0:00:04 > 0:00:05I'm Michelle Ackerley.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09My parents both grew up on council estates and as a family,
0:00:09 > 0:00:13we understand the difference social housing can make to people's lives.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18Millions of families across the UK are struggling to find affordable housing.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22So this is my front room and my bedroom together.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Many are living in temporary or overcrowded conditions,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27desperate for somewhere decent to live.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30This is our room where we sleep and this is what we've got at the minute.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32We can't really call it our home.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35But some social housing tenants are abusing the system,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38holding on to properties they no longer need.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39When somebody applies for housing,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42you expect them to live in a property and when they don't,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44it does start to take the mickey.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Or even worse, making a small fortune by illegally subletting them.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51He's charging beyond £1,500 a month.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54He exploited this completely to his advantage.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58So I'm with housing investigators cracking down on tenancy cheats...
0:01:00 > 0:01:03- What a waste.- If you want to commit tenancy fraud,
0:01:03 > 0:01:04don't bother coming here.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06..reclaiming properties...
0:01:06 > 0:01:08I need to speak to you, please.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11They've seen an opportunity and they think they're not going to get caught.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14..and giving them to families in genuine need.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17That's how a council house should be.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19It should be loved and looked after.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22This is a Council House Crackdown.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27Today...
0:01:27 > 0:01:32the fake council cleaner who over 14 years brazenly swindled hundreds of
0:01:32 > 0:01:35thousands of pounds from the public purse.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38You'd think she'd want to steer away from the council rather than be
0:01:38 > 0:01:40- working within the building. - Exactly.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Investigators unravel an illegal subletter's lies...
0:01:45 > 0:01:50There you can see a handbag there and girl's pyjamas.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54There was nothing in that flat belonging to Mr Raji.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Nothing at all.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58..revealing an astonishing double life.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02This is an individual who is mixing with Premiership footballers
0:02:02 > 0:02:05who's, you know, got a very well-paid job.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10The arrogance of that, really, is the galling part.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15And subtenants help a fraud team bring down an illegal landlord.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Yeah, we're home now, so if you want, you can come around.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22- I need to speak to you, please. - Can you open the door, please, sir?
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Social housing is intended to go to those most in need.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36It provides struggling families and individuals with a stable home
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and subsidised rent well below the market value,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41but for unscrupulous social tenants,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45subletting their home and charging at or near the normal market rate
0:02:45 > 0:02:49provides a lucrative but unlawful income.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Our first case involves this man - Adio Raji,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56a fully qualified goalkeeping coach,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00working at some of London's top football clubs and leading a lifestyle
0:03:00 > 0:03:03that would be the envy of any football fan.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09This is an individual who's mixing the Premiership footballers,
0:03:09 > 0:03:14who's got a very well-paid job and making a profit out of this flat.
0:03:14 > 0:03:20You know, the arrogance of that, really, is the galling part.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27It all started here in this block of flats right next door to
0:03:27 > 0:03:31Charlton Athletic Football Club in south-east London.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38Back in 1995, Mr Raji, a single young man,
0:03:38 > 0:03:40who enjoyed his football and was in need of housing,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43was allocated a flat on the 12th floor.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46To Greenwich counter fraud manager Nigel Brown and his colleagues,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49this tenancy seemed like a perfect match.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55As you can see, we're right next to and overlooking the Charlton football ground.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58This is a really desirable place to live and this is where Mr Raji
0:03:58 > 0:04:00had his one-bedroom flat.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Now, if you are into your football, you are really close to the ground,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06you wouldn't even need to pay for a ticket.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Although Mr Raji's flat was social housing,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12it was owned and run not by Greenwich Council,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15but by housing association Charlton Triangle.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22There are over four million social housing properties in the UK.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24More than half of those, 2.3 million,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27are owned and run by housing associations.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29The rest are council properties.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40Charlton Triangle rent officer Annette and fraud investigator Yasmin
0:04:40 > 0:04:43pride themselves on getting to know their tenants and supporting them
0:04:43 > 0:04:45through difficult times.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49One of their favourite tenants was none other than Mr Raji.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54He used to come into the office and we used to, you know, laugh and joke
0:04:54 > 0:04:57with him and everybody got to know him and we all liked him.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01I mean, he had rent arrears. We were trying to sustain the tenancy.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04One of the ways of doing that is helping people get into employment.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07So that was one of the main things we helped him to do.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09But everybody knew him.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13- He was quite a charismatic person, I suppose.- Yes.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Mr Raji eventually got work as a UEFA qualified goalkeeping coach
0:05:19 > 0:05:23and during the time he was living in the flat, he worked at several top
0:05:23 > 0:05:26football clubs, as well as doing jobs such as chauffeuring
0:05:26 > 0:05:28to top up his income.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Then, in June 2015,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34fraud investigator Yasmin
0:05:34 > 0:05:38got a tip-off e-mail from Charlton Triangle's building services team
0:05:38 > 0:05:41telling her there appeared to be two women living
0:05:41 > 0:05:44in Mr Raji's one-bedroom flat.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Knowing Mr Raji as they did, they were surprised by the information.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55And we were like, no, it's a mistake, something's wrong.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Myself and Annette went down to the property.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04We got to the door and there was a young lady coming out of the lift.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07We asked if she lived in the property, she said yes.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Having been let into the flat, they had a good look around.
