0:00:02 > 0:00:08This programme tracks down thieves. It exposes fraudsters and it brings help to those who really deserve it.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11This is the front line in the battle against benefit fraud.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14This is Saints And Scroungers.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Saints And Scroungers
0:00:39 > 0:00:42is about busting benefit thieves who steal millions every year,
0:00:42 > 0:00:47and crack teams of investigators determined to scupper their scams.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52And we also shine a light on those who genuinely need the money
0:00:52 > 0:00:55and the people who help them get it. They are our saints.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59The saints get help and the fraudsters get their comeuppance.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01On today's programme...
0:01:02 > 0:01:05this cheating couple illegally claimed benefits,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09then used taxpayer's cash to set up a business.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12We found a goat farm, a fish farm.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15There was also a house and there was a farm shop.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19And we meet the parents of baby William,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23whose severe disabilities have left him facing an uncertain future.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25We don't know what time we have,
0:01:25 > 0:01:27could be a few months, or a few more years,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29but we want to make the most of it,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32so the idea of him in childcare without us, isn't an option.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Could a charity help solve their money worries,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39while they devote themselves to caring for their son?
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Sometimes, crimes can go undetected for years
0:01:46 > 0:01:48and the perpetrators almost get away with it.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51But then, something happens that blows their cover
0:01:51 > 0:01:54and all their dirty deeds go up in smoke.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Made Hassan Kamara from Belgium and Leila Raymond from Holland.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02They came to London to start a new life together
0:02:02 > 0:02:05and were expecting their first child.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10As European Union citizens they were entitled to benefits,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12and they put in a claim for housing benefit
0:02:12 > 0:02:16and council tax benefit, to help make ends meet. Sounds fair enough,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20but it seems this couple might not be as innocent as they appear.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23In fact, Croydon Council believe they conned
0:02:23 > 0:02:27the British taxpayer out of £82,000.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35Investigator Gail Campbell was in charge of the case.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38They came to the Council in 2001
0:02:38 > 0:02:43and claimed housing and Council Tax benefit from that date.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Leila Raymond had no income
0:02:45 > 0:02:49and Hassan Kamara declared that he was a taxi driver
0:02:49 > 0:02:51working locally for a taxi company.
0:02:51 > 0:02:52Their daughter was born
0:02:52 > 0:02:56roughly six months after the initial claim was made.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00So a young couple at the start of a new life together in the UK.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03A little baby girl and a flat in a nice little area,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07plus a boost from the government to help them along their way.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Things are looking quite rosy for Hassan and Leila.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14And life continued to go well for the couple.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16They lived in their flat claiming housing benefit
0:03:16 > 0:03:20and Council Tax benefit for the next nine years.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23But then, out of the blue, disaster struck,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26and their private lives suddenly came under scrutiny.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29I've come to Croydon to get the low-down on what
0:03:29 > 0:03:31would turn out to be a shocking story.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Gail, to be honest, they look a lovely couple. What went wrong?
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Around a year ago, the building behind us caught fire,
0:03:37 > 0:03:42and everybody had to move out. The people that were in the top flat
0:03:42 > 0:03:44declared themselves homeless
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and needed to be put into some temporary accommodation.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50So, up to that point everything was OK, all hunky-dory.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Yeah, it seemed to be fine.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54When interviewed, they gave their names
0:03:54 > 0:03:56as Hadiza Mohammed, the female,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59and Nura Kamara was her partner.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01They had told the housing officer
0:04:01 > 0:04:04that they'd never claimed any benefit before.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05What did you discover?
0:04:05 > 0:04:09The officer that did the interview made some background checks.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11On the database, yeah?
0:04:11 > 0:04:14The information held showed there was housing benefit,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18it was still being paid the day she checked, no cancellation to it,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20and the people who were claiming the benefit
0:04:20 > 0:04:24were a female called Leila Raymond
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and her partner Hassan Kamara.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30So all of a sudden, you've four completely different names?
