a significant reduction in the number of chip-and-pin frauds in the UKAdam Budworth Prosecutor
On other occasions sales staff at the garages were signed up to the scam.
In total the nine-month fraud caused losses totalling £725,000.
De Montford, a Sri Lankan national, will be deported upon his release.
When he was arrested his laptop was found to contain details for 35,000 cards, 7,000 of which came from just one garage in Maidstone, Kent.
Garage franchise owner Amrik Kalsi saw business drop by 47% and his forecourt was subjected to a "campaign of vilification" because customers had money taken from their accounts after visiting it. 'Tip of the iceberg'
During a campaign described as "totally unjustified" by the judge, a Facebook group urged people not to use the forecourt and he suffered verbal abuse.
Adam Budworth, prosecuting, said: "He [De Montford] was perhaps one of the most prolific chip-and-pin fraudsters in the UK.
"Since his arrest there has been a significant reduction in the number of chip-and-pin frauds in the UK."
Mr Budworth added that the cases highlighted in court were "only the tip of the iceberg".
De Montford was a software engineering graduate and used his expertise to carry out the fraud, which could have netted millions of pounds.
Recorder Nicholas Rhodes QC told him: "The motivating factor was greed and the huge profits you could make with your skills from this crime."
Friday 18 June 2010
£65,000 Bushey benefit fraudster sentenced to eight months in prison
£65,000 Bushey benefit fraudster sentenced to eight months in prison
11:45am Thursday 17th June 2010
By Chris Hewett »
A Bushey benefit fraudster was sent to prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to fraudulently claiming nearly £65,000.
Ola Fagbenle, of Melbourne Avenue, falsely claimed the money after failing to inform the authorities his wife was in full time employment since 2000.
He obtained £13,253 in housing benefit and £3,651 in council tax benefit from Hertsmere Borough Council and the rest from Brent Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
An investigation began in 2008, two years after Fagbenle's first claim, when the Hertsmere Borough Council received information from the DWP.
At the hearing at St Albans Crown Court, the 36-year-old was sentenced to eight months imprisonment by Judge Clifford Smith.
This was made up of three months for false income support claims to the DWP, and five months for false claims relating to housing benefit made to the London Borough of Brent and Hertsmere Borough Council.
Councillor John Graham, finance portfolio holder at Hertsmere Borough Council, said: "We take fraud very seriously. People should be warned that we will not tolerate fraudulent benefit claims and will use our powers wherever possible to catch people who try to milk the system.”
11:45am Thursday 17th June 2010
By Chris Hewett »
A Bushey benefit fraudster was sent to prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to fraudulently claiming nearly £65,000.
Ola Fagbenle, of Melbourne Avenue, falsely claimed the money after failing to inform the authorities his wife was in full time employment since 2000.
He obtained £13,253 in housing benefit and £3,651 in council tax benefit from Hertsmere Borough Council and the rest from Brent Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
An investigation began in 2008, two years after Fagbenle's first claim, when the Hertsmere Borough Council received information from the DWP.
At the hearing at St Albans Crown Court, the 36-year-old was sentenced to eight months imprisonment by Judge Clifford Smith.
This was made up of three months for false income support claims to the DWP, and five months for false claims relating to housing benefit made to the London Borough of Brent and Hertsmere Borough Council.
Councillor John Graham, finance portfolio holder at Hertsmere Borough Council, said: "We take fraud very seriously. People should be warned that we will not tolerate fraudulent benefit claims and will use our powers wherever possible to catch people who try to milk the system.”
Thursday 17 June 2010
Benefits bill overpayments hit £3.1 BILLION in a year - and a third of that was down to bungling officials
Benefits bill overpayments hit £3.1 BILLION in a year - and a third of that was down to bungling officials
By Mail Online ReporterLast updated at 12:12 PM on 17th June 2010
More than £3billion was overpaid in benefits last year - amounting to almost £100 every second - it emerged yesterday.
Mistakes by bungling officials accounted for £1.1billion of the mistakes - the highest margin of error for a decade.
Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) officials were responsible for just over a third of overpayment blunders while fraud and customer error accounted for the rest.
The DWP annual report revealed errors by officials were responsible for a staggering 35per cent of overpayments in 2009/10.
Bungling: Officials at the Department For Work And Pensions at Whitehall paid out more than £1.1bn in incorrect benefits last year
That is compared to just 12per cent in 2000/01, when mistakes cost £400million.
Errors in the last financial year were also up significantly on 2008/09 - increasing from £800million of overpayments that year to an all-time high of £1.1billion.
The estimated total benefit expenditure, geniune and overpayment, amounts to £148 billion each year.
More...
Couple living together but claiming singles' benefits caught after appear on WIFE SWAP
Council chief received staggering £365,000 pay-off when he quit job after just 12 months
But the £3.1 billion overpaid in 2009/10 is equal to around half of the coalition government's proposed £6 billion spending cuts.
Mathew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayer's Alliance, criticised DWP officials for the huge number of errors.
'This is a stupendous amount to be lost through fraud and mistakes,' he said.
Reform: Lord David Freud said the government would overhaul the system
'When the government is talking about making £6 billion of spending cuts, this figure puts into perspective the urgent need for welfare reform.
'The system is too complicated to understand and administer, simplifying the way benefits are handed out would mean less mistakes and less waste of taxpayers' money.'
Official error led to overpayments of £200 million in housing benefits alone and a further £150 million in pension credits.
Fraudsters claimed £260 million in housing benefit, £240 million in income support and £120 million in jobseekers allowance.
And customer error, where customers gave incorrect information or failed to update their details cost a staggering £420 million.
Overall a massive £880 million in housing benefit - 4.4 per cent of the total budget of £19.9 billion - was paid out by mistake.
Another £480 million, was wrongly paid in income support, making up 5.7 per cent of the total budget of £8.5 billion.
But on the flip side, the significantly lower amount of £1.3bn or 0.9 per cent of total benefit expenditure was underpaid as a result of customer or official error.
Meanwhile levels of overpayments due to benefit fraud have fallen over the last decade from £2.2 billion in 2000/01 to the current £1 billion sum.
Minister for Welfare Reform, Lord David Freud, said that the DWP was working to reduce the amount of overpayments.
He said: 'The decrease in the overall levels of fraud and error in the benefit system demonstrate the seriousness with which the Department for Work and Pensions takes this issue.
'These are the first results to take full account of the economic downturn and reflect the significant increase in the benefit caseload within the last year.
'However, the rise in the error figures for out-of-work benefits demonstrates that the system has now grown far too complex and is in need of radical reform.
'That is why the Secretary of State for DWP will be setting out his plans for overhauling the welfare system.'
The report was released by the DWP at the end of last month along with the State of the Nation report which found that families are able to claim up to £100,000 a year.
Secretary of State for DWP, Iain Duncan-Smith, announced the following day that the over-generous benefit system meant claimants branded workers 'bloody morons'.
An estimated 670,000 households were found eligible for benefits and tax credits worth more than £15,600 a year in 2009/10.
Of these, 50,000 households were allowed to claim benefits worth over £500 a week, or more than £26,000 a year. The average UK annual wage is £25,500.Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1287315/Benefits-overpayments-hit-3-1-BILLION-year.html#ixzz0r75y7uo4
By Mail Online ReporterLast updated at 12:12 PM on 17th June 2010
More than £3billion was overpaid in benefits last year - amounting to almost £100 every second - it emerged yesterday.
Mistakes by bungling officials accounted for £1.1billion of the mistakes - the highest margin of error for a decade.
Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) officials were responsible for just over a third of overpayment blunders while fraud and customer error accounted for the rest.
The DWP annual report revealed errors by officials were responsible for a staggering 35per cent of overpayments in 2009/10.
Bungling: Officials at the Department For Work And Pensions at Whitehall paid out more than £1.1bn in incorrect benefits last year
That is compared to just 12per cent in 2000/01, when mistakes cost £400million.
Errors in the last financial year were also up significantly on 2008/09 - increasing from £800million of overpayments that year to an all-time high of £1.1billion.
The estimated total benefit expenditure, geniune and overpayment, amounts to £148 billion each year.
More...
Couple living together but claiming singles' benefits caught after appear on WIFE SWAP
Council chief received staggering £365,000 pay-off when he quit job after just 12 months
But the £3.1 billion overpaid in 2009/10 is equal to around half of the coalition government's proposed £6 billion spending cuts.
Mathew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayer's Alliance, criticised DWP officials for the huge number of errors.
'This is a stupendous amount to be lost through fraud and mistakes,' he said.
Reform: Lord David Freud said the government would overhaul the system
'When the government is talking about making £6 billion of spending cuts, this figure puts into perspective the urgent need for welfare reform.
'The system is too complicated to understand and administer, simplifying the way benefits are handed out would mean less mistakes and less waste of taxpayers' money.'
Official error led to overpayments of £200 million in housing benefits alone and a further £150 million in pension credits.
Fraudsters claimed £260 million in housing benefit, £240 million in income support and £120 million in jobseekers allowance.
And customer error, where customers gave incorrect information or failed to update their details cost a staggering £420 million.
Overall a massive £880 million in housing benefit - 4.4 per cent of the total budget of £19.9 billion - was paid out by mistake.
Another £480 million, was wrongly paid in income support, making up 5.7 per cent of the total budget of £8.5 billion.
But on the flip side, the significantly lower amount of £1.3bn or 0.9 per cent of total benefit expenditure was underpaid as a result of customer or official error.
Meanwhile levels of overpayments due to benefit fraud have fallen over the last decade from £2.2 billion in 2000/01 to the current £1 billion sum.
Minister for Welfare Reform, Lord David Freud, said that the DWP was working to reduce the amount of overpayments.
He said: 'The decrease in the overall levels of fraud and error in the benefit system demonstrate the seriousness with which the Department for Work and Pensions takes this issue.
'These are the first results to take full account of the economic downturn and reflect the significant increase in the benefit caseload within the last year.
'However, the rise in the error figures for out-of-work benefits demonstrates that the system has now grown far too complex and is in need of radical reform.
'That is why the Secretary of State for DWP will be setting out his plans for overhauling the welfare system.'
The report was released by the DWP at the end of last month along with the State of the Nation report which found that families are able to claim up to £100,000 a year.
Secretary of State for DWP, Iain Duncan-Smith, announced the following day that the over-generous benefit system meant claimants branded workers 'bloody morons'.
An estimated 670,000 households were found eligible for benefits and tax credits worth more than £15,600 a year in 2009/10.
Of these, 50,000 households were allowed to claim benefits worth over £500 a week, or more than £26,000 a year. The average UK annual wage is £25,500.Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1287315/Benefits-overpayments-hit-3-1-BILLION-year.html#ixzz0r75y7uo4
A couple who claimed £10,000 in benefits by pretending they lived separately were caught out after appearing on Wife Swap.
17th June 2010
A couple who claimed £10,000 in benefits by pretending they lived separately were caught out after appearing on Wife Swap.
For almost 18 months, Kelly Jones was claiming benefits as a single parent without income while living with her partner, Stephen Jones, who works as a bus driver.
She was paid thousands in housing benefits, income support and council tax help but then appeared on the Channel 4 reality show.
Swindle: Kelly Jones, then Moyston, said she was a 'housewife' to Steven Jones on the reality show Wife Swap - but was claiming benefits as a single mother
After the programme, where two women spend a fortnight living with each other's husband or partner and family, Mrs Jones appeared in a magazine interview to defend feeding her daughter junk food.
In the article, she described herself as a 'housewife' to Steven Jones. The episode, in which she was described as 'a self-confessed lazy mum' prompted dozens of complaints to Ofcom.
More...
Benefits bill overpayments hit £3.1 BILLION in a year - and a third was down to bungling officials
Council chief received staggering £365,000 pay-off when he quit job after just 12 months
Mrs Jones, 23, was described as 'quite naive and gullible' as she appeared at Bristol Magistrates' Court.