0:06:11 > 0:06:17We took some photographs and as you can see, this is a girl's bedroom.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Mauve and pink colours were all round the room.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23There was flowers there.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28There you can see a handbag there, girl's pyjamas.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32There wasn't so much as a pair of football boots to suggest Mr Raji
0:06:32 > 0:06:34was living there.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38And this is the other end of the room.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Mr Raji is 6'4" with no hair at all,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46so there'd be no reason for him to have a hairdryer.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49It was starting to look as if Mr Raji had moved out of his
0:06:49 > 0:06:53social housing property and two young women have moved in.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58This is supposed to be the front room, but had a double bed in it.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Again, women's things.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04There was no men's products around.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Their make up, creams...
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Actually, when I saw this, I did have to laugh.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13It was quite clear-cut he was subletting to these young ladies
0:07:13 > 0:07:17because there was nothing in that flat belonging to Mr Raji.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Nothing at all.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25The woman at the flat gave them a witness statement there and then,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29saying she and the other subtenant were paying Mr Raji a total
0:07:29 > 0:07:31of £800 a month in rent -
0:07:31 > 0:07:34nearly twice the social rent Mr Raji was paying
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Charlton Triangle.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39She said she'd been staying there for the last 12 months.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43They would pay into his bank account. Then he stopped that
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and said that he wanted cash only.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51And they said, on the 6th of every month, he would come up to the flat
0:07:51 > 0:07:53and take the cash from them.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57And apparently he had a key and would let himself in as well.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00So he would just turn up and walk into the flat.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Yasmin and Annette were shocked.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06If the claims of the subtenant were true, their tenant, Mr Raji,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08was guilty of tenancy fraud.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14One of those situations where you scratch your head in disbelief.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19You think, "No, not Mr Raji. Can't be." But, yes, it was.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24They invited him to come into the office for an interview.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27He denied subletting his one-bedroom flat,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30claiming the woman was an ex-partner who was staying there rent free.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34And we were kind of like, "Where do you sleep?"
0:08:34 > 0:08:37- And he said the hallway. - He said he slept in the hallway.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41We got him to sign some paperwork saying that
0:08:41 > 0:08:45was his only home, his only principal home,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48that he was not living anywhere else.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51But his story didn't ring true.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54He said that we were his friends.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57- Yes.- That's the bit that made me laugh.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59That, you know, we were his best friends, almost.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03And he wouldn't do anything to hurt us.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07With Mr Raji denying everything,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Yasmin and Annette needed hard evidence.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12So they called in the Royal Borough of Greenwich fraud team
0:09:12 > 0:09:15led by experienced investigator Karen Evans.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19I've dealt with a lot of sublets.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23And often people will deny that they're subletting.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26You don't expect them to do anything else. Often they've been doing it
0:09:26 > 0:09:29for many years and making a lot of money from it. So they're going to
0:09:29 > 0:09:33try and cover their tracks. My job is to undo what they're telling me,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35to find out what is the truth,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39to obtain the evidence to prove that, and get them into court,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42and hopefully get the conviction at the end of the day.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46The Prevention of Social Housing Tenancy Fraud Act 2013
0:09:46 > 0:09:50makes unauthorised subletting a criminal offence,
0:09:50 > 0:09:56punishable by up to two years in jail or a fine of up to £50,000.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Councils have been given new powers to access personal data
0:10:00 > 0:10:02such as bank accounts,
0:10:02 > 0:10:04in order to help them secure evidence of tenancy fraud,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07and prosecute those responsible.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Later, as Greenwich Council
0:10:11 > 0:10:14used these new powers to unravel Mr Raji's deception,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16he reveals his true colours.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19He was lying from the beginning.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23He was blaming somebody else for what he was doing wrong.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26We couldn't believe that Mr Raji would behave in that manner.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30Shocking and upsetting and disappointing, to say the least.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43There are more than 200,000 social housing properties
0:10:43 > 0:10:45across the West Midlands.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48That's 5% of the UK's entire social housing stock.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55But even so, the pressure on housing here is huge.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58And Birmingham has embarked on a programme to build 2,000 more
0:10:58 > 0:11:01council properties by 2020.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08In Sandwell, six miles outside Birmingham,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11there are around 4,000 people on the housing waiting list,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15many in overcrowded or emergency accommodation.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Our next case involves this woman, Yvette Logan,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25real name Lillian Wade.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27She shouldn't even be in the UK,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29but for the last 14 years,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31she's been living in a council flat in Sandwell
0:11:31 > 0:11:37claiming almost £100,000 in benefits and even getting herself a job
0:11:37 > 0:11:39at the local council.