0:04:30 > 0:04:34We've got four names, all supposedly living at the same address.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37What we also noticed was that the family,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40being interviewed as homeless,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43had a child and the people who were living at the address
0:04:43 > 0:04:46and claiming the benefit also had a child,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49and the child was exactly the same name and date of birth.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52What are you starting to suspect at this point?
0:04:52 > 0:04:53We're starting to suspect
0:04:53 > 0:04:57that Leila Raymond and Hassan Kamara
0:04:57 > 0:05:01are the same people as Hadiza Mohammed and Nura Kamara.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04So you think there's just one couple here?
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Yes. There's just one couple using a false identity
0:05:06 > 0:05:08to claim benefits.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15So Gail smelt a rat, and if this was fraud,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18it had been going on for nearly a decade.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21I ran checks on the address in Croydon,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23and found there was a claim that was live
0:05:23 > 0:05:25in the name of Hassan Kamara and Leila Raymond.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Finding there was no national insurance for Leila Raymond
0:05:29 > 0:05:34was very suspicious because everybody needs a national insurance number.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Gill discovered that in 2004, a housing officer
0:05:37 > 0:05:41went to the couple's flat to check details of their benefits.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Hassan Kamara was at the property and he opened the door,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48and for identification purposes he showed his driving licence.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52He also told the visiting officer that Leila Raymond had moved
0:05:52 > 0:05:56and he had moved Hadiza Mohammed into the property.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01This is all starting to get a little bit confusing.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Hassan Kamara is living here with Leila Raymond,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08but then she moves out and Hadiza Mohammed moves in,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12but then Hadiza Mohammed, it seems, is living with Nura Kamara.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15I mean, who's fake and who's real, here?
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Is anyone who they say they are?
0:06:18 > 0:06:23Suspecting false identities are being used to dupe the Council
0:06:23 > 0:06:25out of thousands in benefits,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Gail asked the UK Border Agency for help.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Part of the Home Office, it controls immigration
0:06:32 > 0:06:36and holds information on everyone who enters the UK.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Tina Lyonette is one of their fraud investigators.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44We look at all aspects of criminal activity,
0:06:44 > 0:06:45that's either within the country,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49or people coming into the country using false documents,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52types of fraud they might be doing while they're here,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55using false documents, false passports,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58birth certificates, anything like that,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01in order to work and live and remain in the UK.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Tina ran checks on the names of the two couples
0:07:04 > 0:07:07supposedly living at the Croydon flat.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09I checked all four names, there was no trace
0:07:09 > 0:07:12of Leila Raymond or Hassan Kamara,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14but because they're Europeans, supposed to be,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16there wouldn't necessarily be any trace,
0:07:16 > 0:07:21but I did find Hadiza Mohammed and Nura Ismael Kamara.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Tina discovered that Nura Kamara and Hadiza Mohammed
0:07:25 > 0:07:28were both Nigerian. They were real people, all right,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31but, unlike the so called European couple living at the same flat,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34they were not entitled to claim benefit in the UK,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36or stay in the country without a visa.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40I requested the file for Nura Kamara and found
0:07:40 > 0:07:44that he'd married a French national in 2003,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46a lady by the name of Helene Vingadio.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51So, while Nura is living with Hadiza Mohammed and their baby daughter,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54he married a French woman, Helene Vingadio
0:07:54 > 0:07:56and then as the husband of an EU national,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00he applied for a Residents Permit to remain in the UK.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03What we needed to find out was whether
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Helene Vingadio was actually in the UK, whether she'd been working
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and whether in fact she was living with Mr Kamara.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10So, Hassan and Leila,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14the sweet couple with the little baby, may not actually exist.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17The net is closing in on benefit cheats Nura and Hadiza and
0:08:17 > 0:08:22on top of that, it turns out that Nura has also got a French wife.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24This plot is really starting to thicken.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30As the evidence against them mounts up,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33it looks like this dodgy duo are about to come unstuck.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Nura Kamara would have us believe he's living with his girlfriend,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40his wife and their kid, all under the same roof.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41Yeah, a big happy family.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Next, it's farewell to the scroungers and hello to the saints.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53The innocent men and women all over the UK in dire need of Government
0:08:53 > 0:08:58help and the people who show them the way to claim what they deserve.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Getting ready for the birth of your first child has got to be
0:09:04 > 0:09:07one of the happiest times of your life.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09What happens if you find out your baby is going
0:09:09 > 0:09:11to be seriously disabled?