Partner: Steven Jones, a bus driver, also appeared on the reality show and has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting
The court heard that the couple, who married in April, were discovered when the city council was tipped off after they appeared in June last year on the reality show.
She was overpaid £4,976 in housing benefits, £3,614 in income support and received an £1,171 discount on her council tax bill, the court heard.
Mrs Jones admitted failing to notify the council that her partner had moved in and declaring on her benefit application that she lived alone.
She also admitted failing to tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that her partner was living with her or that he received £30,625 when his house was repossessed.
Her husband, 40, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting his wife.
The couple, who live in Fishponds, Bristol, have two daughters aged three and 11 months.
They were paid £1,000 to appear on the Channel 4 show, which was filmed in October 2008.
Jones, whose maiden name is Moyston, began living with her husband in July 2008 in a flat in Fishponds after the repossession of Steven Jones' home, the court heard.
When council officers interviewed them starting in August 2009, they fully admitted what they had done.
Lynne Harvey, prosecuting, said: 'Mrs Jones said she had not declared him at the address because his wages were too low to pay their rent and live. She panicked at the thought of losing their home.
'She said she knew once the TV programme was aired she would be caught.'
Ruth Tiley, defending, described her client as a 'quite naive and gullible young woman'.
She told the court that Mrs Jones had suffered with post-natal depression.
The pair were released on bail for pre-sentence reports to be completed, but the chairman of the magistrates told them he was not ruling out a prison sentence.Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1287318/Couple-living-claiming-singles-benefits-caught-appear-WIFE-SWAP.html#ixzz0r75E1ne8
A couple who claimed £10,000 in benefits by pretending they lived separately were caught out after appearing on Wife Swap.
For almost 18 months, Kelly Jones was claiming benefits as a single parent without income while living with her partner, Stephen Jones, who works as a bus driver.
She was paid thousands in housing benefits, income support and council tax help but then appeared on the Channel 4 reality show.
Swindle: Kelly Jones, then Moyston, said she was a 'housewife' to Steven Jones on the reality show Wife Swap - but was claiming benefits as a single mother
After the programme, where two women spend a fortnight living with each other's husband or partner and family, Mrs Jones appeared in a magazine interview to defend feeding her daughter junk food.
In the article, she described herself as a 'housewife' to Steven Jones. The episode, in which she was described as 'a self-confessed lazy mum' prompted dozens of complaints to Ofcom.
More...
Benefits bill overpayments hit £3.1 BILLION in a year - and a third was down to bungling officials
Council chief received staggering £365,000 pay-off when he quit job after just 12 months
Mrs Jones, 23, was described as 'quite naive and gullible' as she appeared at Bristol Magistrates' Court.
Partner: Steven Jones, a bus driver, also appeared on the reality show and has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting
The court heard that the couple, who married in April, were discovered when the city council was tipped off after they appeared in June last year on the reality show.
She was overpaid £4,976 in housing benefits, £3,614 in income support and received an £1,171 discount on her council tax bill, the court heard.
Mrs Jones admitted failing to notify the council that her partner had moved in and declaring on her benefit application that she lived alone.
She also admitted failing to tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that her partner was living with her or that he received £30,625 when his house was repossessed.
Her husband, 40, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting his wife.
The couple, who live in Fishponds, Bristol, have two daughters aged three and 11 months.
They were paid £1,000 to appear on the Channel 4 show, which was filmed in October 2008.
Jones, whose maiden name is Moyston, began living with her husband in July 2008 in a flat in Fishponds after the repossession of Steven Jones' home, the court heard.
When council officers interviewed them starting in August 2009, they fully admitted what they had done.
Lynne Harvey, prosecuting, said: 'Mrs Jones said she had not declared him at the address because his wages were too low to pay their rent and live. She panicked at the thought of losing their home.
'She said she knew once the TV programme was aired she would be caught.'
Ruth Tiley, defending, described her client as a 'quite naive and gullible young woman'.
She told the court that Mrs Jones had suffered with post-natal depression.
The pair were released on bail for pre-sentence reports to be completed, but the chairman of the magistrates told them he was not ruling out a prison sentence.Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1287318/Couple-living-claiming-singles-benefits-caught-appear-WIFE-SWAP.html#ixzz0r75E1ne8
Wednesday 16 June 2010
English lessons for mum
English lessons for mum
times.series@archant.co.uk11 May 2010
A mother who pleaded guilty to falsely claiming more than £27,000 in state benefits was given a six-month suspended sentence and ordered to attend English lessons.Asina Akbari, who lives in Randall Avenue, Neasden, pleaded guilty to three charges of making false statements resulting in benefit fraud, at Brent Magistrates' Court.She was sentenced to a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to attend 60 English classes.Investigators found that Ms Akbari was improperly receiving housing and council tax benefit since January 2007. She falsely claimed that she was a single mother living with her children in her home in Neasden, and that neither she, nor her children were related to the owner of the property. But council investigators discovered the landlord, Mohammed Asif, was the father of at least one of her children - a relationship that would disqualify Ms Akbari from receiving benefits. Ms Akbari admitted she may have made mistakes on her benefits application form, but claimed this was due to her poor grasp of English. She was also ordered to pay £1,000 towards legal costs at £50 per month, and agreed with Brent Council to repay the overpaid sum.Simon Lane, of Brent Council, said: "Once again the hard work of council investigators has paid off. "We will always go after those who are defrauding the council and residents out of money which could be spent on other public services.
times.series@archant.co.uk11 May 2010
A mother who pleaded guilty to falsely claiming more than £27,000 in state benefits was given a six-month suspended sentence and ordered to attend English lessons.Asina Akbari, who lives in Randall Avenue, Neasden, pleaded guilty to three charges of making false statements resulting in benefit fraud, at Brent Magistrates' Court.She was sentenced to a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to attend 60 English classes.Investigators found that Ms Akbari was improperly receiving housing and council tax benefit since January 2007. She falsely claimed that she was a single mother living with her children in her home in Neasden, and that neither she, nor her children were related to the owner of the property. But council investigators discovered the landlord, Mohammed Asif, was the father of at least one of her children - a relationship that would disqualify Ms Akbari from receiving benefits. Ms Akbari admitted she may have made mistakes on her benefits application form, but claimed this was due to her poor grasp of English. She was also ordered to pay £1,000 towards legal costs at £50 per month, and agreed with Brent Council to repay the overpaid sum.Simon Lane, of Brent Council, said: "Once again the hard work of council investigators has paid off. "We will always go after those who are defrauding the council and residents out of money which could be spent on other public services.
Benefit fraudster who claimed to be single mum was spotted by Mail readers
Benefit fraudster who claimed to be single mum was spotted by Mail readers
A married woman has been convicted of benefit fraud after she appeared in the Mail claiming to be a single mother.
Cheryl Dove, 34, was married and living with her partner of four years while claiming benefits pretending to be a single parent.
She appeared in the Mail complaining Hull City Council had not collected flood-damaged furniture from her home in Cadeleigh Close, Bransholme, six months after the June 2007 flooding.
She told our reporter she was a single mother and after the story appeared, readers who knew the family complained to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
The mother-of-two pleaded guilty to benefit fraud at Hull Crown Court.
She had falsely claimed housing benefit, council tax benefit and income support between 2003 and 2007.
Dove pleaded guilty on the basis she only lived with her husband permanently for two years.
She said the total amount she falsely over-claimed was £20,148, although the DWP is seeking to recoup £37,000 in overpayments from her and is deducting this from her benefits.
Judge Simon Jack gave her an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, and ordered her to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work in the community.
He said: "You have pleaded guilty to charges of failing to notify changes of circumstances in relation to obtaining benefit and I have to deal with you for fraudulently obtaining over £20,000.
" I hope you will put this behind you, do the unpaid work and that the court will not see you again."
A spokesperson for the DWPsaid: "Benefit thieves take money intended for the most vulnerable in society
A married woman has been convicted of benefit fraud after she appeared in the Mail claiming to be a single mother.
Cheryl Dove, 34, was married and living with her partner of four years while claiming benefits pretending to be a single parent.
She appeared in the Mail complaining Hull City Council had not collected flood-damaged furniture from her home in Cadeleigh Close, Bransholme, six months after the June 2007 flooding.
She told our reporter she was a single mother and after the story appeared, readers who knew the family complained to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
The mother-of-two pleaded guilty to benefit fraud at Hull Crown Court.
She had falsely claimed housing benefit, council tax benefit and income support between 2003 and 2007.
Dove pleaded guilty on the basis she only lived with her husband permanently for two years.
She said the total amount she falsely over-claimed was £20,148, although the DWP is seeking to recoup £37,000 in overpayments from her and is deducting this from her benefits.
Judge Simon Jack gave her an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, and ordered her to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work in the community.
He said: "You have pleaded guilty to charges of failing to notify changes of circumstances in relation to obtaining benefit and I have to deal with you for fraudulently obtaining over £20,000.
" I hope you will put this behind you, do the unpaid work and that the court will not see you again."
A spokesperson for the DWPsaid: "Benefit thieves take money intended for the most vulnerable in society
Borehamwood woman told to pay back falsely claimed benefits
Borehamwood woman told to pay back falsely claimed benefits
10:12am Friday 11th June 2010
By Suruchi Sharma »
A BOREHAMWOOD woman received a community order for 100 hours unpaid work and will pay back £5000 for falsely claimed benefits.
Soussan Mahjoub Moghaddas, 53, of Danzinger Way, Borehamwood, appeared at Hemel Hempstead Magistrates’ Court for sentencing last Friday following her guilty plea made in May at Watford Magistrates’ Court.
She was charged with making a false statement on an application for housing and council tax benefits claiming she was not related to her landlord. Her landlord was actually her daughter and this resulted in an overpayment of housing benefit of £8,866.78.
Mrs Moghaddas was sentenced to a 12-month community order for 100 hours unpaid work.
Hertsmere Borough Council was awarded a compensation order of £5000, which is the maximum that the court could grant.
10:12am Friday 11th June 2010
By Suruchi Sharma »
A BOREHAMWOOD woman received a community order for 100 hours unpaid work and will pay back £5000 for falsely claimed benefits.
Soussan Mahjoub Moghaddas, 53, of Danzinger Way, Borehamwood, appeared at Hemel Hempstead Magistrates’ Court for sentencing last Friday following her guilty plea made in May at Watford Magistrates’ Court.
She was charged with making a false statement on an application for housing and council tax benefits claiming she was not related to her landlord. Her landlord was actually her daughter and this resulted in an overpayment of housing benefit of £8,866.78.
Mrs Moghaddas was sentenced to a 12-month community order for 100 hours unpaid work.
Hertsmere Borough Council was awarded a compensation order of £5000, which is the maximum that the court could grant.
Muslim community leader who lied about BNP kidnap is illegal immigrant and suspected benefits cheat
Muslim community leader who lied about BNP kidnap is illegal immigrant and suspected benefits cheat
By James TozerLast updated at 7:55 PM on 11th June 2010
A Muslim community leader who falsely claimed he had been kidnapped by members of the British National Party was exposed last night as a suspected benefits cheat who was in this country illegally.
Noor Ramjanally, 36, told police that racist thugs had abducted him at knifepoint and threatened him with violence.
But his account was exposed as a lie by cameras fitted secretly outside his flat after earlier claims that he had received racist hate mail and that the family's home had been firebombed.
Footage revealed that on the day of the alleged kidnapping Ramjanally had left home by himself, and police established that he wandered around a branch of Homebase before dialling 999.
Yesterday he was given a two-year jail term after being convicted of perverting the course of justice.
However he was not in court - he had fled back to his native Mauritius after admitting he was in this country illegally, staying on after his tourist visa expired.
