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.
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Muslim community leader who lied about BNP kidnap is illegal immigrant and suspected benefits cheat
Muslim community leader who lied about BNP kidnap is illegal immigrant and suspected benefits cheat
By James TozerLast updated at 7:55 PM on 11th June 2010
A Muslim community leader who falsely claimed he had been kidnapped by members of the British National Party was exposed last night as a suspected benefits cheat who was in this country illegally.
Noor Ramjanally, 36, told police that racist thugs had abducted him at knifepoint and threatened him with violence.
But his account was exposed as a lie by cameras fitted secretly outside his flat after earlier claims that he had received racist hate mail and that the family's home had been firebombed.
Footage revealed that on the day of the alleged kidnapping Ramjanally had left home by himself, and police established that he wandered around a branch of Homebase before dialling 999.
Yesterday he was given a two-year jail term after being convicted of perverting the course of justice.
However he was not in court - he had fled back to his native Mauritius after admitting he was in this country illegally, staying on after his tourist visa expired.
Before his trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, he sent police a taunting email from the Indian Ocean island, telling them: 'I am enjoying the sun.'
The authorities will now decide whether to seek his extradition to Britain to serve his sentence.
It also emerged that both Ramjanally and his wife, Soulma Nusrally, are being investigated on suspicion of benefit fraud.
The court heard that Ramjanally ran Muslim prayer sessions at a hall in Loughton, Essex, at a time when the BNP was targeting the area with leaflets, increasing local tensions.
In July and August last year he claimed to have received racist hate mail warning him to stop hosting the group and to have suffered an arson attack at the home where he lived with his wife and son.
Unknown to Ramjanally, police installed two covert CCTV cameras outside his block of flats.
On August 24 he rang 999 claiming he had been abducted, later saying two BNP supporters had seized him at knifepoint and bundled him into the back of a vehicle.
He said they told him: 'We don't want Loughton Islamic Group in Loughton' before releasing him on the edge of Epping Forest.
However camera footage showed him getting into a taxi at the time of the alleged kidnap.
He had also been caught on camera at the local Homebase, and he was arrested.
Ramjanally was bailed to await his trial and in February he fled to Mauritius, from where he originally came to Britain on a six-month tourist visa in 1999.
When officials from the UK Border Agency raided his flat they discovered fake passports and other ID documents.
Passing sentence, Judge Karen Walden-Smith said it was impossible to say whether Ramjanally concocted his story to increase tension in the community, for his own vanity, or a bit of both.
Last night it emerged that Ramjanally is being investigated for falsely claiming benefits and allegedly stealing money from a mosque.
His wife is also being investigated for allegedly stating that she was a single mother to claim benefits including income support and housing benefit. Read more:
By James TozerLast updated at 7:55 PM on 11th June 2010
A Muslim community leader who falsely claimed he had been kidnapped by members of the British National Party was exposed last night as a suspected benefits cheat who was in this country illegally.
Noor Ramjanally, 36, told police that racist thugs had abducted him at knifepoint and threatened him with violence.
But his account was exposed as a lie by cameras fitted secretly outside his flat after earlier claims that he had received racist hate mail and that the family's home had been firebombed.
Footage revealed that on the day of the alleged kidnapping Ramjanally had left home by himself, and police established that he wandered around a branch of Homebase before dialling 999.
Yesterday he was given a two-year jail term after being convicted of perverting the course of justice.
However he was not in court - he had fled back to his native Mauritius after admitting he was in this country illegally, staying on after his tourist visa expired.
Before his trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, he sent police a taunting email from the Indian Ocean island, telling them: 'I am enjoying the sun.'
The authorities will now decide whether to seek his extradition to Britain to serve his sentence.
It also emerged that both Ramjanally and his wife, Soulma Nusrally, are being investigated on suspicion of benefit fraud.
The court heard that Ramjanally ran Muslim prayer sessions at a hall in Loughton, Essex, at a time when the BNP was targeting the area with leaflets, increasing local tensions.
In July and August last year he claimed to have received racist hate mail warning him to stop hosting the group and to have suffered an arson attack at the home where he lived with his wife and son.
Unknown to Ramjanally, police installed two covert CCTV cameras outside his block of flats.
On August 24 he rang 999 claiming he had been abducted, later saying two BNP supporters had seized him at knifepoint and bundled him into the back of a vehicle.
He said they told him: 'We don't want Loughton Islamic Group in Loughton' before releasing him on the edge of Epping Forest.
