A woman from Billingham has appeared in court accused of benefit fraud. Paige Smith, 21, is alleged to have claimed housing benefit and income support fraudulently between June 12, 2016, and March 26, 2017. Smith is charged with failing to notify Stockton Council and the Department for Work and Pensions that she was living with her
An “industrial scale” £4.6 million benefit fraud has been targeted by police in Glasgow. Police officers have been working with the Department for Work and Pensions and Home Office Immigration Enforcement for almost a year in an investigation to trace an organised crime gang suspected of defrauding the benefits system of about £4.6m. A number
A man and woman appeared in Norwich Crown Court in connection with housing benefit and income support fraud charges and fake tenancy charges. Shannon Trett is charged with three offences, two of which relate to housing benefit. She also failed to disclose Charles Dersley was the father of her son. The other charge says she
A man has admitted to using a false National Insurance number to illegally claim £93,000 in benefits while working. Michel Biza, 50, began claiming benefits legitimately when he was seriously ill. However, when he recovered and started work, he gave his employers the fake NI number and continued to claim the benefits under the genuine
A dog walker has been found guilty of fraudulently claiming thousands of pounds in disability benefits after being secretly filmed throwing a ball for her pets. Sandra Tipton, 53, alleged that her physical condition, which includes dizziness and a ‘frozen shoulder’ had not improved since she first claimed the benefit in 2013. The jury at
The Home Office said foreign medics are to be excluded from the government’s cap on skilled migration. NHS bosses said the move would be a “huge relief” to health trusts. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was “extremely welcome.” The Royal College of GPs said it was a “great step forward.” The cap sets the
A solicitor whose firm ran a series of immigration claims for judicial review with no prospect of success has been struck off. According to the Law Gazette, Azfar Naseem Bajwa, principal of east London firm A Bajwa & Co, misled clients into thinking they had a prospect of success in cases which he knew could
A benefit cheat falsely claimed over £55,000 whilst simultaneously receiving money from her husband every month. Newport Crown Court heard Sharon Calder, 57, had falsely claimed £55,444.43 in benefits including income support, housing benefit, and council tax benefit from around 2009. Calder had also received around £68,000 in inheritance. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
A benefits cheat who had over £50,000 in his bank account after receiving money from an inheritance has been sentenced after illegally claiming more than £30,000. Constantino Fenu, 63, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court after pleading guilty to seven counts of benefit fraud. The court heard Fenu received benefits he was not entitled to including housing
A retired nurse is accused of creating false tenancy agreements and claimed she rented her £400,000 home in order to claim £66,000 in benefits that she wasn’t entitled to. Margaret Ayensu, 71, lied over a period of ten years and fraudulently claimed pensions credit and housing benefit. In addition, Ayensu also created several false letters