Before his trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, he sent police a taunting email from the Indian Ocean island, telling them: 'I am enjoying the sun.'
The authorities will now decide whether to seek his extradition to Britain to serve his sentence.
It also emerged that both Ramjanally and his wife, Soulma Nusrally, are being investigated on suspicion of benefit fraud.
The court heard that Ramjanally ran Muslim prayer sessions at a hall in Loughton, Essex, at a time when the BNP was targeting the area with leaflets, increasing local tensions.
In July and August last year he claimed to have received racist hate mail warning him to stop hosting the group and to have suffered an arson attack at the home where he lived with his wife and son.
Unknown to Ramjanally, police installed two covert CCTV cameras outside his block of flats.
On August 24 he rang 999 claiming he had been abducted, later saying two BNP supporters had seized him at knifepoint and bundled him into the back of a vehicle.
He said they told him: 'We don't want Loughton Islamic Group in Loughton' before releasing him on the edge of Epping Forest.
However camera footage showed him getting into a taxi at the time of the alleged kidnap.
He had also been caught on camera at the local Homebase, and he was arrested.
Ramjanally was bailed to await his trial and in February he fled to Mauritius, from where he originally came to Britain on a six-month tourist visa in 1999.
When officials from the UK Border Agency raided his flat they discovered fake passports and other ID documents.
Passing sentence, Judge Karen Walden-Smith said it was impossible to say whether Ramjanally concocted his story to increase tension in the community, for his own vanity, or a bit of both.
Last night it emerged that Ramjanally is being investigated for falsely claiming benefits and allegedly stealing money from a mosque.
His wife is also being investigated for allegedly stating that she was a single mother to claim benefits including income support and housing benefit. Read more:
By James TozerLast updated at 7:55 PM on 11th June 2010
A Muslim community leader who falsely claimed he had been kidnapped by members of the British National Party was exposed last night as a suspected benefits cheat who was in this country illegally.
Noor Ramjanally, 36, told police that racist thugs had abducted him at knifepoint and threatened him with violence.
But his account was exposed as a lie by cameras fitted secretly outside his flat after earlier claims that he had received racist hate mail and that the family's home had been firebombed.
Footage revealed that on the day of the alleged kidnapping Ramjanally had left home by himself, and police established that he wandered around a branch of Homebase before dialling 999.
Yesterday he was given a two-year jail term after being convicted of perverting the course of justice.
However he was not in court - he had fled back to his native Mauritius after admitting he was in this country illegally, staying on after his tourist visa expired.
Before his trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, he sent police a taunting email from the Indian Ocean island, telling them: 'I am enjoying the sun.'
The authorities will now decide whether to seek his extradition to Britain to serve his sentence.
It also emerged that both Ramjanally and his wife, Soulma Nusrally, are being investigated on suspicion of benefit fraud.
The court heard that Ramjanally ran Muslim prayer sessions at a hall in Loughton, Essex, at a time when the BNP was targeting the area with leaflets, increasing local tensions.
In July and August last year he claimed to have received racist hate mail warning him to stop hosting the group and to have suffered an arson attack at the home where he lived with his wife and son.
Unknown to Ramjanally, police installed two covert CCTV cameras outside his block of flats.
On August 24 he rang 999 claiming he had been abducted, later saying two BNP supporters had seized him at knifepoint and bundled him into the back of a vehicle.
He said they told him: 'We don't want Loughton Islamic Group in Loughton' before releasing him on the edge of Epping Forest.
However camera footage showed him getting into a taxi at the time of the alleged kidnap.
He had also been caught on camera at the local Homebase, and he was arrested.
Ramjanally was bailed to await his trial and in February he fled to Mauritius, from where he originally came to Britain on a six-month tourist visa in 1999.
When officials from the UK Border Agency raided his flat they discovered fake passports and other ID documents.
Passing sentence, Judge Karen Walden-Smith said it was impossible to say whether Ramjanally concocted his story to increase tension in the community, for his own vanity, or a bit of both.
Last night it emerged that Ramjanally is being investigated for falsely claiming benefits and allegedly stealing money from a mosque.
His wife is also being investigated for allegedly stating that she was a single mother to claim benefits including income support and housing benefit. Read more:
Guilty - the Gloucester con man who cheated the state out of £33K in benefits
Guilty - the Gloucester con man who cheated the state out of £33K in benefits
Benefits cheat: Andrew Stewart
A CON-ARTIST could be facing jail after admitting cheating the State out of £33,500 in benefits – and his mum is on the run from the authorities for a similar charge.
Andrew Stewart, 34, of Quedgeley, claimed he was unemployed for more than two years while working for a skip company in Gloucester. He was also claiming he was a student and successfully applied for a grant, but failed to notify the benefits office.
Stewart, of Merlin Drive, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court and simply said 'guilty' before standing in silence as the case was read out.
His mother Thelma Grey, 62, skipped a court appearance on March 19 for allegedly wrongfully claiming £62,000 in benefits – and warrant is out for her arrest.
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Stewart's prosecution followed a period of being watched following a tip-off that he was actually in work during the time he claimed the cash.
Investigators saw him leaving his house in the morning to do nine-hour shifts during the time he was claiming. He pleaded guilty to dishonestly failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions of a change in his circumstances – getting a job with Trio Skips – which would affect his entitlement to income support between April 2004 and July 2006.
He admitted a similar charge involving housing benefit and council tax benefit paid by Gloucester City Council.
He also admitted a similar charge of failing to notify the DWP between February 2007 and June 2007 that he had become a student with grant income.
His total amount of benefits deemed to be falsely claimed during the period totalled £33,537.
Tim Burrows asked for a pre-sentence report on Stewart. Judge William Hart agreed and bailed Stewart to be sentenced on July 2.
He told him: "A custodial sentence seems very possible."
Mrs Grey faces 14 charges of falsely claiming income support, housing and council tax benefits between 2000 and 2007 by saying she was single when she was actually living with her husband Dennis Dutton.
She used to live at the same address as her son – but has since left and nobody knows where she is.
Benefits cheat: Andrew Stewart
A CON-ARTIST could be facing jail after admitting cheating the State out of £33,500 in benefits – and his mum is on the run from the authorities for a similar charge.
Andrew Stewart, 34, of Quedgeley, claimed he was unemployed for more than two years while working for a skip company in Gloucester. He was also claiming he was a student and successfully applied for a grant, but failed to notify the benefits office.
Stewart, of Merlin Drive, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court and simply said 'guilty' before standing in silence as the case was read out.
His mother Thelma Grey, 62, skipped a court appearance on March 19 for allegedly wrongfully claiming £62,000 in benefits – and warrant is out for her arrest.
TIN.adverts.adWriteDC('article-detail-impact-tile-top', '452x118');
Stewart's prosecution followed a period of being watched following a tip-off that he was actually in work during the time he claimed the cash.
Investigators saw him leaving his house in the morning to do nine-hour shifts during the time he was claiming. He pleaded guilty to dishonestly failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions of a change in his circumstances – getting a job with Trio Skips – which would affect his entitlement to income support between April 2004 and July 2006.
He admitted a similar charge involving housing benefit and council tax benefit paid by Gloucester City Council.
He also admitted a similar charge of failing to notify the DWP between February 2007 and June 2007 that he had become a student with grant income.
His total amount of benefits deemed to be falsely claimed during the period totalled £33,537.
Tim Burrows asked for a pre-sentence report on Stewart. Judge William Hart agreed and bailed Stewart to be sentenced on July 2.
He told him: "A custodial sentence seems very possible."
Mrs Grey faces 14 charges of falsely claiming income support, housing and council tax benefits between 2000 and 2007 by saying she was single when she was actually living with her husband Dennis Dutton.
She used to live at the same address as her son – but has since left and nobody knows where she is.
Blackburn man fined for watching TV while driving
Blackburn man fined for watching TV while driving
4:39pm Thursday 18th February 2010
By Andrew Bellard » Court reporter
POLICE who stopped a driver because of his erratic driving found he was watching a small TV.
Blackburn magistrates heard Asian Najeeb had his seat reclined and the TV was in full view as he drove the Audi A4 along Whalley Range.
Najeeb, 20, of Bastwell Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to driving while ‘able to see directly or by reflection a TV receiving apparatus used to display something other than information about the state of the vehicle or its equipment, or about the location of the vehicle and the road on which it was located, or to assist the driver to see the road adjacent to the vehicle or to assist the driver to reach his destination.’
He was fined £50 with £75 costs. A charge of driving without due care and attention was withdrawn.
4:39pm Thursday 18th February 2010
By Andrew Bellard » Court reporter
POLICE who stopped a driver because of his erratic driving found he was watching a small TV.
Blackburn magistrates heard Asian Najeeb had his seat reclined and the TV was in full view as he drove the Audi A4 along Whalley Range.
Najeeb, 20, of Bastwell Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to driving while ‘able to see directly or by reflection a TV receiving apparatus used to display something other than information about the state of the vehicle or its equipment, or about the location of the vehicle and the road on which it was located, or to assist the driver to see the road adjacent to the vehicle or to assist the driver to reach his destination.’
He was fined £50 with £75 costs. A charge of driving without due care and attention was withdrawn.
1 in 5 motorists commit car insurance fraud
1 in 5 motorists commit car insurance fraud
By Lezanne Janse van Rensburg, 5th March 2010
20% of UK motorists are misleading their car insurance companies via the act of "fronting", according to research by the Motor Insurer's Bureau (MIB) and insurer Aviva.
Research shows there has been a worrying upwards trend in fronting within the car insurance industry, which could cost policyholders very dearly. But even more concerning is the fact that very few motorists understand what fronting is and what it could lead to.
Fronting is when a person, other than the main driver, is declared as the primary policy holder. A common case of fronting is when a parent declares him- or herself as the main driver of the vehicle when, in actual fact, their child is the main driver. This is done for the sole purpose of cutting down on their car insurance premiums.
Although the act of fronting is regarded as fraudulent, motorists seem to be in the dark about the seriousness of the offence. According to MIB's survey, only 30% of motorists fully understood what fronting means.
10% of those surveyed thought that fronting was a legitimate way of reducing their insurance premiums.
10% of those surveyed thought that fronting was a legitimate way of reducing their insurance premiums. This means that 1 in 10 motorists are unintentionally committing insurance fraud.
Another 35% of policy holders said that fronting is just another loophole in the legal system. However, MIB chief executive, Ashton West, is warning drivers that reducing their insurance premiums by means of fronting "simply isn't worth the risk".
West added: "Insurance is about peace of mind and knowing that the cost of your liability on the road is covered. In the event that the driver of a fronted policy is involved in an accident, both the policyholder and the driver could be open to additional costs, penalties, fines and - potentially - prosecution
By Lezanne Janse van Rensburg, 5th March 2010
20% of UK motorists are misleading their car insurance companies via the act of "fronting", according to research by the Motor Insurer's Bureau (MIB) and insurer Aviva.
Research shows there has been a worrying upwards trend in fronting within the car insurance industry, which could cost policyholders very dearly. But even more concerning is the fact that very few motorists understand what fronting is and what it could lead to.
Fronting is when a person, other than the main driver, is declared as the primary policy holder. A common case of fronting is when a parent declares him- or herself as the main driver of the vehicle when, in actual fact, their child is the main driver. This is done for the sole purpose of cutting down on their car insurance premiums.
Although the act of fronting is regarded as fraudulent, motorists seem to be in the dark about the seriousness of the offence. According to MIB's survey, only 30% of motorists fully understood what fronting means.
10% of those surveyed thought that fronting was a legitimate way of reducing their insurance premiums.
10% of those surveyed thought that fronting was a legitimate way of reducing their insurance premiums. This means that 1 in 10 motorists are unintentionally committing insurance fraud.