0:09:11 > 0:09:14How can you prepare for a new arrival that is going to
0:09:14 > 0:09:15turn your world upside-down?
0:09:15 > 0:09:20We were told that the baby would have very severe development delay and
0:09:20 > 0:09:24would have very severe epilepsy that would be very difficult to control.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Basically, his brain just hadn't developed properly
0:09:27 > 0:09:29from about 14 weeks.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31At the time of all these things being mentioned,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33we hadn't a clue what they meant.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35With a lot of research on the internet,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38we were able to look up different things.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41We were told and read lots of things that he probably wouldn't
0:09:41 > 0:09:44have much of a lifespan, maybe last one or two years.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Just from the things we'd read, but no-one really could tell us a definitive answer.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51When Baby William was born with severe disabilities
0:09:51 > 0:09:53that meant he may not live beyond 2,
0:09:53 > 0:09:58his parents Helen and Steve knew that they were going to need help.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00But they had no idea where to turn.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02It was massive change to their lives.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05William's main problems are that he has severe fits
0:10:05 > 0:10:09and he can't feed normally so he has everything fed through his tube.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10He was also a very floppy baby.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13At ten and a half months he still doesn't have any head control.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17We're not sure whether he'll ever develop that.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Coping with the full-time level of care William was going to need,
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Helen knew that returning to work,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26even part-time as they had planned, just wasn't an option.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29There was no-one else that could physically care for William
0:10:29 > 0:10:32for all them hours. No-one else can feed him,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34they don't know how his pump works.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38No-one else would be able to spot his seizures like I can.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42But with their whole focus now on caring for William,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Steve and Helen would also have to live on just one salary.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Once we realised that Helen wouldn't be going back to work,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51obviously our income was going to be going down by quite a few
0:10:51 > 0:10:54thousand pounds so we had to work out what we were going to do
0:10:54 > 0:10:58with that and some of that came from tightening our belts.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Not spending so much on holidays and things like that.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Still, we needed to find other income from somewhere.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09But when a doctor put Helen in touch with Contact A Family,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12a charity that helps parents of disabled children,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16their local family support worker, Dawn, paid her a visit.
0:11:16 > 0:11:17- Hello.- Hi. Come on in.- Thank you.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23Helen first contacted me - I think William was probably
0:11:23 > 0:11:29a couple of months old and just had been told by her consultant that
0:11:29 > 0:11:33it was worth her giving us a call to see what was available to her.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Before I spoke to Dawn, I knew a bit about disability benefits
0:11:36 > 0:11:40that were available but not a lot at all because I never really
0:11:40 > 0:11:43had any contact with that sort of thing before and often things like
0:11:43 > 0:11:47that are means-tested so I didn't know if we'd be entitled to anything.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50I didn't really know how much it would be or if we'd get any of it.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Dawn explained that she thought William would qualify
0:11:53 > 0:11:56for disability living allowance.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01A lot of our families don't realise that DLA is available to them.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05They're often not aware they're entitled to it or the channels they should go down.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Dawn guided Helen through the benefits paperwork step by step.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11It's a really long form, 50 pages,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14so there's a lot of information required. It's very daunting.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17She'd obviously filled in quite a lot before helping other families
0:12:17 > 0:12:22so she knew what level of information they needed and just helped me
0:12:22 > 0:12:26go through it all so I felt confident I'd given them the right information.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Helen and Steve sent off a form and crossed their fingers
0:12:30 > 0:12:33but they didn't have to wait long.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35A few weeks later we got a letter back to say
0:12:35 > 0:12:37William was entitled to the higher rate level
0:12:37 > 0:12:39which we were really pleased about.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44It has meant an extra £73.60 a week for the family.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49That extra income from the DLA
0:12:49 > 0:12:52has lifted a bit of the weight off our shoulders.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57A lot of things that William needs particularly are sensory toys.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Just the fact they are sensory toys, the price is increased,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04so being able to buy him things like that is great.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Now that Helen's maternity pay is finished,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Dawn has helped her apply for a carer's allowance.