0:11:40 > 0:11:41So, let me get this straight,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44she had a council property in the name of Yvette Logan,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47passport in the name of Yvette Logan,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52and was working for the council in the name of Yvette Logan.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53I find it absolutely shocking.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58The story starts here at Gatwick Airport,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01where Lillian Wade arrived from Jamaica in 1999.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05She was refused entry, but granted temporary admission
0:12:05 > 0:12:07for just half a day,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09on the condition she flew back the next morning.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13But she absconded.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18And it was to take another 14 years before anyone caught up with her.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22I'm in Sandwell to see the council's counter fraud manager Oliver Knight.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25So, when she came to us, she'd been in the country for about a year
0:12:25 > 0:12:27before she approached the council.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30She explained that she was a single person and in need of accommodation.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32And so, what was her application like?
0:12:32 > 0:12:35It didn't have any alarm bells or anything that you thought...?
0:12:35 > 0:12:37No, there was nothing untoward.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Nothing that really looked like anything was suspicious.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44By now, Lillian Wade had a whole new identity.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46She called herself Yvette Logan.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50Aged 55, she had a UK passport in that name,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54and a national insurance number also in that name.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Her housing application was successful.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59As a single woman in need of somewhere to live,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02she was allocated a council flat.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05But her next move was even more brazen.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09As well as applying for a council property, she also came to us
0:13:09 > 0:13:12in about 2000 and applied for a job and was given a position
0:13:12 > 0:13:16as a cleaner. And worked there for about four or five years.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17So, let me get this straight,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20she had a council property in the name of Yvette Logan,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23a passport in the name of Yvette Logan,
0:13:23 > 0:13:28and was working for the council in the name of Yvette Logan.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30I find it absolutely shocking.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Just the cheek of it. How did she get away with it?
0:13:34 > 0:13:35In all honestly, I don't know.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Even to this day. Obviously, the passport was the trigger.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42And the identification behind that. And, obviously, once she's got that,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46it makes it a lot easier to get through the checks that we would have in place.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50You'd think she'd want to steer away from the council rather than be working within the building.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Exactly. You wouldn't have thought for a second that her ideal placement
0:13:54 > 0:13:57for work would have been right under the noses of the council.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59And what do your colleagues at Sandwell Council think about this?
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Well, obviously, it was amazing at the time.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03When we began the investigation,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05we thought it was just about the council property.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08It was only when we started to look at who she was
0:14:08 > 0:14:11that we realised she'd actually been employed by us as well.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17In 2005, Yvette Logan resigned from her cleaning job at the council
0:14:17 > 0:14:21on medical grounds and started claiming benefits.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24She received housing benefit and council tax benefit,
0:14:24 > 0:14:25as well as other benefits.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Effectively, the council then began to pay her rent for her and she was
0:14:28 > 0:14:32- living rent-free.- How much money, roughly, in total, did this amount to?
0:14:32 > 0:14:36In total, she received about £30,000 of benefits,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38housing benefit and council tax benefit.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42She also claimed benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45including incapacity benefit, income support,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47employment and support allowance
0:14:47 > 0:14:49and disability living allowance.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Grand total - nearly £100,000.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57And then in 2013 after a routine data matching exercise,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00authorities noticed Yvette Logan was using
0:15:00 > 0:15:03someone else's national insurance number
0:15:03 > 0:15:06and that someone else was also called Yvette Logan.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12And that's when it became clear through the DWP that there wasn't
0:15:12 > 0:15:16one Yvette Logan, there were two with the same national insurance number.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20It appeared that what she'd been doing is using the national insurance number
0:15:20 > 0:15:23of a different Yvette Logan elsewhere in the country.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29The real Yvette Logan was living in London and was completely unaware
0:15:29 > 0:15:33her details were being used by someone else.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36At first, the authorities assumed there'd been a mix-up and issued
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Yvette Logan, the one living in Sandwell,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43with a new national insurance number. But behind the scenes,
0:15:43 > 0:15:48suspicions had been aroused and an investigation was launched.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51How did it eventually get to the point where she came under investigation?
0:15:51 > 0:15:56Well, in 2014 she was arrested by the Department for Work and Pensions,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58along with the police,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00following an investigation that they'd been conducting.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04The fact that she'd got an identity that they didn't believe to be correct
0:16:04 > 0:16:07and obviously we then looked at the housing application and thought,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09well, this isn't right, she should never have been given the housing
0:16:09 > 0:16:13application because the information she supplied wasn't correct.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16And I guess it just goes to show that you can't rule anything out
0:16:16 > 0:16:21cos people will go to extraordinary lengths to get these properties and
0:16:21 > 0:16:22literally slipped through the net.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27With so many people desperate for social housing,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31local councils across the UK now have much more rigorous processes
0:16:31 > 0:16:36in place to ensure social housing goes to people who really need it,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38and who are eligible for it.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41We do a lot more in terms of application checkers now,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45especially anybody coming in from a different country.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48We've got better systems in place to look at the application
0:16:48 > 0:16:52and the documentation that they're providing, as well as a lot more
0:16:52 > 0:16:56data matching, so ensuring that the information that's held with
0:16:56 > 0:17:01the likes of the passport agency and immigration is up-to-date.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06On February 24th 2015,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Yvette Logan appeared before Wolverhampton Crown Court
0:17:09 > 0:17:12under her real name, Lillian Wade.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17She admitted gaining a pecuniary advantage by deception by falsely
0:17:17 > 0:17:21representing she was a British citizen entitled to work in the UK
0:17:21 > 0:17:24and cheating the public revenue.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27She also admitted being in possession of a false identity
0:17:27 > 0:17:30document with intent.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Lillian Wade, AKA Yvette Logan,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35was sentenced to four years in jail.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38When released, she will be deported.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45I can imagine when the news came through, you must've felt like
0:17:45 > 0:17:49- punching the air.- Yeah, well, obviously, it was a good decision
0:17:49 > 0:17:51for us and for the Department for Work and Pensions
0:17:51 > 0:17:53who led the prosecution.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57It was only at that point that she surrendered the tenancy to us.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Funnily enough, she actually phoned us
0:18:00 > 0:18:06from prison to indicate that she'd return the property keys and posted
0:18:06 > 0:18:08them through the letterbox.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12And obviously the fake Yvette Logan is no longer in this property.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Is someone in it now that actually genuinely needs it?