Another 35% of policy holders said that fronting is just another loophole in the legal system. However, MIB chief executive, Ashton West, is warning drivers that reducing their insurance premiums by means of fronting "simply isn't worth the risk".
West added: "Insurance is about peace of mind and knowing that the cost of your liability on the road is covered. In the event that the driver of a fronted policy is involved in an accident, both the policyholder and the driver could be open to additional costs, penalties, fines and - potentially - prosecution
Thursday 10 June 2010
London hospital chief jailed for £200K NHS
Thursday 10th June 2010
A senior NHS manager who bought horse semen, thoroughbred horses and numerous other goods and services for her private stud business with NHS funds was today jailed for two years and nine months at Southwark Crown Court for defrauding the National Health Service of over £200,000 (Thursday 10th June, 2010). The sentence follows an extensive joint investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Service (NHS CFS) and the Metropolitan Police.
Louise Tomkins, 47, of Faygate, Horsham, West Sussex, earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of making a false representation, contrary to The Fraud Act 2006, covering the period July 2007 to September 2008. Sentencing was adjourned to allow her to achieve the best prices for some of her horses in the Spring horse sales, with a view to the NHS being paid back. The Economic Crime Unit of Hammersmith Police has commenced confiscation proceedings to recover the money.
Tomkins abused her positions of trust, first as a general manager at the former Hammersmith Hospital NHS Trust (now Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust) and then as interim Director of Operations for Ealing Hospital NHS Trust, to divert public money.
In order to pay the high costs of her private horse and stud farm business, she fabricated and manipulated invoices which she took into work and then authorised for payment by the NHS. Tomkins ensured her employers paid for numerous goods and services that the hospitals did not require nor receive – including the import of thoroughbred horses and horse semen from world class stud farms in several European countries.
A huge number of invoices for hundreds, or thousands, of pounds each were doctored by Tomkins, who was imaginative in disguising them as legitimate payments to NHS suppliers: she altered one for £3,000 to claim it was for a “titanium skull cap” for a patient, another to “prosthetic limbs”. A £4,000 bill for a new specialist CCTV system at her stables was claimed to be for a hospital CCTV system. Many bills were for stabling fees (typically £150 per week per horse) and rent for fields and farm buildings. These and other invoices (from innocent suppliers to her horse business) were transformed into invoices for everything from “paediatric services” and “psychological support for breast cancer patients” to payment for “locums” and “administrative support” and sundry hospital hardware such as “two portable washing aid units” (£8,000).
Her role at the Hammersmith Hospital included acting as a Fund Advisor for hospital charitable funds, which she misused, again through falsified invoices, to benefit her own business.
Tomkins was suspended by Imperial College NHS Trust on 23rd September 2008 shortly after allegations were first made. She was charged at Hammersmith and Fulham police station on 11th August 2009 and at a disciplinary hearing held by the Trust on 27th November 2009 she
was dismissed for gross misconduct. The investigation also prevented the payment of a substantial redundancy package of £41,944.00 about to be given to Tomkins, to settle a grievance she had brought against the Trust.
Even while under investigation, she continued to seek employment in the NHS using employment agencies, under the guises of ‘Tonka Joud’ and ‘Rosemarie Joud’.
Kevin Cane, London Regional Team Manager of the NHS Counter Fraud Service, said today: “This was a very serious matter. LouiseTomkins flagrantly abused her very senior positions, positions of trust. She deliberately diverted NHS resources away from frontline services and patient care for her own gain. Anyone who seeks to defraud the National Health Service needs to understand that they will be investigated, and could ultimately go to jail and destroy their career.”
Tomkins was prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service.
A senior NHS manager who bought horse semen, thoroughbred horses and numerous other goods and services for her private stud business with NHS funds was today jailed for two years and nine months at Southwark Crown Court for defrauding the National Health Service of over £200,000 (Thursday 10th June, 2010). The sentence follows an extensive joint investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Service (NHS CFS) and the Metropolitan Police.
Louise Tomkins, 47, of Faygate, Horsham, West Sussex, earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of making a false representation, contrary to The Fraud Act 2006, covering the period July 2007 to September 2008. Sentencing was adjourned to allow her to achieve the best prices for some of her horses in the Spring horse sales, with a view to the NHS being paid back. The Economic Crime Unit of Hammersmith Police has commenced confiscation proceedings to recover the money.
Tomkins abused her positions of trust, first as a general manager at the former Hammersmith Hospital NHS Trust (now Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust) and then as interim Director of Operations for Ealing Hospital NHS Trust, to divert public money.
In order to pay the high costs of her private horse and stud farm business, she fabricated and manipulated invoices which she took into work and then authorised for payment by the NHS. Tomkins ensured her employers paid for numerous goods and services that the hospitals did not require nor receive – including the import of thoroughbred horses and horse semen from world class stud farms in several European countries.
A huge number of invoices for hundreds, or thousands, of pounds each were doctored by Tomkins, who was imaginative in disguising them as legitimate payments to NHS suppliers: she altered one for £3,000 to claim it was for a “titanium skull cap” for a patient, another to “prosthetic limbs”. A £4,000 bill for a new specialist CCTV system at her stables was claimed to be for a hospital CCTV system. Many bills were for stabling fees (typically £150 per week per horse) and rent for fields and farm buildings. These and other invoices (from innocent suppliers to her horse business) were transformed into invoices for everything from “paediatric services” and “psychological support for breast cancer patients” to payment for “locums” and “administrative support” and sundry hospital hardware such as “two portable washing aid units” (£8,000).
Her role at the Hammersmith Hospital included acting as a Fund Advisor for hospital charitable funds, which she misused, again through falsified invoices, to benefit her own business.
Tomkins was suspended by Imperial College NHS Trust on 23rd September 2008 shortly after allegations were first made. She was charged at Hammersmith and Fulham police station on 11th August 2009 and at a disciplinary hearing held by the Trust on 27th November 2009 she
was dismissed for gross misconduct. The investigation also prevented the payment of a substantial redundancy package of £41,944.00 about to be given to Tomkins, to settle a grievance she had brought against the Trust.
Even while under investigation, she continued to seek employment in the NHS using employment agencies, under the guises of ‘Tonka Joud’ and ‘Rosemarie Joud’.
Kevin Cane, London Regional Team Manager of the NHS Counter Fraud Service, said today: “This was a very serious matter. LouiseTomkins flagrantly abused her very senior positions, positions of trust. She deliberately diverted NHS resources away from frontline services and patient care for her own gain. Anyone who seeks to defraud the National Health Service needs to understand that they will be investigated, and could ultimately go to jail and destroy their career.”
Tomkins was prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Thursday 1 April 2010
Website selling fake sicknotes for £25 each being investigated
The NHS fraud squad is investigating a website that sells fake NHS sicknotes for £25.
The authentic-looking documents are almost identical to genuine letters from a GP or hospital.
Alongside the doctor's name, the note details the illness of the buyer's choice, the number of 'sick' days needed and the medical facility they supposedly attended.
The site, called doctorsnotestore.com, advertises a guaranteed 48-hour delivery of the certificates written on official NHS notepaper, with an authentic stamp.
However, a spokesman for the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service warned that anyone caught using a fake doctor's note risks prosecution.
He said: 'The NHS logo and letters are registered trademarks owned by the Department of Health. We can and will take action to ensure the NHS logo and name are not misused in any way.'
The website also sells false medical certificates, solicitors' letters and holiday insurance claims.
It carries a disclaimer saying that the documents should be used only for novelty purposes - but there is also a section with comments from satisfied customers.
One says: 'I could have been fired for missing two weeks of work, but my employer didn't suspect a thing.'
The website shows examples of the fake notes - under the crucial claim, 'for novelty use only'
Another says: 'I have been using your fake doctor's notes for five years now - I get an extra two weeks' holiday every year because of your perfect sicknotes.'
A spokeswoman for the Department of Work and Pensions warned that the site could be costing employers thousands of pounds, but said it would be hard to shut down.
She said: 'Selling fake letters like this certainly sounds like fraud in some way.
The authentic-looking documents are almost identical to genuine letters from a GP or hospital.
Alongside the doctor's name, the note details the illness of the buyer's choice, the number of 'sick' days needed and the medical facility they supposedly attended.
The site, called doctorsnotestore.com, advertises a guaranteed 48-hour delivery of the certificates written on official NHS notepaper, with an authentic stamp.
However, a spokesman for the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service warned that anyone caught using a fake doctor's note risks prosecution.
He said: 'The NHS logo and letters are registered trademarks owned by the Department of Health. We can and will take action to ensure the NHS logo and name are not misused in any way.'
The website also sells false medical certificates, solicitors' letters and holiday insurance claims.
It carries a disclaimer saying that the documents should be used only for novelty purposes - but there is also a section with comments from satisfied customers.
One says: 'I could have been fired for missing two weeks of work, but my employer didn't suspect a thing.'
The website shows examples of the fake notes - under the crucial claim, 'for novelty use only'
Another says: 'I have been using your fake doctor's notes for five years now - I get an extra two weeks' holiday every year because of your perfect sicknotes.'
A spokeswoman for the Department of Work and Pensions warned that the site could be costing employers thousands of pounds, but said it would be hard to shut down.
She said: 'Selling fake letters like this certainly sounds like fraud in some way.
Thursday 25 March 2010
Is this most stupid house raider?
BURGLAR Jonathan O'Dwyer was not hard to spot at the scene of his crime – he wore a bright yellow fluorescent jacket.
O'Dwyer's high-visibility coat was seen by a woman neighbour.
She went to investigate when she heard loud "booming noises" and noticed glass smashed in a side door at the house in Barbara Square, Hucknall.
O'Dwyer, 20, of Holbeck Road, Hucknall, was standing at a side door but left the scene. A police dog picked up his trail and found his jacket which he had dumped as he escaped. Tests revealed his DNA.
O'Dwyer was arrested and charged with the burglary on November 17. He named an accomplice, but there was not enough evidence against him.
"At the time that named male was still in the property when he ran off," said Andrew Tanser, prosecuting at Nottingham Crown Court.
Judge Michael Stokes, QC, told the defendant's barrister: "Going burgling in a fluorescent yellow jacket does suggest a degree of naivety."
O'Dwyer, who pleaded guilty, had been made redundant and was using drugs.
Julia King, mitigating, said the offence was out of character, he was short of money and got involved through the other man.
"He is now a full-time warehouseman. These proceedings have forced him to consider his lifestyle and the direction he was heading and he has stopped taking drugs.''
Two gold chains, a PlayStation 3 and games were taken and estimated to be worth more than £1,000. Nothing was recovered.
Judge Stokes sentenced O'Dwyer to a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for one year, and imposed 140 hours of unpaid work. He must pay £600 compensation to the householder.
He said: "You were one of two men who burgled someone's home. The other burglar escaped with the stolen property. Unusually you told police who he was, but he has not been prosecuted.
"Your role appears to have been a subsidiary role, and someone who should retire forthwith from this activity. If you are going to burgle in a yellow high-visibility jacket, you are going to draw attention to yourself – one ironic way that suggests you were naive and under the influence of someone else."
O'Dwyer's high-visibility coat was seen by a woman neighbour.
She went to investigate when she heard loud "booming noises" and noticed glass smashed in a side door at the house in Barbara Square, Hucknall.
O'Dwyer, 20, of Holbeck Road, Hucknall, was standing at a side door but left the scene. A police dog picked up his trail and found his jacket which he had dumped as he escaped. Tests revealed his DNA.
O'Dwyer was arrested and charged with the burglary on November 17. He named an accomplice, but there was not enough evidence against him.
"At the time that named male was still in the property when he ran off," said Andrew Tanser, prosecuting at Nottingham Crown Court.
Judge Michael Stokes, QC, told the defendant's barrister: "Going burgling in a fluorescent yellow jacket does suggest a degree of naivety."