However camera footage showed him getting into a taxi at the time of the alleged kidnap.
He had also been caught on camera at the local Homebase, and he was arrested.
Ramjanally was bailed to await his trial and in February he fled to Mauritius, from where he originally came to Britain on a six-month tourist visa in 1999.
When officials from the UK Border Agency raided his flat they discovered fake passports and other ID documents.
Passing sentence, Judge Karen Walden-Smith said it was impossible to say whether Ramjanally concocted his story to increase tension in the community, for his own vanity, or a bit of both.
Last night it emerged that Ramjanally is being investigated for falsely claiming benefits and allegedly stealing money from a mosque.
His wife is also being investigated for allegedly stating that she was a single mother to claim benefits including income support and housing benefit. Read more:
Guilty - the Gloucester con man who cheated the state out of £33K in benefits
Guilty - the Gloucester con man who cheated the state out of £33K in benefits
Benefits cheat: Andrew Stewart
A CON-ARTIST could be facing jail after admitting cheating the State out of £33,500 in benefits – and his mum is on the run from the authorities for a similar charge.
Andrew Stewart, 34, of Quedgeley, claimed he was unemployed for more than two years while working for a skip company in Gloucester. He was also claiming he was a student and successfully applied for a grant, but failed to notify the benefits office.
Stewart, of Merlin Drive, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court and simply said 'guilty' before standing in silence as the case was read out.
His mother Thelma Grey, 62, skipped a court appearance on March 19 for allegedly wrongfully claiming £62,000 in benefits – and warrant is out for her arrest.
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Stewart's prosecution followed a period of being watched following a tip-off that he was actually in work during the time he claimed the cash.
Investigators saw him leaving his house in the morning to do nine-hour shifts during the time he was claiming. He pleaded guilty to dishonestly failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions of a change in his circumstances – getting a job with Trio Skips – which would affect his entitlement to income support between April 2004 and July 2006.
He admitted a similar charge involving housing benefit and council tax benefit paid by Gloucester City Council.
He also admitted a similar charge of failing to notify the DWP between February 2007 and June 2007 that he had become a student with grant income.
His total amount of benefits deemed to be falsely claimed during the period totalled £33,537.
Tim Burrows asked for a pre-sentence report on Stewart. Judge William Hart agreed and bailed Stewart to be sentenced on July 2.
He told him: "A custodial sentence seems very possible."
Mrs Grey faces 14 charges of falsely claiming income support, housing and council tax benefits between 2000 and 2007 by saying she was single when she was actually living with her husband Dennis Dutton.
She used to live at the same address as her son – but has since left and nobody knows where she is.
Benefits cheat: Andrew Stewart
A CON-ARTIST could be facing jail after admitting cheating the State out of £33,500 in benefits – and his mum is on the run from the authorities for a similar charge.
Andrew Stewart, 34, of Quedgeley, claimed he was unemployed for more than two years while working for a skip company in Gloucester. He was also claiming he was a student and successfully applied for a grant, but failed to notify the benefits office.
Stewart, of Merlin Drive, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court and simply said 'guilty' before standing in silence as the case was read out.
His mother Thelma Grey, 62, skipped a court appearance on March 19 for allegedly wrongfully claiming £62,000 in benefits – and warrant is out for her arrest.
TIN.adverts.adWriteDC('article-detail-impact-tile-top', '452x118');
Stewart's prosecution followed a period of being watched following a tip-off that he was actually in work during the time he claimed the cash.
Investigators saw him leaving his house in the morning to do nine-hour shifts during the time he was claiming. He pleaded guilty to dishonestly failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions of a change in his circumstances – getting a job with Trio Skips – which would affect his entitlement to income support between April 2004 and July 2006.
He admitted a similar charge involving housing benefit and council tax benefit paid by Gloucester City Council.
He also admitted a similar charge of failing to notify the DWP between February 2007 and June 2007 that he had become a student with grant income.
His total amount of benefits deemed to be falsely claimed during the period totalled £33,537.
Tim Burrows asked for a pre-sentence report on Stewart. Judge William Hart agreed and bailed Stewart to be sentenced on July 2.
He told him: "A custodial sentence seems very possible."
Mrs Grey faces 14 charges of falsely claiming income support, housing and council tax benefits between 2000 and 2007 by saying she was single when she was actually living with her husband Dennis Dutton.
She used to live at the same address as her son – but has since left and nobody knows where she is.