0:13:11 > 0:13:12If she's successful,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15it will add an extra £50 a week to the family's budget.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Looking to the future,
0:13:17 > 0:13:22they're planning what equipment William will need as he gets older.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24I'm working with Helen and Steve at the moment to look
0:13:24 > 0:13:27for grant provisions for William to have a pushchair
0:13:27 > 0:13:31that adapts to the chair that they're able to use in the house.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36We're obviously worried about having enough money to pay the bills
0:13:36 > 0:13:38and to buy the things William needed,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40but since we met Dawn and she's told us about different
0:13:40 > 0:13:43things we might be entitled to, it takes a lot of worry away.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Because we know there are things in place to help us,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48just with the day-to-day things
0:13:48 > 0:13:52and we can just focus on enjoying spending time with William.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56I can't begin to imagine what it's been like for Steve and Helen
0:13:56 > 0:13:59with little baby William and just how hard that has been for them.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Isn't it great to know there are people out there supporting them
0:14:03 > 0:14:06and money available to make life just that little bit easier?
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Now it's back to the world of the scroungers
0:14:13 > 0:14:17and were this couple suspected of fooling the system for years about to be found out?
0:14:24 > 0:14:29When their flat was destroyed in a fire, Nigerians Nura Kamara
0:14:29 > 0:14:33and Hadiza Mohammed came to Croydon Council for help, but investigators
0:14:33 > 0:14:39uncovered what they believed to be an £82,000 benefit fraud.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42The couple are suspected of creating fake European identities
0:14:42 > 0:14:47to falsely claim housing benefit and council tax benefit for nine years.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50But when they discovered that Nura Kamara had also married
0:14:50 > 0:14:53a French woman and applied for UK residence,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56the case began to look far bigger than first imagined.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02So, Gail, you found out from the Home Office that as well as living
0:15:02 > 0:15:05with Hadiza Mohammed, Nura Kamara was actually married
0:15:05 > 0:15:07to a French woman, is that right?
0:15:07 > 0:15:11That's right, yeah. The information held by the Home Office said that
0:15:11 > 0:15:16she came in in December 2002.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20And the marriage took place on 9th January, 2003.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Bit of a whirlwind romance, wasn't it?
0:15:22 > 0:15:25One month later and they got married?
0:15:25 > 0:15:26Bit of love at first sight, I would say.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Nura Kamara would have us believe he's living with his girlfriend,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33his wife and their kid, all under the same roof.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Yeah, a big happy family.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Either Nura's got a very understanding girlfriend
0:15:40 > 0:15:42or something very fishy's going on.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Tina Lyonette, fraud investigator at the UK border agency,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50was on the case.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54One of the ways a Nigerian national might remain in the UK is
0:15:54 > 0:15:56if they marry a European national
0:15:56 > 0:15:58who is exercising their treaty rights.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Treaty rights meaning they have to be living and working in the UK.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06She began to look into the history of Nura and Helene's case
0:16:06 > 0:16:08to see if it stacked up.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12In 2003, there was an application to the Home Office from both Helene
0:16:12 > 0:16:16and Nura to apply for residence permits on the basis
0:16:16 > 0:16:19of their marriage which had happened the month before.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Helene was allegedly working for a shop in South Norwood
0:16:23 > 0:16:26so she appeared to be exercising her treaty rights
0:16:26 > 0:16:29and on that basis, the residence permits were issued.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Because the initial application for the permit would only be
0:16:32 > 0:16:36issued for a year on the basis that Helene's contract of employment
0:16:36 > 0:16:40was short-term, they re-applied again a year later, both of them.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45This time Helene said that her contract of employment was permanent
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and they were now issued residence permits for five years,
0:16:48 > 0:16:49taking it up to 2009.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Tina was suspicious that all was not what it seemed
0:16:53 > 0:16:55with Mr and Mrs Kamara.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58When I looked at Helene Vingadio, I found that there was
0:16:58 > 0:17:02absolutely nothing on record to show that she'd been living in the UK.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05There was nothing to show that she'd ever lived at the address.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Where she'd allegedly been working, there was nothing.