O'Dwyer, who pleaded guilty, had been made redundant and was using drugs.
Julia King, mitigating, said the offence was out of character, he was short of money and got involved through the other man.
"He is now a full-time warehouseman. These proceedings have forced him to consider his lifestyle and the direction he was heading and he has stopped taking drugs.''
Two gold chains, a PlayStation 3 and games were taken and estimated to be worth more than £1,000. Nothing was recovered.
Judge Stokes sentenced O'Dwyer to a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for one year, and imposed 140 hours of unpaid work. He must pay £600 compensation to the householder.
He said: "You were one of two men who burgled someone's home. The other burglar escaped with the stolen property. Unusually you told police who he was, but he has not been prosecuted.
"Your role appears to have been a subsidiary role, and someone who should retire forthwith from this activity. If you are going to burgle in a yellow high-visibility jacket, you are going to draw attention to yourself – one ironic way that suggests you were naive and under the influence of someone else."
Wednesday 24 March 2010
Armless getaway driver leads police a merry dance
14th September 2009 09:08 GMT
An semi-armless teenager who acted as getaway driver on a jewellery heist, driving at 100mph during a police pursuit "despite needing somebody to change the gears for him", has escaped jail, the Telegraph reports.
John Smith, 18 - who has no arms below the elbow - was in charge of a Ford Focus during the robbery of Ernest Jones in Hempstead Valley shopping centre near Rainham, Kent, on 17 December last year.
At 2am, the three other members of the gang smashed the shop window with a claw hammer and made off with £174,445 worth of jewellery. Cue a high-speed chase along the A2 towards London, until Smith lost control of the car and crashed on the approach to the Blackwall Tunnel.
Despite "heavy damage" to the vehicle, Smith attempted to continue, but a police car forced him against the tunnel wall.
Recorder Charles George QC of Maidstone Crown Court told Smith that "his disability and the fact he did not take part in the raid itself enabled him to suspend the custodial sentence".
Accordingly, he sentenced Smith to a 12-month youth custody order, suspended for two years, slapped a six-month electronically-tagged curfew on the teen and ordered him to attend a Probation service "Think First" programme.
Two other partcipants in the heist, who pleaded guilty to burglary, were jailed. Tyrone Tassell, 21, from Walthamstow, copped 32 months, "less 224 days already served on remand or under a tagged curfew".
Sunni Sacco, 19, address unknown, earned two years in a young offenders' institution, "less 241 days served on remand or under tagged curfew".
The third ne'er-do-well, Craig Phillips of Islington, is subject to a two-year supervision order and a six-month electronically-tagged curfew
An semi-armless teenager who acted as getaway driver on a jewellery heist, driving at 100mph during a police pursuit "despite needing somebody to change the gears for him", has escaped jail, the Telegraph reports.
John Smith, 18 - who has no arms below the elbow - was in charge of a Ford Focus during the robbery of Ernest Jones in Hempstead Valley shopping centre near Rainham, Kent, on 17 December last year.
At 2am, the three other members of the gang smashed the shop window with a claw hammer and made off with £174,445 worth of jewellery. Cue a high-speed chase along the A2 towards London, until Smith lost control of the car and crashed on the approach to the Blackwall Tunnel.
Despite "heavy damage" to the vehicle, Smith attempted to continue, but a police car forced him against the tunnel wall.
Recorder Charles George QC of Maidstone Crown Court told Smith that "his disability and the fact he did not take part in the raid itself enabled him to suspend the custodial sentence".
Accordingly, he sentenced Smith to a 12-month youth custody order, suspended for two years, slapped a six-month electronically-tagged curfew on the teen and ordered him to attend a Probation service "Think First" programme.
Two other partcipants in the heist, who pleaded guilty to burglary, were jailed. Tyrone Tassell, 21, from Walthamstow, copped 32 months, "less 224 days already served on remand or under a tagged curfew".
Sunni Sacco, 19, address unknown, earned two years in a young offenders' institution, "less 241 days served on remand or under tagged curfew".
The third ne'er-do-well, Craig Phillips of Islington, is subject to a two-year supervision order and a six-month electronically-tagged curfew
Recent fraud cases cast shadow on egg sector
Recent fraud cases cast shadow on egg sector
By Philip Clarke on March 23, 2010 5:48 PM
Egg suppliers are in danger of being tarred with the same brush as politicians, following recent cases of fraud and corruption.
The case of Keith Owen, who was fined over £3m and sent down for three years for selling millions of eggs from caged birds as free range and organic, received widespread coverage in the national media.
The British Egg Industry Council was quick to point out that its British Lion scheme had been tightened up since those offences were committed in 2006, and welcomed the tough sentence handed down in early March.
But then came news a week later that Derbyshire trading standards officers had "issued advice" to nine businesses following spot checks on eggs in the county...
Apparently 19 out of 50 eggs tested did not match the description on the box - a 38% failure rate - again with supposedly free range eggs having come from caged systems. Others were out-of-date and under weight, prompting one local councillor to observe that "egg fraud is big business across the country".
The news resonated with comments made by one egg producer at the recent NFU annual conference, who said that "the cowboys are taking over in my part of south Yorkshire".
With parts of eastern Europe clearly unable to meet the impending EU cage ban, she feared a flood of illegally-produced, incorrectly labelled eggs coming onto the UK market from 2012.
Of course the vast majority of egg producers and suppliers in this country operate to the highest of standards - which is more than can be said of MPs in Westminster.
But it only takes a handful of "bad-uns" to create the impression that everyone is "on the game" and cast doubt about the integrity of the product.
It is therefore essential that everyone in the egg business remains vigilant and reports any irregularities to the appropriate authorities.
By Philip Clarke on March 23, 2010 5:48 PM
Egg suppliers are in danger of being tarred with the same brush as politicians, following recent cases of fraud and corruption.
The case of Keith Owen, who was fined over £3m and sent down for three years for selling millions of eggs from caged birds as free range and organic, received widespread coverage in the national media.
The British Egg Industry Council was quick to point out that its British Lion scheme had been tightened up since those offences were committed in 2006, and welcomed the tough sentence handed down in early March.
But then came news a week later that Derbyshire trading standards officers had "issued advice" to nine businesses following spot checks on eggs in the county...
Apparently 19 out of 50 eggs tested did not match the description on the box - a 38% failure rate - again with supposedly free range eggs having come from caged systems. Others were out-of-date and under weight, prompting one local councillor to observe that "egg fraud is big business across the country".
The news resonated with comments made by one egg producer at the recent NFU annual conference, who said that "the cowboys are taking over in my part of south Yorkshire".
With parts of eastern Europe clearly unable to meet the impending EU cage ban, she feared a flood of illegally-produced, incorrectly labelled eggs coming onto the UK market from 2012.
Of course the vast majority of egg producers and suppliers in this country operate to the highest of standards - which is more than can be said of MPs in Westminster.
But it only takes a handful of "bad-uns" to create the impression that everyone is "on the game" and cast doubt about the integrity of the product.
It is therefore essential that everyone in the egg business remains vigilant and reports any irregularities to the appropriate authorities.
Tuesday 23 March 2010
Dad spared prison to look after jailed mum's children
Dad spared prison to look after jailed mum's children
Wednesday, March 03, 2010, 07:06
A father who has avoided justice for months was spared prison so he can care for five of his children while his ex-wife serves a jail term.
After breaching a suspended sentence, Karl Edwards, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court yesterday - just 24 hours after former partner Helen Edwards was jailed.
When mum-of-six Helen, 32, was sentenced to 10 months on Monday for shoplifting, handling stolen goods and being in breach of a suspended sentence she pleaded with the judge to be able to take her baby into prison with her.
Karl Edwards, formerly of Brook Street, Gloucester, but now of Naunton Road, Coney Hill, was before the court for breaching a suspended sentence handed down in December for possession of stolen goods.
He had been on the run but he appeared in court and told the judge he wanted to take care of his children while his ex-wife was in prison.
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On his behalf, Steve Young told Judge William Hart his ex-wife had six children, including her new baby, and although there had been difficulties between them he wanted to return to live at her home to care for the family
“He was living at Brook Street, Gloucester, when he was given the suspended sentence and supervision order, but he and his ex-wife were reconciled and he had returned to live at her home,” he said.
“That was why he did not receive letters and notices of appointments from the probation service. He accepts that he should have contacted the probation service and that it was his duty to inform them of his change of address.”
Edwards acknowledged that this was not a satisfactory explanation for his conduct but asked that the suspended sentence was not activated.
“Social services are aware of the position and the children have been placed in the care of a family friend,” Mr Young said. “What happens to the children now depends on what happens to him here today.
“Give him one further opportunity to comply with this order.”
Judge Hart said it would be unusual for him to activate a suspended sentence on the first breach.
“I will adjourn your case for five weeks and if you comply with the order, I will not activate the sentence,” he said.
“But I am far from persuaded that you are going to comply,” he told Edwards .
He added: “And your domestic circumstances are not easy, but they must not interfere with this order.”
Wednesday, March 03, 2010, 07:06
A father who has avoided justice for months was spared prison so he can care for five of his children while his ex-wife serves a jail term.
After breaching a suspended sentence, Karl Edwards, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court yesterday - just 24 hours after former partner Helen Edwards was jailed.
When mum-of-six Helen, 32, was sentenced to 10 months on Monday for shoplifting, handling stolen goods and being in breach of a suspended sentence she pleaded with the judge to be able to take her baby into prison with her.
Karl Edwards, formerly of Brook Street, Gloucester, but now of Naunton Road, Coney Hill, was before the court for breaching a suspended sentence handed down in December for possession of stolen goods.
He had been on the run but he appeared in court and told the judge he wanted to take care of his children while his ex-wife was in prison.
TIN.adverts.adWriteDC('article-detail-impact-tile', '452x118');
On his behalf, Steve Young told Judge William Hart his ex-wife had six children, including her new baby, and although there had been difficulties between them he wanted to return to live at her home to care for the family
“He was living at Brook Street, Gloucester, when he was given the suspended sentence and supervision order, but he and his ex-wife were reconciled and he had returned to live at her home,” he said.
“That was why he did not receive letters and notices of appointments from the probation service. He accepts that he should have contacted the probation service and that it was his duty to inform them of his change of address.”
Edwards acknowledged that this was not a satisfactory explanation for his conduct but asked that the suspended sentence was not activated.
“Social services are aware of the position and the children have been placed in the care of a family friend,” Mr Young said. “What happens to the children now depends on what happens to him here today.
“Give him one further opportunity to comply with this order.”
Judge Hart said it would be unusual for him to activate a suspended sentence on the first breach.
“I will adjourn your case for five weeks and if you comply with the order, I will not activate the sentence,” he said.
“But I am far from persuaded that you are going to comply,” he told Edwards .
He added: “And your domestic circumstances are not easy, but they must not interfere with this order.”
Man, 89, is oldest criminal in county
Man, 89, is oldest criminal in county
Saturday, August 29, 2009, 07:30
AN 89-year-old man who used credit cards and online bank accounts to commit fraud is the oldest criminal in Derbyshire.
He is just one of 260 over-70s to be arrested in the past three years, according to new figures released by Derbyshire police.
So far this year, 67 pensioners have been detained for criminal offences ranging from common assault, racially or religiously aggravated harassment and theft.
Other offences in Derbyshire include an 87-year-old man convicted for criminal damage and an 82-year-old arrested for malicious wounding.
Over the past three years, one 71-year-old man was charged with trafficking cocaine while others were arrested for sexual assaults, burglary, false imprisonment and making threats to kill.
There were more than 70 thefts from shops over the three years, with 18 taking place in the first half of 2009.
Southern Derbyshire Pensioners' Association says that people over the age of 65 could be turning to crime to top up their state pension.