0:18:15 > 0:18:18There is, yeah. Following the fact that we got the property back,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22obviously it was cleaned up and it was reallocated to somebody
0:18:22 > 0:18:25that needed it and they've lived in the property since.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39The London Borough of Tower Hamlets,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43with soaring property prices, around 20,000 people on the waiting list
0:18:43 > 0:18:46for social housing and more than 80 families with children
0:18:46 > 0:18:49registered as homeless.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51But 600 properties have been lost
0:18:51 > 0:18:53here through Right to Buy applications
0:18:53 > 0:18:55in the last five years.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Most of my friends are moving out because of the price
0:19:00 > 0:19:03of the houses local, especially in this area, Tower Hamlets.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05We definitely need more council and social housing,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09without a shadow of a doubt. I think the whole idea that everybody can
0:19:09 > 0:19:13afford to get on the property ladder is nonsense now.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16But I don't know how you do anything
0:19:16 > 0:19:18about that because most of the places
0:19:18 > 0:19:20that were council houses have been sold off.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26The housing crisis is hitting hard,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30so it's inevitable that every time someone cheats the system by holding
0:19:30 > 0:19:32on to a property they don't need,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34or by unlawfully subletting it,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37someone else loses out.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41Our next case spans two years and involves this young couple
0:19:41 > 0:19:45who became innocent victims caught up in a tenancy fraud case
0:19:45 > 0:19:48involving this man, Kibria Ahmed.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51I was really upset. It was horrible.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55It felt like everything was perfect and then it's just been taken away.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00The story begins here in Tower Hamlets where, in October 2015,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04this young couple, Shannon and her boyfriend Nayim,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06were looking to build a home together.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09We had a look on Gumtree and found this flat.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11It seemed perfect for what we wanted.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- It was nice.- We arranged to meet up with the landlord.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16We sort of reviewed it and everything seemed OK.
0:20:16 > 0:20:22He seemed legit. And then, yeah, we sort of moved in the following week.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26The rent for the one-bedroom flat was £800 per month plus
0:20:26 > 0:20:28a £600 deposit.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32They'd been saving up and could just about afford it.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36We used to be sharing flats before, sharing houses,
0:20:36 > 0:20:38and being in rooms with someone else there.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43But that was only our place. It looks like it's our home.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46As soon as they moved in,
0:20:46 > 0:20:51Shannon and Nayim set about turning their flat into a home.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53It was just great getting things for the house.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55It felt really good.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58It felt like home. I loved coming home from work and stuff like that.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01- It was brilliant.- Yeah, it was nice.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02Like, having a new home,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06you are happy to call someone, to invite someone to come round.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- Yeah, proud.- It was good. - It's our house.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12But unbeknown to Shannon and Nayim,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16their new home was not a private flat, it was social housing.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19And the tenant, Kibria Ahmed, the man who was supposed to be living there,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22was unlawfully subletting it.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Mr Ahmed was allocated the flat
0:21:25 > 0:21:29back in 2008 by housing association Poplar Harca.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Following a tip-off that Mr Ahmed wasn't living there,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Poplar Harca's fraud investigator Avril Drummond
0:21:37 > 0:21:40decided to investigate.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43On the 3rd of December 2015,
0:21:43 > 0:21:47she called round to the flat hoping to see Mr Ahmed, but instead finding
0:21:47 > 0:21:48Shannon and Nayim.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53It was a police officer and it was this lady. I thought,
0:21:53 > 0:21:55"What's happened? Maybe something's happened."
0:21:55 > 0:21:58She sort of said, "I'm the proper landlord."
0:21:58 > 0:22:00I was a bit like, "No, you're not." So she showed me her ID
0:22:00 > 0:22:04and I was like, "OK, maybe you'd better come in."
0:22:04 > 0:22:05Avril broke the news to them
0:22:05 > 0:22:08that the flat was being unlawfully sublet.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Shannon and Nayim were devastated.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14I was really upset. I mean, it was horrible.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It felt like everything was perfect and then it's just been taken away.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21How can someone do that to innocent people?