Blackburn man fined for watching TV while driving
Blackburn man fined for watching TV while driving
4:39pm Thursday 18th February 2010
By Andrew Bellard » Court reporter
POLICE who stopped a driver because of his erratic driving found he was watching a small TV.
Blackburn magistrates heard Asian Najeeb had his seat reclined and the TV was in full view as he drove the Audi A4 along Whalley Range.
Najeeb, 20, of Bastwell Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to driving while ‘able to see directly or by reflection a TV receiving apparatus used to display something other than information about the state of the vehicle or its equipment, or about the location of the vehicle and the road on which it was located, or to assist the driver to see the road adjacent to the vehicle or to assist the driver to reach his destination.’
He was fined £50 with £75 costs. A charge of driving without due care and attention was withdrawn.
4:39pm Thursday 18th February 2010
By Andrew Bellard » Court reporter
POLICE who stopped a driver because of his erratic driving found he was watching a small TV.
Blackburn magistrates heard Asian Najeeb had his seat reclined and the TV was in full view as he drove the Audi A4 along Whalley Range.
Najeeb, 20, of Bastwell Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to driving while ‘able to see directly or by reflection a TV receiving apparatus used to display something other than information about the state of the vehicle or its equipment, or about the location of the vehicle and the road on which it was located, or to assist the driver to see the road adjacent to the vehicle or to assist the driver to reach his destination.’
He was fined £50 with £75 costs. A charge of driving without due care and attention was withdrawn.
1 in 5 motorists commit car insurance fraud
1 in 5 motorists commit car insurance fraud
By Lezanne Janse van Rensburg, 5th March 2010
20% of UK motorists are misleading their car insurance companies via the act of "fronting", according to research by the Motor Insurer's Bureau (MIB) and insurer Aviva.
Research shows there has been a worrying upwards trend in fronting within the car insurance industry, which could cost policyholders very dearly. But even more concerning is the fact that very few motorists understand what fronting is and what it could lead to.
Fronting is when a person, other than the main driver, is declared as the primary policy holder. A common case of fronting is when a parent declares him- or herself as the main driver of the vehicle when, in actual fact, their child is the main driver. This is done for the sole purpose of cutting down on their car insurance premiums.
Although the act of fronting is regarded as fraudulent, motorists seem to be in the dark about the seriousness of the offence. According to MIB's survey, only 30% of motorists fully understood what fronting means.
10% of those surveyed thought that fronting was a legitimate way of reducing their insurance premiums.
10% of those surveyed thought that fronting was a legitimate way of reducing their insurance premiums. This means that 1 in 10 motorists are unintentionally committing insurance fraud.
Another 35% of policy holders said that fronting is just another loophole in the legal system. However, MIB chief executive, Ashton West, is warning drivers that reducing their insurance premiums by means of fronting "simply isn't worth the risk".
West added: "Insurance is about peace of mind and knowing that the cost of your liability on the road is covered. In the event that the driver of a fronted policy is involved in an accident, both the policyholder and the driver could be open to additional costs, penalties, fines and - potentially - prosecution
By Lezanne Janse van Rensburg, 5th March 2010
20% of UK motorists are misleading their car insurance companies via the act of "fronting", according to research by the Motor Insurer's Bureau (MIB) and insurer Aviva.
Research shows there has been a worrying upwards trend in fronting within the car insurance industry, which could cost policyholders very dearly. But even more concerning is the fact that very few motorists understand what fronting is and what it could lead to.
Fronting is when a person, other than the main driver, is declared as the primary policy holder. A common case of fronting is when a parent declares him- or herself as the main driver of the vehicle when, in actual fact, their child is the main driver. This is done for the sole purpose of cutting down on their car insurance premiums.
Although the act of fronting is regarded as fraudulent, motorists seem to be in the dark about the seriousness of the offence. According to MIB's survey, only 30% of motorists fully understood what fronting means.
10% of those surveyed thought that fronting was a legitimate way of reducing their insurance premiums.
10% of those surveyed thought that fronting was a legitimate way of reducing their insurance premiums. This means that 1 in 10 motorists are unintentionally committing insurance fraud.
Another 35% of policy holders said that fronting is just another loophole in the legal system. However, MIB chief executive, Ashton West, is warning drivers that reducing their insurance premiums by means of fronting "simply isn't worth the risk".