It believes the figures should be a catalyst for the Government to raise it beyond the current level of £165 per week.
And an Age Concern spokesman said the statistics show that anyone, regardless of age, was capable of committing crime.
The figures, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information request to Derbyshire police, show there were 113 crimes committed by pensioners in 2007. In 2008, there were 88 offences. Nationally, pensioners are said to be responsible for about 2,000 crimes a year out of a total of several million.
Ann Crosby, chairwoman of Southern Derbyshire Pensioners' Association, said the figures only amounted to a very small proportion of crimes committed across the county.
She said: "As a population, the number of older people is growing, so it's no surprise that the number committing crimes is growing as well.
"The fact that a lot of the crimes are for offences such as shoplifting could be an indication of the low income that pensioners have.
"I am not excusing people committing crime, but it could be a reason."
A study by Prudential, one of Britain's biggest pension companies, found that more than 100,000 pensioners have turned to – or considered turning to – crime to top up their pensions.
The biggest increase has been in fraud, while others have turned to drug dealing and even robbing banks.
A spokeswoman for Age Concern described the figures as a "phenomenon of society".
She said: "There is no justification for criminal behaviour at any time of life.
"However, people over 70 are responsible for only a tiny share of the almost five million crimes committed in England and Wales last year."
Earlier this year, Brian and Sheila Tasker, 72 and 60, of Chaddesden, pleaded guilty to operating a consumer credit business without a licence.
The pair loaned out large sums of cash and used threats of violence over a 10-year period to make sure the money was paid back with huge interest.
They raked in tens of thousands of pounds a year and were given 12-month prison terms, suspended for two years, at Derby Crown Court.
In 2007, 87 people between the age of 70 and 79 committed offences, 24 people between 80 and 85, with two 86-year-olds and an 87-year-old also being arrested.
Last year, 77 people aged between 70 and 79 carried out crime, five pensioners between 80 and 85, as well as an 86-year-old, two 87-year-olds, an 88-year-old and 89-year-old.
So far this year, 51 pensioners between 70 and 79 have committed offences, 12 people aged between 80 and 85, and two 87-year-olds, an 88-year-old as well as the 89-year-old fraudster, who was charged.
A spokeswoman for Derbyshire police said figures for crimes such as sexual offences may refer to offences committed when people were younger.
She said: "There are cases where people report offences many years after they occur.
"However statistics show age is no bar to criminal activity."
Saturday, August 29, 2009, 07:30
AN 89-year-old man who used credit cards and online bank accounts to commit fraud is the oldest criminal in Derbyshire.
He is just one of 260 over-70s to be arrested in the past three years, according to new figures released by Derbyshire police.
So far this year, 67 pensioners have been detained for criminal offences ranging from common assault, racially or religiously aggravated harassment and theft.
Other offences in Derbyshire include an 87-year-old man convicted for criminal damage and an 82-year-old arrested for malicious wounding.
Over the past three years, one 71-year-old man was charged with trafficking cocaine while others were arrested for sexual assaults, burglary, false imprisonment and making threats to kill.
There were more than 70 thefts from shops over the three years, with 18 taking place in the first half of 2009.
Southern Derbyshire Pensioners' Association says that people over the age of 65 could be turning to crime to top up their state pension.
It believes the figures should be a catalyst for the Government to raise it beyond the current level of £165 per week.
And an Age Concern spokesman said the statistics show that anyone, regardless of age, was capable of committing crime.
The figures, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information request to Derbyshire police, show there were 113 crimes committed by pensioners in 2007. In 2008, there were 88 offences. Nationally, pensioners are said to be responsible for about 2,000 crimes a year out of a total of several million.
Ann Crosby, chairwoman of Southern Derbyshire Pensioners' Association, said the figures only amounted to a very small proportion of crimes committed across the county.
She said: "As a population, the number of older people is growing, so it's no surprise that the number committing crimes is growing as well.
"The fact that a lot of the crimes are for offences such as shoplifting could be an indication of the low income that pensioners have.
"I am not excusing people committing crime, but it could be a reason."
A study by Prudential, one of Britain's biggest pension companies, found that more than 100,000 pensioners have turned to – or considered turning to – crime to top up their pensions.
The biggest increase has been in fraud, while others have turned to drug dealing and even robbing banks.
A spokeswoman for Age Concern described the figures as a "phenomenon of society".
She said: "There is no justification for criminal behaviour at any time of life.
"However, people over 70 are responsible for only a tiny share of the almost five million crimes committed in England and Wales last year."
Earlier this year, Brian and Sheila Tasker, 72 and 60, of Chaddesden, pleaded guilty to operating a consumer credit business without a licence.
The pair loaned out large sums of cash and used threats of violence over a 10-year period to make sure the money was paid back with huge interest.
They raked in tens of thousands of pounds a year and were given 12-month prison terms, suspended for two years, at Derby Crown Court.
In 2007, 87 people between the age of 70 and 79 committed offences, 24 people between 80 and 85, with two 86-year-olds and an 87-year-old also being arrested.
Last year, 77 people aged between 70 and 79 carried out crime, five pensioners between 80 and 85, as well as an 86-year-old, two 87-year-olds, an 88-year-old and 89-year-old.
So far this year, 51 pensioners between 70 and 79 have committed offences, 12 people aged between 80 and 85, and two 87-year-olds, an 88-year-old as well as the 89-year-old fraudster, who was charged.
A spokeswoman for Derbyshire police said figures for crimes such as sexual offences may refer to offences committed when people were younger.
She said: "There are cases where people report offences many years after they occur.
"However statistics show age is no bar to criminal activity."
Sunday 21 March 2010
A transsexual self-styled countess was jailed for four and a half years for falsely claiming nearly £200,000 in benefits.
A transsexual self-styled countess was jailed for four and a half years for falsely claiming nearly £200,000 in benefits.
Published: 3:04PM GMT 19 Mar 2010
Marianne Jonson of Rawlings Crescent, Wembley pretended to be paraplegic to receive payouts and live in social housing which was reserved for disabled people.
Jonson, 49, who used multiple identities including the name Countess Mariaska Romanov, said she had an identical twin sister who could walk.
Brent Council said she was found guilty of 22 counts of benefit fraud at Harrow Crown Court yesterday.
During her trial it emerged that Jonson, who was born a man called Robert Duxbury, presented medical records to the court which she said were from an orthopaedic surgeon.
In fact they had been cobbled together by doing Google searches and the medic was dead.
Simon Lane from Brent Council said: ''This sentence sends out a strong message from the court to those who may be considering benefit fraud. Brent Council has carried out one of the most detailed and lengthy investigations in its history in order to bring a prosecution in this case. I am sure that taxpayers will be very satisfied with the outcome.
''This was a complex case, involving many different benefits and lines of inquiry.
''Jonson attempted to frustrate the investigation at every stage with petitions to the council, complaints to MPs and councillors and claims of lost evidence. Particularly distasteful is the £58,000 in direct care payments, which have a direct and real impact on the council's ability to provide care to those in real need.''
The fraud dated back to 1996 and over the years she claimed £197,000 in benefits, accommodation and to cover her apparent need for 24-hour care.
But during that time she also ran a cafe in the name of the Countess Romanov and worked as a school governor, and was found by council investigators to enjoy a lifestyle of shopping and foreign holidays.
Mr Lane added: ''Throughout the trial Jonson maintained her innocence, claiming that investigators had taken her medical records, proving her innocence, during a police search and these had been lost by the council.
''The records that she did provide to the court, allegedly from an eminent orthopaedic surgeon, were found to have been based on a Google search and written after his death. The sentence imposed clearly reflects the seriousness of these crimes against the public purse.''
Published: 3:04PM GMT 19 Mar 2010
Marianne Jonson of Rawlings Crescent, Wembley pretended to be paraplegic to receive payouts and live in social housing which was reserved for disabled people.
Jonson, 49, who used multiple identities including the name Countess Mariaska Romanov, said she had an identical twin sister who could walk.
Brent Council said she was found guilty of 22 counts of benefit fraud at Harrow Crown Court yesterday.
During her trial it emerged that Jonson, who was born a man called Robert Duxbury, presented medical records to the court which she said were from an orthopaedic surgeon.
In fact they had been cobbled together by doing Google searches and the medic was dead.
Simon Lane from Brent Council said: ''This sentence sends out a strong message from the court to those who may be considering benefit fraud. Brent Council has carried out one of the most detailed and lengthy investigations in its history in order to bring a prosecution in this case. I am sure that taxpayers will be very satisfied with the outcome.
''This was a complex case, involving many different benefits and lines of inquiry.
''Jonson attempted to frustrate the investigation at every stage with petitions to the council, complaints to MPs and councillors and claims of lost evidence. Particularly distasteful is the £58,000 in direct care payments, which have a direct and real impact on the council's ability to provide care to those in real need.''
The fraud dated back to 1996 and over the years she claimed £197,000 in benefits, accommodation and to cover her apparent need for 24-hour care.
But during that time she also ran a cafe in the name of the Countess Romanov and worked as a school governor, and was found by council investigators to enjoy a lifestyle of shopping and foreign holidays.
Mr Lane added: ''Throughout the trial Jonson maintained her innocence, claiming that investigators had taken her medical records, proving her innocence, during a police search and these had been lost by the council.
''The records that she did provide to the court, allegedly from an eminent orthopaedic surgeon, were found to have been based on a Google search and written after his death. The sentence imposed clearly reflects the seriousness of these crimes against the public purse.''
Man had sex change to escape debt collectors
A man from the West Midlands, who was believed to have debts of up to £50,000, had a sex change in a desperate bid to avoid debt collectors.
Published: 8:00AM GMT 20 Mar 2010
The man, who cannot be named, had got into so much debt that he decided to switch identities completely.
Actress Sarah Thom revealed that she found out about the man after speaking to workers at the Wolverhampton Credit Union to research her role playing a debt-ridden cleaner in a touring play called Forever in Your Debt.
She said that she met up with workers at the union – which provides financial advice and loans to members – who revealed its most extreme cases of debt to her.
One was the case of man from the West Midlands area who decided to have a sex change in a bid to dodge debt collectors.
The man is believed to have gone through with the operation, but is now thought to be in the process of sorting out his debts and paying off his creditors.
He is thought to have built up the massive debt – around £50,000 – after falling behind on his mortgage payments and credit card bills after losing his job.
It was also revealed that the owner of a 99p store in Wolverhampton had to shut down after penny-pinching customers demanded 1p change, while another man took a job as a debt collector only to have to hassle his own family for repayments.
Ms Thom, said: "The thing I picked up was the humour people have at the point of tragedy."
Published: 8:00AM GMT 20 Mar 2010
The man, who cannot be named, had got into so much debt that he decided to switch identities completely.
Actress Sarah Thom revealed that she found out about the man after speaking to workers at the Wolverhampton Credit Union to research her role playing a debt-ridden cleaner in a touring play called Forever in Your Debt.
She said that she met up with workers at the union – which provides financial advice and loans to members – who revealed its most extreme cases of debt to her.
One was the case of man from the West Midlands area who decided to have a sex change in a bid to dodge debt collectors.
The man is believed to have gone through with the operation, but is now thought to be in the process of sorting out his debts and paying off his creditors.
He is thought to have built up the massive debt – around £50,000 – after falling behind on his mortgage payments and credit card bills after losing his job.
It was also revealed that the owner of a 99p store in Wolverhampton had to shut down after penny-pinching customers demanded 1p change, while another man took a job as a debt collector only to have to hassle his own family for repayments.
Ms Thom, said: "The thing I picked up was the humour people have at the point of tragedy."
Saturday 20 February 2010
'Disney pose' snares benefit cheats
'Disney pose' snares benefit cheats
A couple who claimed they were landlord and tenant were caught out as benefit cheats by pictures of them posing happily together with Disney characters.
