'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.
Saturday 20 February 2010
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.
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