West added: "Insurance is about peace of mind and knowing that the cost of your liability on the road is covered. In the event that the driver of a fronted policy is involved in an accident, both the policyholder and the driver could be open to additional costs, penalties, fines and - potentially - prosecution
Thursday, 10 June 2010
London hospital chief jailed for £200K NHS
Thursday 10th June 2010
A senior NHS manager who bought horse semen, thoroughbred horses and numerous other goods and services for her private stud business with NHS funds was today jailed for two years and nine months at Southwark Crown Court for defrauding the National Health Service of over £200,000 (Thursday 10th June, 2010). The sentence follows an extensive joint investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Service (NHS CFS) and the Metropolitan Police.
Louise Tomkins, 47, of Faygate, Horsham, West Sussex, earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of making a false representation, contrary to The Fraud Act 2006, covering the period July 2007 to September 2008. Sentencing was adjourned to allow her to achieve the best prices for some of her horses in the Spring horse sales, with a view to the NHS being paid back. The Economic Crime Unit of Hammersmith Police has commenced confiscation proceedings to recover the money.
Tomkins abused her positions of trust, first as a general manager at the former Hammersmith Hospital NHS Trust (now Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust) and then as interim Director of Operations for Ealing Hospital NHS Trust, to divert public money.
In order to pay the high costs of her private horse and stud farm business, she fabricated and manipulated invoices which she took into work and then authorised for payment by the NHS. Tomkins ensured her employers paid for numerous goods and services that the hospitals did not require nor receive – including the import of thoroughbred horses and horse semen from world class stud farms in several European countries.
A huge number of invoices for hundreds, or thousands, of pounds each were doctored by Tomkins, who was imaginative in disguising them as legitimate payments to NHS suppliers: she altered one for £3,000 to claim it was for a “titanium skull cap” for a patient, another to “prosthetic limbs”. A £4,000 bill for a new specialist CCTV system at her stables was claimed to be for a hospital CCTV system. Many bills were for stabling fees (typically £150 per week per horse) and rent for fields and farm buildings. These and other invoices (from innocent suppliers to her horse business) were transformed into invoices for everything from “paediatric services” and “psychological support for breast cancer patients” to payment for “locums” and “administrative support” and sundry hospital hardware such as “two portable washing aid units” (£8,000).
Her role at the Hammersmith Hospital included acting as a Fund Advisor for hospital charitable funds, which she misused, again through falsified invoices, to benefit her own business.
Tomkins was suspended by Imperial College NHS Trust on 23rd September 2008 shortly after allegations were first made. She was charged at Hammersmith and Fulham police station on 11th August 2009 and at a disciplinary hearing held by the Trust on 27th November 2009 she
was dismissed for gross misconduct. The investigation also prevented the payment of a substantial redundancy package of £41,944.00 about to be given to Tomkins, to settle a grievance she had brought against the Trust.
Even while under investigation, she continued to seek employment in the NHS using employment agencies, under the guises of ‘Tonka Joud’ and ‘Rosemarie Joud’.
Kevin Cane, London Regional Team Manager of the NHS Counter Fraud Service, said today: “This was a very serious matter. LouiseTomkins flagrantly abused her very senior positions, positions of trust. She deliberately diverted NHS resources away from frontline services and patient care for her own gain. Anyone who seeks to defraud the National Health Service needs to understand that they will be investigated, and could ultimately go to jail and destroy their career.”
Tomkins was prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service.
A senior NHS manager who bought horse semen, thoroughbred horses and numerous other goods and services for her private stud business with NHS funds was today jailed for two years and nine months at Southwark Crown Court for defrauding the National Health Service of over £200,000 (Thursday 10th June, 2010). The sentence follows an extensive joint investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Service (NHS CFS) and the Metropolitan Police.
Louise Tomkins, 47, of Faygate, Horsham, West Sussex, earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of making a false representation, contrary to The Fraud Act 2006, covering the period July 2007 to September 2008. Sentencing was adjourned to allow her to achieve the best prices for some of her horses in the Spring horse sales, with a view to the NHS being paid back. The Economic Crime Unit of Hammersmith Police has commenced confiscation proceedings to recover the money.
Tomkins abused her positions of trust, first as a general manager at the former Hammersmith Hospital NHS Trust (now Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust) and then as interim Director of Operations for Ealing Hospital NHS Trust, to divert public money.
In order to pay the high costs of her private horse and stud farm business, she fabricated and manipulated invoices which she took into work and then authorised for payment by the NHS. Tomkins ensured her employers paid for numerous goods and services that the hospitals did not require nor receive – including the import of thoroughbred horses and horse semen from world class stud farms in several European countries.