0:22:21 > 0:22:22It really hurt.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27I mean, having a house, finally living on my own with a person
0:22:27 > 0:22:30that I really wanted to be with and then everything is taken away.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Avril needed to come face-to-face with her unlawful tenant,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36so she enlisted the help of Shannon and Nayim.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40She came up with a plan to ask the landlord around to fix a blocked sink.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Our cameras were filming with Avril and her team when this plan
0:22:45 > 0:22:48came to fruition on the 9th of December 2015.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52The best scenario would be for
0:22:52 > 0:22:56this landlord to tell us everything that has been going on,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00hold his hands up, then we'll take it from there.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Once round at the flat,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Avril gives Shannon and Nayim a last minute briefing.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Hello. All right?
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Yeah, thank you for seeing me again today.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Obviously, we're now waiting for your landlord to turn up, OK?
0:23:18 > 0:23:21So we'll just play it by ear when he gets here.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24We've got the police on stand-by and they are in the locality, as well,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26OK?
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Nayim calls the man who's posing as his landlord and checks
0:23:29 > 0:23:31he's on his way.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Hi, are you all right?
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Yeah, we are home now, so if you want to come around.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42- All right, thanks, bye. - Next few minutes.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45The man in question is about to arrive.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49I'm going to be in here. He's not going to know who I am.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53I've got my identification badge on me but I'm not going to be
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- wearing it until he comes in. - Yeah.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Later, the search for the illegal subletter Kibria Ahmed
0:24:00 > 0:24:01is stepped up.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04I need to speak to you, please. I'm from Poplar Harca.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05Can you open the door, please, sir?
0:24:05 > 0:24:08And what happens when he's finally brought to justice.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12INDISTINCT SHOUTING
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Earlier, UEFA-qualified goalkeeping coach Adio Raji was suspected of
0:24:23 > 0:24:26illegally subletting his social housing flat.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28To find out if it was true,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32housing association Charlton Triangle decided to pay him a visit.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38There you can see a handbag, girls pyjamas.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42Mr Raji is 6'4" with no hair at all.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46So there would be no reason for him to have a hairdryer.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Actually, when I saw this, I did have to laugh.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52It was quite clear-cut he was subletting to these young ladies.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Cos there was nothing in that flat belonging to Mr Raji.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Nothing at all.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02One of the subtenants made a witness statement saying that they
0:25:02 > 0:25:05were paying Mr Raji £800 a month in rent,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08but the football coach denied everything.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13One of those situations where you scratch your head in disbelief.
0:25:13 > 0:25:19You think, "No, not Mr Raji. Can't be." But, yes, it was.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23If he really was committing tenancy fraud, they needed hard evidence.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26The Royal Borough of Greenwich fraud team was called in,
0:25:26 > 0:25:28led by investigator Karen Evans.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Her first step was to re-interview the subtenant
0:25:33 > 0:25:34who was to prove a key witness.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37She provided Karen with details of the bank accounts
0:25:37 > 0:25:39she used to pay rent to Mr Raji.
0:25:41 > 0:25:47The evidence that we can obtain from the banks now
0:25:47 > 0:25:51is conclusive, so conclusive, such conclusive evidence.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55The subtenant told us that she'd used a certain bank account
0:25:55 > 0:25:58to pay the money into a bank account number.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02We obtained copies of both of those bank accounts,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05which showed the transfer of money from her to him.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Bank records show the subtenants were making rental payments
0:26:09 > 0:26:12to Mr Raji of £184 a week.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14That's nearly £800 a month.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17That meant, once he'd paid his social rent,
0:26:17 > 0:26:22Mr Raji was making a clear profit of £330 a month.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27The profit that he'd made for the period that we could prove amounted
0:26:27 > 0:26:30to £4,330.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34Mr Raji continued to vehemently deny he was subletting.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Clearly, the evidence didn't back that up.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40And that's why I wanted to get him in to interview
0:26:40 > 0:26:42and ask him about the situation,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45showing the documentation that we'd obtained,
0:26:45 > 0:26:50which quite clearly showed the money being paid from the subtenants
0:26:50 > 0:26:53on a regular basis and him very nicely profiting from the situation.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Mr Raji was invited to attend an interview under caution
0:26:57 > 0:26:59at Greenwich Council.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00He came in.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05He was represented by a solicitor and, right from the off,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09offered no comment to any questions that we wanted to ask him.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12He produced a written statement
0:27:12 > 0:27:16to us which said, "I've always lived there,
0:27:16 > 0:27:21"I don't sublet it, I've never taken in a lodger or a subtenant,"
0:27:21 > 0:27:24and he signs that document as a statement of truth
0:27:24 > 0:27:27here on the 13th of July 2015.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Karen's colleague, fellow fraud investigator Clive Parish,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33was also present at the interview.
