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."
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
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.
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