A huge number of invoices for hundreds, or thousands, of pounds each were doctored by Tomkins, who was imaginative in disguising them as legitimate payments to NHS suppliers: she altered one for £3,000 to claim it was for a “titanium skull cap” for a patient, another to “prosthetic limbs”. A £4,000 bill for a new specialist CCTV system at her stables was claimed to be for a hospital CCTV system. Many bills were for stabling fees (typically £150 per week per horse) and rent for fields and farm buildings. These and other invoices (from innocent suppliers to her horse business) were transformed into invoices for everything from “paediatric services” and “psychological support for breast cancer patients” to payment for “locums” and “administrative support” and sundry hospital hardware such as “two portable washing aid units” (£8,000).
Her role at the Hammersmith Hospital included acting as a Fund Advisor for hospital charitable funds, which she misused, again through falsified invoices, to benefit her own business.
Tomkins was suspended by Imperial College NHS Trust on 23rd September 2008 shortly after allegations were first made. She was charged at Hammersmith and Fulham police station on 11th August 2009 and at a disciplinary hearing held by the Trust on 27th November 2009 she
was dismissed for gross misconduct. The investigation also prevented the payment of a substantial redundancy package of £41,944.00 about to be given to Tomkins, to settle a grievance she had brought against the Trust.
Even while under investigation, she continued to seek employment in the NHS using employment agencies, under the guises of ‘Tonka Joud’ and ‘Rosemarie Joud’.
Kevin Cane, London Regional Team Manager of the NHS Counter Fraud Service, said today: “This was a very serious matter. LouiseTomkins flagrantly abused her very senior positions, positions of trust. She deliberately diverted NHS resources away from frontline services and patient care for her own gain. Anyone who seeks to defraud the National Health Service needs to understand that they will be investigated, and could ultimately go to jail and destroy their career.”
Tomkins was prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Website selling fake sicknotes for £25 each being investigated
The NHS fraud squad is investigating a website that sells fake NHS sicknotes for £25.
The authentic-looking documents are almost identical to genuine letters from a GP or hospital.
Alongside the doctor's name, the note details the illness of the buyer's choice, the number of 'sick' days needed and the medical facility they supposedly attended.
The site, called doctorsnotestore.com, advertises a guaranteed 48-hour delivery of the certificates written on official NHS notepaper, with an authentic stamp.
However, a spokesman for the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service warned that anyone caught using a fake doctor's note risks prosecution.
He said: 'The NHS logo and letters are registered trademarks owned by the Department of Health. We can and will take action to ensure the NHS logo and name are not misused in any way.'
The website also sells false medical certificates, solicitors' letters and holiday insurance claims.
It carries a disclaimer saying that the documents should be used only for novelty purposes - but there is also a section with comments from satisfied customers.
One says: 'I could have been fired for missing two weeks of work, but my employer didn't suspect a thing.'
The website shows examples of the fake notes - under the crucial claim, 'for novelty use only'
Another says: 'I have been using your fake doctor's notes for five years now - I get an extra two weeks' holiday every year because of your perfect sicknotes.'
A spokeswoman for the Department of Work and Pensions warned that the site could be costing employers thousands of pounds, but said it would be hard to shut down.
She said: 'Selling fake letters like this certainly sounds like fraud in some way.
The authentic-looking documents are almost identical to genuine letters from a GP or hospital.
Alongside the doctor's name, the note details the illness of the buyer's choice, the number of 'sick' days needed and the medical facility they supposedly attended.
The site, called doctorsnotestore.com, advertises a guaranteed 48-hour delivery of the certificates written on official NHS notepaper, with an authentic stamp.
However, a spokesman for the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service warned that anyone caught using a fake doctor's note risks prosecution.
He said: 'The NHS logo and letters are registered trademarks owned by the Department of Health. We can and will take action to ensure the NHS logo and name are not misused in any way.'
The website also sells false medical certificates, solicitors' letters and holiday insurance claims.
It carries a disclaimer saying that the documents should be used only for novelty purposes - but there is also a section with comments from satisfied customers.
One says: 'I could have been fired for missing two weeks of work, but my employer didn't suspect a thing.'
The website shows examples of the fake notes - under the crucial claim, 'for novelty use only'
Another says: 'I have been using your fake doctor's notes for five years now - I get an extra two weeks' holiday every year because of your perfect sicknotes.'
A spokeswoman for the Department of Work and Pensions warned that the site could be costing employers thousands of pounds, but said it would be hard to shut down.
She said: 'Selling fake letters like this certainly sounds like fraud in some way.
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