0:27:33 > 0:27:39He seemed quite affronted that we were asking him questions at all
0:27:39 > 0:27:42and that made him a little different, really,
0:27:42 > 0:27:46to the people that I might normally interview. There was almost
0:27:46 > 0:27:50an arrogance about him in the way that he said "No comment,"
0:27:50 > 0:27:54and for somebody like Mr Raji, who put
0:27:54 > 0:27:58a person into his flat and he charged them a rent,
0:27:58 > 0:28:02a rent far and above what he was paying for the flat himself,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06is completely wrong and he was making a profit
0:28:06 > 0:28:10out of his social housing tenancy.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12- Shock and disbelief... - Yeah.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15..because we deal with people like this all the time.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16The bottom line is the greed.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- Yeah, it is.- It's the hurtful thing.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23I feel sorry for the people that are caught in the middle of it.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Charlton Triangle served Mr Raji
0:28:26 > 0:28:30with a notice to quit and ordered him to hand the keys back.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34He still refused to leave, saying this is where he lived,
0:28:34 > 0:28:39he had nowhere else to go and his landlord took him to court,
0:28:39 > 0:28:42civil courts, on a couple of occasions.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45He was represented and he continued
0:28:45 > 0:28:48to deny that he'd done anything wrong.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Instead, he contacted the subtenants and told them
0:28:52 > 0:28:54that they had to leave.
0:28:56 > 0:29:01Within a couple of days, he contacted the occupants of the flat,
0:29:01 > 0:29:05he told them that he'd reported the situation to the police,
0:29:05 > 0:29:06that they shouldn't be there
0:29:06 > 0:29:09and that they have to move out immediately.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13One of the occupants left immediately, never to be seen again.
0:29:13 > 0:29:14The other subtenant,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17the one who'd given a witness statement against Mr Raji,
0:29:17 > 0:29:18was away on holiday.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21But that didn't stop him from removing her belongings.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24He came round to this property
0:29:24 > 0:29:28whilst the lady that was renting from him was on holiday
0:29:28 > 0:29:32and he got all of her stuff and he moved it all out.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35He put all of her belongings and furniture in storage
0:29:35 > 0:29:37and when she came back from her holiday,
0:29:37 > 0:29:40she opened the door and all her stuff was gone.
0:29:40 > 0:29:45In fact, I believe she couldn't even get the door open because he changed the locks.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50We couldn't believe that Mr Raji would behave in a manner.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52That was quite...
0:29:52 > 0:29:56shocking and upsetting and disappointing, to say the least.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59I think the reason why the subtenants were ousted out
0:29:59 > 0:30:03of the property was so that he could quickly get back in there to make it
0:30:03 > 0:30:04look like this is where he lives.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06In March 2016,
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Mr Raji finally agreed to sign forms giving up possession
0:30:10 > 0:30:13and return the flat to Charlton Triangle.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17After about a year since we interviewed him, he finally seemed
0:30:17 > 0:30:20to come to his senses that this was not going to go away,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22that he was not going to get away with it.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25By this time, we had got our solicitors involved.
0:30:25 > 0:30:30Myself and another colleague turned up at the flat with the solicitor,
0:30:30 > 0:30:34with the consent order to say that he was going to give up his flat
0:30:34 > 0:30:38and that he would hand the keys back, but he signed the order
0:30:38 > 0:30:41so we got back our one-bedroom property that went
0:30:41 > 0:30:44to somebody deserving of it.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48But that wasn't the end of the matter.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51Because of his deception and the overwhelming evidence,
0:30:51 > 0:30:55Greenwich Council decided to proceed with a criminal prosecution.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59In December 2016, Mr Raji pleaded guilty to fraud,
0:30:59 > 0:31:03unlawful subletting and unlawful eviction.
0:31:03 > 0:31:09I think that Mr Raji realised that, you know, it was bang to rights.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11The evidence was overwhelming.
0:31:11 > 0:31:16The statements that backed it up were all there.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19He didn't really have much movement. If we were going to go to trial,
0:31:19 > 0:31:24he knew he would be in a difficult situation and I think he realised
0:31:24 > 0:31:31that he needed to back down and plead and take the rap, basically.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34After an investigation lasting nearly two years,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Mr Raji was given a 12 month jail sentence,
0:31:37 > 0:31:39suspended for 18 months,
0:31:39 > 0:31:43and was ordered to pay £4,330
0:31:43 > 0:31:44in compensation -
0:31:44 > 0:31:46the amount he had made
0:31:46 > 0:31:47in unlawful profits.
0:31:52 > 0:31:57Obviously, you know, it takes a lot of time and effort, but the result
0:31:57 > 0:32:00was the right result of the end of the day and we were very satisfied
0:32:00 > 0:32:02with the outcome.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06An opinion shared by head of fraud at Greenwich Council, Nigel Brown.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09You could argue should he go to prison, yes or no?