Fraud investigators seized images of Marina Beddows, 54, and Colin Godbold, 57, alongside Mickey Mouse and Pluto following a raid on their home.
The pictures were used to undermine their claim that they were landlord and tenant and were in fact in a relationship, a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesman said.
A couple who claimed they were landlord and tenant were caught out as benefit cheats by pictures of them posing happily together with Disney characters.
Fraud investigators seized images of Marina Beddows, 54, and Colin Godbold, 57, alongside Mickey Mouse and Pluto following a raid on their home.
The pictures were used to undermine their claim that they were landlord and tenant and were in fact in a relationship, a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesman said.
Thursday 11 February 2010
A BENEFIT cheat who scammed £43,000 but was caught when he left £10,000 in a drawer
05 February 2010
A BENEFIT cheat who scammed £43,000 but was caught when he left £10,000 in a drawer after moving home has been jailed for nine months.Blackfriars Crown Court heard Fahd El-Hajj pretended he was a penniless student while working as carpenter earning up to £75,000 to claim Housing Benefit from Camden Council.Despite being refused asylum in February 2004, the 34-year-old Palestinian continued to claim the cash over a three-year period while living in Hillcrest court, Cricklewood.Failed asylum seekers are not allowed to claim benefits.El-Hajj was snared after he forgot about his stash when he moved out of the £300,000 property and the new tenant happened to be a policeman who handed in the cash and reported him to the authorities.An investigation was launched which discovered he was fleecing the benefits system.Patrick Mullens, prosecuting, said: "The Crown says the defendant was falsifying housing benefit application forms and by misdeclaring his position on postal verification forms received a total of £43,445 by way of housing benefits." El-Hajj's bank account showed a balance of £8,773, and another account had more than £33,000 credited to it between January 2004 and April 2005, when he claimed to on an annual salary of just £5,081 for working 17 hours a week at minimum wage.He had also lied on credit card application forms by pretending to be legally earn more than £15,000 a year, when in reality he did not. Passing sentence, Judge Deva Pillay said: "In my judgement you full well knew that you were not entitled to benefits and further in my view you well knew your way around the benefit system."El-Hajj, now of Nant Road, Cricklewood, admitted five counts of false accounting. A council spokeswoman said: "Camden Council is delighted at the outcome of this case. The council takes benefit fraud very seriously, as people who fraudulently claim benefits are taking money away from the most vulnerable members of society. "The council has a dedicated team to detect and deal with benefit fraud and is determined to take action against those who attempt to abuse the benefits system.
A BENEFIT cheat who scammed £43,000 but was caught when he left £10,000 in a drawer after moving home has been jailed for nine months.Blackfriars Crown Court heard Fahd El-Hajj pretended he was a penniless student while working as carpenter earning up to £75,000 to claim Housing Benefit from Camden Council.Despite being refused asylum in February 2004, the 34-year-old Palestinian continued to claim the cash over a three-year period while living in Hillcrest court, Cricklewood.Failed asylum seekers are not allowed to claim benefits.El-Hajj was snared after he forgot about his stash when he moved out of the £300,000 property and the new tenant happened to be a policeman who handed in the cash and reported him to the authorities.An investigation was launched which discovered he was fleecing the benefits system.Patrick Mullens, prosecuting, said: "The Crown says the defendant was falsifying housing benefit application forms and by misdeclaring his position on postal verification forms received a total of £43,445 by way of housing benefits." El-Hajj's bank account showed a balance of £8,773, and another account had more than £33,000 credited to it between January 2004 and April 2005, when he claimed to on an annual salary of just £5,081 for working 17 hours a week at minimum wage.He had also lied on credit card application forms by pretending to be legally earn more than £15,000 a year, when in reality he did not. Passing sentence, Judge Deva Pillay said: "In my judgement you full well knew that you were not entitled to benefits and further in my view you well knew your way around the benefit system."El-Hajj, now of Nant Road, Cricklewood, admitted five counts of false accounting. A council spokeswoman said: "Camden Council is delighted at the outcome of this case. The council takes benefit fraud very seriously, as people who fraudulently claim benefits are taking money away from the most vulnerable members of society. "The council has a dedicated team to detect and deal with benefit fraud and is determined to take action against those who attempt to abuse the benefits system.
Thursday 4 February 2010
A benefit cheat swindled more than £29,000 in handouts – unaware that she was legally entitled to even more.
February 04, 2010
A benefit cheat swindled more than £29,000 in handouts – unaware that she was legally entitled to even more.
Erika Hasler, 44, claimed she was a jobless single mum as she pocketed £29,581 in income support, housing and council tax benefits for seven years.
But she could have legally claimed more in working tax credits.
Hasler tried to hoodwink officials by using different names as she got work as an auxiliary nurse and a parcel courier. She was caught because she used the same national insurance number.
Twice-divorced Hasler, of Kempton Road, Burnage, admitted dishonestly failing to notify the Department of Works and Pensions of changes in her circumstances.
Handing her a suspended 24-week jail sentence and an order to do 100 hours unpaid work, the Recorder of Manchester, Judge Andrew Gilbart, told her: “It’s been accepted that had you applied properly for tax credits you would actually have received over £30,000, above the amount you were getting to which you were not entitled.”
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It is disappointing that she has been let off so lightly. She should have been given a custodial sentence and her assets used to repay taxpayers as soon as possible.
“The real absurdity of the case is that the benefits system is in such a mess that she could have made more money by claiming benefits that she was legally entitled to.”
Hasler worked as an auxiliary nurse for East Cheshire NHS Trust at Macclesfield District General Hospital on and off for a total of six years. She earned up to £1,181 each month as a nurse and also £373-a-month as a parcel courier for nine months.
But she failed to declare her jobs to the DPW. She married in May, 2000 and investigators believe they lived together for five years. The relationship ended and another man moved in, said prosecutor Will Beardmore .
She failed to inform the DWP of either relationship or of savings of up to £8,000 she had in the bank, he said. She also enjoyed trips to Greece and Hungary - the latter to visit relatives. Hasler applied for her jobs in the names Erika Petra, Erika Keenan and Petra Keenan. She also applied for benefits under the name Erika Yoksha.
Mr Beardmore said: “It was a crude attempt to disguise the fact she was working and claiming benefits.”
When she was interviewed, Hasler at first denied wrongdoing. Mr Beardmore said: “She did admit offences but only after evidence was put to her. It wasn’t a full and frank confession of her guilt.”
Mr Elliott added: “It is shocking that someone could get away with such a serious offence for so long without being detected
“Time and again we have been assured by the government that they are cracking down on benefit fraud, but it seems that plenty of fraudsters have been able to sail along for years without any trouble.”
The DWP will now mount a civil case against Hasler to recover £46,380 in benefit paid to her between 1998 and 2008.
Because the law of dishonestly failing to notify the DWP of changes in circumstances was only introduced in 2001, Hasler could only be prosecuted over the £29,581 she claimed since that year.
A spokesman for the DWP said: “We know that the vast majority of our customers are honest, and we’re out to catch the small minority who aren’t.”
A benefit cheat swindled more than £29,000 in handouts – unaware that she was legally entitled to even more.
Erika Hasler, 44, claimed she was a jobless single mum as she pocketed £29,581 in income support, housing and council tax benefits for seven years.
But she could have legally claimed more in working tax credits.
Hasler tried to hoodwink officials by using different names as she got work as an auxiliary nurse and a parcel courier. She was caught because she used the same national insurance number.
Twice-divorced Hasler, of Kempton Road, Burnage, admitted dishonestly failing to notify the Department of Works and Pensions of changes in her circumstances.
Handing her a suspended 24-week jail sentence and an order to do 100 hours unpaid work, the Recorder of Manchester, Judge Andrew Gilbart, told her: “It’s been accepted that had you applied properly for tax credits you would actually have received over £30,000, above the amount you were getting to which you were not entitled.”
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It is disappointing that she has been let off so lightly. She should have been given a custodial sentence and her assets used to repay taxpayers as soon as possible.
“The real absurdity of the case is that the benefits system is in such a mess that she could have made more money by claiming benefits that she was legally entitled to.”
Hasler worked as an auxiliary nurse for East Cheshire NHS Trust at Macclesfield District General Hospital on and off for a total of six years. She earned up to £1,181 each month as a nurse and also £373-a-month as a parcel courier for nine months.
But she failed to declare her jobs to the DPW. She married in May, 2000 and investigators believe they lived together for five years. The relationship ended and another man moved in, said prosecutor Will Beardmore .
She failed to inform the DWP of either relationship or of savings of up to £8,000 she had in the bank, he said. She also enjoyed trips to Greece and Hungary - the latter to visit relatives. Hasler applied for her jobs in the names Erika Petra, Erika Keenan and Petra Keenan. She also applied for benefits under the name Erika Yoksha.
Mr Beardmore said: “It was a crude attempt to disguise the fact she was working and claiming benefits.”
When she was interviewed, Hasler at first denied wrongdoing. Mr Beardmore said: “She did admit offences but only after evidence was put to her. It wasn’t a full and frank confession of her guilt.”
Mr Elliott added: “It is shocking that someone could get away with such a serious offence for so long without being detected
“Time and again we have been assured by the government that they are cracking down on benefit fraud, but it seems that plenty of fraudsters have been able to sail along for years without any trouble.”
The DWP will now mount a civil case against Hasler to recover £46,380 in benefit paid to her between 1998 and 2008.
Because the law of dishonestly failing to notify the DWP of changes in circumstances was only introduced in 2001, Hasler could only be prosecuted over the £29,581 she claimed since that year.
A spokesman for the DWP said: “We know that the vast majority of our customers are honest, and we’re out to catch the small minority who aren’t.”
Wednesday 3 February 2010
Man in court after horse kiss attempt
Published Date: 29 January 2010
A MAN told magistrates he had asked to kiss a police horse because he thought it was a very nice animal.
Anthony Pritchard found himself under arrest after he asked to kiss police horse Lancon Ashton, an 11-year-old gelding.Pritchard, a jobless 49-year-old, of Hornby Road, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly and was given a six months conditional discharge by Blackpool magistrates.PC Debra Owen was on mounted patrol on Lytham Road, South Shore, on January 20 at 9.30pm when the driver of a double-decker bus flagged her down.The driver ordered Pritchard off the bus. He was very unsteady on his feet and smelled strongly of alcohol. When told he was under arrest Pritchard swore and said: "Give us a kiss."Pritchard told magistrates: "I told PC Owen it was a nice horse. I had had horses when I was younger. When I said give us a kiss, I was talking to the horse.
A MAN told magistrates he had asked to kiss a police horse because he thought it was a very nice animal.
Anthony Pritchard found himself under arrest after he asked to kiss police horse Lancon Ashton, an 11-year-old gelding.Pritchard, a jobless 49-year-old, of Hornby Road, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly and was given a six months conditional discharge by Blackpool magistrates.PC Debra Owen was on mounted patrol on Lytham Road, South Shore, on January 20 at 9.30pm when the driver of a double-decker bus flagged her down.The driver ordered Pritchard off the bus. He was very unsteady on his feet and smelled strongly of alcohol. When told he was under arrest Pritchard swore and said: "Give us a kiss."Pritchard told magistrates: "I told PC Owen it was a nice horse. I had had horses when I was younger. When I said give us a kiss, I was talking to the horse.
Monday 25 January 2010
Woman 'fakes cancer to raise money for breast implants'
Woman 'fakes cancer to raise money for breast implants'
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
A Texas woman lied about having breast cancer and spent £7,000 raised at a benefit to have her breasts enlarged.
Trista Joy Lathern, 24, shaved her head to look like a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy.
Police said Lathern, who has been charged with fraud, wanted the implants to try to save her seven-month marriage.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
A Texas woman lied about having breast cancer and spent £7,000 raised at a benefit to have her breasts enlarged.
