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.
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