0:32:09 > 0:32:12At the end of the day, it costs us all money to put Mr Raji in prison,
0:32:12 > 0:32:14therefore there is no financial gain out of that.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17I think for him to lose £4,500 and to have that
0:32:17 > 0:32:22now on his record in the future that he's been done for tenancy fraud
0:32:22 > 0:32:25is a good thing for all concerned, other than him, obviously.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31I know how short we are of social housing.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35I know how many people are desperate to find somewhere to live and yet
0:32:35 > 0:32:39we've still got tenants making their own allocations policies
0:32:39 > 0:32:43and deciding who they should be housing and that's not how it works.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46That frustrates me and it satisfies me greatly
0:32:46 > 0:32:48to know that we've got that property back.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Back in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets,
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Shannon and her boyfriend Nayim thought they'd found a place
0:33:00 > 0:33:03to call home but a few months after moving in,
0:33:03 > 0:33:05they discovered they'd been conned.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09The flat and they'd been renting was a social housing property
0:33:09 > 0:33:14and the tenant, Kibria Ahmed, was committing fraud by subletting it.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18With their help, fraud investigator Avril Drummond is trying
0:33:18 > 0:33:19to track down her tenant.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Hello, thank you for seeing me again today.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28Obviously, we're now waiting for your landlord to turn up, OK?
0:33:28 > 0:33:31So we'll just play it by ear when he gets here.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34We've got the police on stand-by and they are in the locality as well.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36OK?
0:33:39 > 0:33:42Eventually, a man turns up.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44But it's not Mr Ahmed.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48Avril calls the police in and he is arrested, questioned,
0:33:48 > 0:33:50but later released without charge.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57The next morning, Avril briefs fellow investigator Mike Frost
0:33:57 > 0:33:59about the previous day's events.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01We asked him about Mr Ahmed.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04He said, as a friend, he was helping Mr Ahmed, but he only
0:34:04 > 0:34:07posed as the landlord.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10He took the £800 a month and gave it to his friend.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12He said, "I'm not taking any money for myself."
0:34:12 > 0:34:14That's kind of him, isn't it?
0:34:14 > 0:34:19The rent Kibria Ahmed was paying to Poplar Harca was just £292 a month.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23Avril and Mike are more determined than ever to track him down
0:34:23 > 0:34:25and bring him to justice.
0:34:27 > 0:34:32They get a tip-off that he's in the area and then they spot his car.
0:34:32 > 0:34:38"Kibs" as in Kibria. Possibly.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41I need to speak to you, please.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Sorry? I'm from Poplar Harca.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Can you open the door please, sir?
0:34:50 > 0:34:53I'm Michael Frost from the fraud investigation team.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55His identity is confirmed.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58Avril calls the police and Mr Ahmed, in the hooded coat,
0:34:58 > 0:35:02is handcuffed and led away for questioning.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07They are searching his vehicle at the moment which he said was a gift
0:35:07 > 0:35:11from his mother, so we'll wait and see if they uncover any evidence
0:35:11 > 0:35:12from there.
0:35:19 > 0:35:24Later, the investigation comes full circle and Mr Ahmed faces his day
0:35:24 > 0:35:25in court...
0:35:25 > 0:35:29I feel justified in bringing the case to court. Too many people
0:35:29 > 0:35:32believe social housing fraud is not a big deal and it doesn't really
0:35:32 > 0:35:36matter, but now we will bring criminal prosecutions when we
0:35:36 > 0:35:38deem them necessary.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42..and what happens when he feels the full weight of the law.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58The housing crisis is no longer confined to densely populated
0:35:58 > 0:36:00metropolitan areas of the UK.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04Here in the cathedral city of Peterborough,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07there are almost 3,000 people on the waiting list,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10nearly 400 of those are families in desperate need.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17Adrian Chapman is the council's director of adult services and communities.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22About a year ago, we were probably advertising about 40 properties
0:36:22 > 0:36:24a week that people could apply for.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28These days, if we get up to double figures a week, we're doing really well,
0:36:28 > 0:36:32so we've got a lot of demand and not enough supply.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36In 2015-16, the council spent more
0:36:36 > 0:36:40than £1 million putting families in temporary accommodation,
0:36:40 > 0:36:44including B&Bs and even the local Travelodge.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49We will always accommodate people, albeit temporarily,
0:36:49 > 0:36:52albeit sometimes in bed-and-breakfast accommodation
0:36:52 > 0:36:54or, as we're currently having to use, a Travelodge.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57There is no need for anybody to not have a roof over their heads.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01We've got some nice chicken soup that grand-mummy made.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Then we've got some milk, haven't we?
0:37:05 > 0:37:09We are struggling in here because it is difficult just being one room
0:37:09 > 0:37:10with the three of us.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15This young family, Joshua, Caroline and 16-month-old Phoebe,
0:37:15 > 0:37:19are living in this single room in a hostel on the outskirts
0:37:19 > 0:37:20of Peterborough.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23This is all we have, basically. This is our room where we sleep.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26This is our room where we do everything with Phoebe.
0:37:26 > 0:37:32There's shared bathrooms, shared kitchen, so it's not ideal, really.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35But, I mean, this is what we've got at the minute.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39We can't really call it our home, but until we find somewhere
0:37:39 > 0:37:43or the council puts us somewhere, this is all we've got, really.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47Joshua and Caroline were both in work when their landlord decided
0:37:47 > 0:37:51to sell up, ironically so the house could be converted
0:37:51 > 0:37:53into temporary accommodation units.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56Suddenly, they were homeless.