Trista Joy Lathern, 24, shaved her head to look like a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy.
Police said Lathern, who has been charged with fraud, wanted the implants to try to save her seven-month marriage.
Friday 22 January 2010
Fraud losses 'cost the UK £30bn a year'
Fraud losses 'cost the UK £30bn a year'
Shredding personal documents is one way to prevent being a victim of fraud
Fraud - including scams, online theft, insurance cheats and tax fraud - costs the UK £30bn a year, according to an official estimate.
The National Fraud Authority (NFA) has calculated the figure for the first time and said it equated to £621 per adult in the UK.
Some 58% of fraud was in the public sector, at a cost of £17bn, it added.
It said the losses were paid for through taxes and rising prices of products and services.
The highest sector was losses from tax fraud - estimated at £15.2bn - although this was only 3% of tax liabilities, the NFA said.
FRAUD LOSSES
Tax fraud: £15.2bn
Consumer scams: £3.5bn
Insurance fraud: £2bn
Some 31% of losses came in the private sector, with the financial services sector suffering the biggest hit.
It lost an estimated £3.8bn, including £1bn in mortgage fraud. This has prompted the City watchdog, the Financial Services Authority, to take a tougher stance against the crime, with a number of brokers having been fined and banned from the industry.
Another £2bn was lost to insurance fraud, and the remainder came from fraudsters targeting online banking, cheques, and plastic cards.
The consumer goods industry lost an estimated £1.3bn a year, manufacturing suffered losses of £1bn a year, and technology, media and telecommunications lost £948m.
Consumers have also been tricked out of an estimated £3.5bn a year in share, lottery and loan scams. Some 12% of all fraud was suffered by individual consumers.
"Although the figure appears on the face of it far greater than the previous estimate, we know this is because we have included many additional figures that other studies have not," said NFA chief executive Bernard Herdan.
"With this vital information we can develop clearer priorities to prevent, detect and deter fraudsters. We will use the data to help identify those areas of fraud that cause the most harm to the UK economy.
"Reducing the cost of fraud is important but even more significantly I want to stop more people from becoming victims. I have seen firsthand the devastating effects fraud can have. It destroys lives and livelihoods."
The NFA is part of the UK Attorney General's Office.
Shredding personal documents is one way to prevent being a victim of fraud
Fraud - including scams, online theft, insurance cheats and tax fraud - costs the UK £30bn a year, according to an official estimate.
The National Fraud Authority (NFA) has calculated the figure for the first time and said it equated to £621 per adult in the UK.
Some 58% of fraud was in the public sector, at a cost of £17bn, it added.
It said the losses were paid for through taxes and rising prices of products and services.
The highest sector was losses from tax fraud - estimated at £15.2bn - although this was only 3% of tax liabilities, the NFA said.
FRAUD LOSSES
Tax fraud: £15.2bn
Consumer scams: £3.5bn
Insurance fraud: £2bn
Some 31% of losses came in the private sector, with the financial services sector suffering the biggest hit.
It lost an estimated £3.8bn, including £1bn in mortgage fraud. This has prompted the City watchdog, the Financial Services Authority, to take a tougher stance against the crime, with a number of brokers having been fined and banned from the industry.
Another £2bn was lost to insurance fraud, and the remainder came from fraudsters targeting online banking, cheques, and plastic cards.
The consumer goods industry lost an estimated £1.3bn a year, manufacturing suffered losses of £1bn a year, and technology, media and telecommunications lost £948m.
Consumers have also been tricked out of an estimated £3.5bn a year in share, lottery and loan scams. Some 12% of all fraud was suffered by individual consumers.
"Although the figure appears on the face of it far greater than the previous estimate, we know this is because we have included many additional figures that other studies have not," said NFA chief executive Bernard Herdan.
"With this vital information we can develop clearer priorities to prevent, detect and deter fraudsters. We will use the data to help identify those areas of fraud that cause the most harm to the UK economy.
"Reducing the cost of fraud is important but even more significantly I want to stop more people from becoming victims. I have seen firsthand the devastating effects fraud can have. It destroys lives and livelihoods."
The NFA is part of the UK Attorney General's Office.
Tuesday 12 January 2010
Breast enlargement on the rates
A benefit fraudster who spent the proceeds of her crimes on cosmetic surgery will be sentenced this Friday (January 15).
Nelli Kellaway, 41, swindled £57,000 of housing and council tax benefit out of Hammersmith & Fulham Council. Evidence seized by council officers suggests that she blew the money on breast enlargements in Russia for herself and her daughter, Natalia, 24. She also spent the cash on plastic surgery and cosmetic dentistry.
Nelli's husband Steven, 51, also went to Russia but died during the trip. Mrs Kellaway's arrest came on the day that she flew back to the UK from Russia with Steven's cremated remains.
Speaking about the case, Cllr Greg Smith, Hammersmith & Fulham Council's Cabinet Member for Crime and Street Scene, said: "I have seen some brazen benefits cheats in my time but Mrs Kellaway is out there. Benefits are for the needy - not those in need of a buxom bosom. Kellaway swindled taxpayer's cash to spend on her own vanity and this council will pursue cheats like her all the way to the courts."
The benefit fraud came to light after Steven Kellaway submitted a claim for housing and council tax benefit in March 2008. On his application form, he declared that he was a single parent, in receipt of Income Support and failed to declare that he was in actual fact living with his wife. He also failed to state that Nelli had more than £80,000 worth of cash in a series of undeclared bank accounts, owned property in Camden and had a rental income in excess of £2,000 per month. He also decided not the tell the council that as of June 2008 he had £119,000 in a Nationwide Flex Account. Council Fraud Officers and the Met Police Pay Back Unit at Hammersmith are now seeking to seize these assets as the proceeds of crime.
Just seven months later, the council received a further claim for housing and council tax from the same address from a female witness. The female declared Steven Kellaway as her landlord. The property was visited and a further two witnesses were identified who provided statements to the effect that Steven and Nelli Kellaway were their landlord, had acted together as husband and wife and had rented the rooms within the property to them for cash deposits of £600 and a 2 weekly rental of £240 which was to be paid cash into a NatWest Bank account in Nelli Kellaway's name.
The address was subsequently searched by officers from the council and The Met's Police Pay Back Unit and a significant amount of mail was recovered and personal papers which identified a series of undeclared bank accounts. The search also uncovered Nelli Kellaway's diary which stated that she and her daughter had travelled to Russia for the surgery.
While in custody, a search of Nelli Kellaway's computer also revealed forged documents, including tenancy agreements, and other papers which went to assist with a further false claim for Housing Benefit at an address in Richmond. The documents also identified an income stream from other rented properties across London. One of the spreadsheets, identified an income of £98,000 per annum through false claims to the benefit system.
Background checks on both Steven and Nelli Kellaway identified that Steven Kellaway had been convicted of Benefit Fraud in November 2007, for failing to disclose the ownership of five properties. Further checks, identified that in 2006, Steven and Nelli Kellaway were married.
Cllr Smith added: "Benefit fraud will simply not be tolerated in Hammersmith & Fulham. Our corporate anti fraud service work round the clock to catch benefit cheats and the message to anyone who is considering acting in such an unscrupulous fashion is that you will be caught and you will pay the penalty. This successful result shows exactly what can be achieved by working closely with a multi agency approach."
The is the first case where H&F Council has used a recently produced Memorandum of Understanding with the local Police to the split of seized proceeds of crime between the two organisations. When arrested and asked what her employment was Mrs Kellaway replied "I don't work. I have never worked". Therefore casting doubt as to the funds in her undeclared bank account.
Without the assistance of the Met Police Payback Unit, it would not have been an almost impossible task to identify and restrain the criminal assets. Mrs Kellaway will be required to pay back the defrauded £57,000 and all other assets which are deemed to be the proceeds of crime. Given that by her own admissions, Mrs Kellaway has never worked, it is likely that the council will be seeking to recover in excess of £200,000 by way of criminal benefit.
Nelli Kellaway has pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud and two counts of money laundering and will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Friday January 15.
Nelli Kellaway, 41, swindled £57,000 of housing and council tax benefit out of Hammersmith & Fulham Council. Evidence seized by council officers suggests that she blew the money on breast enlargements in Russia for herself and her daughter, Natalia, 24. She also spent the cash on plastic surgery and cosmetic dentistry.
Nelli's husband Steven, 51, also went to Russia but died during the trip. Mrs Kellaway's arrest came on the day that she flew back to the UK from Russia with Steven's cremated remains.
Speaking about the case, Cllr Greg Smith, Hammersmith & Fulham Council's Cabinet Member for Crime and Street Scene, said: "I have seen some brazen benefits cheats in my time but Mrs Kellaway is out there. Benefits are for the needy - not those in need of a buxom bosom. Kellaway swindled taxpayer's cash to spend on her own vanity and this council will pursue cheats like her all the way to the courts."
The benefit fraud came to light after Steven Kellaway submitted a claim for housing and council tax benefit in March 2008. On his application form, he declared that he was a single parent, in receipt of Income Support and failed to declare that he was in actual fact living with his wife. He also failed to state that Nelli had more than £80,000 worth of cash in a series of undeclared bank accounts, owned property in Camden and had a rental income in excess of £2,000 per month. He also decided not the tell the council that as of June 2008 he had £119,000 in a Nationwide Flex Account. Council Fraud Officers and the Met Police Pay Back Unit at Hammersmith are now seeking to seize these assets as the proceeds of crime.
Just seven months later, the council received a further claim for housing and council tax from the same address from a female witness. The female declared Steven Kellaway as her landlord. The property was visited and a further two witnesses were identified who provided statements to the effect that Steven and Nelli Kellaway were their landlord, had acted together as husband and wife and had rented the rooms within the property to them for cash deposits of £600 and a 2 weekly rental of £240 which was to be paid cash into a NatWest Bank account in Nelli Kellaway's name.
The address was subsequently searched by officers from the council and The Met's Police Pay Back Unit and a significant amount of mail was recovered and personal papers which identified a series of undeclared bank accounts. The search also uncovered Nelli Kellaway's diary which stated that she and her daughter had travelled to Russia for the surgery.
While in custody, a search of Nelli Kellaway's computer also revealed forged documents, including tenancy agreements, and other papers which went to assist with a further false claim for Housing Benefit at an address in Richmond. The documents also identified an income stream from other rented properties across London. One of the spreadsheets, identified an income of £98,000 per annum through false claims to the benefit system.
Background checks on both Steven and Nelli Kellaway identified that Steven Kellaway had been convicted of Benefit Fraud in November 2007, for failing to disclose the ownership of five properties. Further checks, identified that in 2006, Steven and Nelli Kellaway were married.
Cllr Smith added: "Benefit fraud will simply not be tolerated in Hammersmith & Fulham. Our corporate anti fraud service work round the clock to catch benefit cheats and the message to anyone who is considering acting in such an unscrupulous fashion is that you will be caught and you will pay the penalty. This successful result shows exactly what can be achieved by working closely with a multi agency approach."
The is the first case where H&F Council has used a recently produced Memorandum of Understanding with the local Police to the split of seized proceeds of crime between the two organisations. When arrested and asked what her employment was Mrs Kellaway replied "I don't work. I have never worked". Therefore casting doubt as to the funds in her undeclared bank account.
Without the assistance of the Met Police Payback Unit, it would not have been an almost impossible task to identify and restrain the criminal assets. Mrs Kellaway will be required to pay back the defrauded £57,000 and all other assets which are deemed to be the proceeds of crime. Given that by her own admissions, Mrs Kellaway has never worked, it is likely that the council will be seeking to recover in excess of £200,000 by way of criminal benefit.
Nelli Kellaway has pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud and two counts of money laundering and will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Friday January 15.
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