0:37:56 > 0:38:01People think homeless, they just think of someone on the street selling the Big Issue and people
0:38:01 > 0:38:06don't really think that people in B&Bs and hostels are considered
0:38:06 > 0:38:09as homeless, but this isn't a home, as you can see.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12It's just one room for the three of us.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15It's a real struggle at times.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19The shock of being made homeless whilst bringing up a young child
0:38:19 > 0:38:22placed a huge stress on this young couple.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26They are struggling to come to terms with their new circumstances.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Over here, we've got some cupboard space.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31It's got some stuff in it.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34And then we've got some of our food down here.
0:38:34 > 0:38:40I think the worst of it is just sort of...
0:38:40 > 0:38:44how cramped it is and how little there is, really.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51Like, the fact we're having to put most of our stuff under the bed.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55The upheaval has had a huge impact on this young family.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Joshua and Caroline have lost their jobs and they now need to get back
0:38:58 > 0:39:01into employment as soon as possible.
0:39:01 > 0:39:06But job-hunting without a permanent address is difficult.
0:39:06 > 0:39:11I think getting the house is the first step towards
0:39:11 > 0:39:16getting our lives back on track, really, cos that's another thing,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19like, with the whole temporary accommodation,
0:39:19 > 0:39:23it does kind of put your life on hold a little bit.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25The longer you are in here,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28the harder it makes it to get back on track.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32Since filming, Caroline has managed to get a job in telesales,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35but they are still living in temporary accommodation.
0:39:37 > 0:39:42There's definitely been a fair share of our dark moments, I'd say, but I
0:39:42 > 0:39:47do feel quite confident that we can only move forward from here, really.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49For Phoebe's sake, I just want to get this sorted.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59With property prices and private rents at an all-time high,
0:39:59 > 0:40:03more families than ever are in desperate need for social housing,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07which is why it's so very important housing fraud investigators continue
0:40:07 > 0:40:11to crack down on those cheating the system.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14Housing fraud for me is like any other crime.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18It needs to be treated as a crime and it makes me in the job I do
0:40:18 > 0:40:19extremely angry.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23I think that they should be kicked out without a hint of anything.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25If you're caught doing something like that,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29you don't deserve to be in social housing. End of story.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33I would say just one unit being misused like that is too much.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37I think it's despicable that somebody can sit on a piece
0:40:37 > 0:40:40of property to which they are not entitled.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47Earlier in Tower Hamlets,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51tenancy cheat Kibria Ahmed was arrested for illegally subletting
0:40:51 > 0:40:57his social housing flat and pocketing thousands of pounds in unlawful profits.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Now, more than 12 months since his arrest,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Kibria Ahmed is about to face justice.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07I feel justified in bringing the case to court.
0:41:07 > 0:41:12I think too many people believe social housing fraud is not a big deal
0:41:12 > 0:41:15and it doesn't really matter, but I think we've got to start sending
0:41:15 > 0:41:19that message out that we are taking things seriously.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21On January the 19th 2017,
0:41:21 > 0:41:2530-year-old Kibria Ahmed pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud,
0:41:25 > 0:41:28including unlawful subletting contrary to the
0:41:28 > 0:41:32Prevention of Social Housing Tenancy Fraud Act.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35That's the first criminal case that Poplar Harca have brought
0:41:35 > 0:41:39for tenancy fraud, so it was quite a big case for us.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Mr Ahmed did his best to avoid our cameras
0:41:42 > 0:41:46but he couldn't avoid justice. He was given a 12 month jail sentence
0:41:46 > 0:41:49suspended two years and was ordered
0:41:49 > 0:41:51to carry out 120 hours unpaid work
0:41:51 > 0:41:53in the community.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00I'm really happy and satisfied with the proceedings today.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04I'm happy with the result we've got for Poplar Harca and getting
0:42:04 > 0:42:08the message out that tenancy fraud is not going to be tolerated.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12We'll tackle it head on and we're going to bring prosecutions
0:42:12 > 0:42:14like this in the future.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18After the hearing, as Mr Ahmed made a run for it,
0:42:18 > 0:42:21not everyone seemed entirely happy with the proceedings.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24INDISTINCT SHOUTING
0:42:27 > 0:42:30As for Shannon and Nayim, the innocent victims who were
0:42:30 > 0:42:34tricked into subletting Mr Ahmed's social housing flat,
0:42:34 > 0:42:38they had no choice but to move out and are now flat hunting again.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40I really miss this place.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43We got engaged there. He proposed to me there.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47On Christmas Day. We've got so many memories in this place.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Our friends coming round, my family coming here.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54- Yeah, it was...- It's horrible. It's all just been taken away.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58The house where we've made a home, built up, just gone.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00Everything gone. And now we are back to square one.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09Tenancy fraud is never a victimless crime.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12There's always a financial cost and a very human cost to pay.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16But thanks to the tireless work of housing fraud investigators across
0:43:16 > 0:43:19the UK, those who are cheating the system are being tracked down
0:43:19 > 0:43:24and their properties are being reclaimed and re-let.