0:17:08 > 0:17:09The shop had disappeared,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12there was no National Insurance contributions and
0:17:12 > 0:17:15she'd never even applied for a National Insurance number.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Had she been working legally in the UK,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19there would have to be some record.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22The council's records raised more questions about
0:17:22 > 0:17:25whether this marriage was genuine.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Shortly after he received leave to remain for five years,
0:17:28 > 0:17:33one of the Croydon Council visiting officers visited the property
0:17:33 > 0:17:36to update the housing and the council tax benefit records.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40The visiting officer found Hassan Kamara, another woman named
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Hadiza Mohammed and there was no mention of Helene Vingadio.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49So, where was Nura's French wife?
0:17:49 > 0:17:52It seemed she had vanished into thin air.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56At this point we were beginning to think she might be a real person
0:17:56 > 0:17:58because we'd seen a copy of her passport
0:17:58 > 0:18:01but she didn't live in the UK. In fact, had probably come in,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04got married and disappeared straight after.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08I also noticed that the signature on Helene's French passport
0:18:08 > 0:18:10didn't appear to match the signature on the Home Office application.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13That made me think that perhaps someone had completed it
0:18:13 > 0:18:14on her behalf.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19So not only is Kamara a suspected benefit fraudster,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22but he may also be guilty of immigration offences.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26It's time for the UK Border Agency to do some serious digging.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Nura Kamara had leave to remain until 2009
0:18:30 > 0:18:33but he obviously wanted to make his stay permanent.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35He sought advice from solicitors and looked at
0:18:35 > 0:18:39the immigration rules in order to find ways in which he could remain.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41But things were getting tricky for Kamara.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44He had told the Home Office he was married to Helene
0:18:44 > 0:18:48but he now wanted to get permanent residency not only for himself,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51but for his long-term partner Hadiza and their daughter.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54It seemed to be that both had a plan when they first arrived
0:18:54 > 0:18:58in the UK that he would go down the route of marrying a European
0:18:58 > 0:19:01national in order to gain residence, and once he'd gained permanent
0:19:01 > 0:19:05residence he could then apply for Hadiza to be his legal partner.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07As long as he was married to Helene, he couldn't have applied
0:19:07 > 0:19:11for residency for Hadiza, who was his real partner,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15because he couldn't be in a subsisting relationship with both.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18He came up with an idea that maybe he could say Hadiza
0:19:18 > 0:19:19was his sister-in-law
0:19:19 > 0:19:22and that the little girl was his niece rather than his daughter,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25but in fact, that was his real partner and his daughter.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30His solicitor advised him they would not be granted UK residency
0:19:30 > 0:19:34but undeterred, this scrounger came up with another idea.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37In 2009, he divorced his wife, Helene Vingadio.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41He claimed that they'd been separated quite a long time
0:19:41 > 0:19:44and that in 2006, he'd come home and found her in bed with another man.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48That was the petition for his divorce, which was obviously granted.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Still pocketing housing benefit and council tax benefit under
0:19:52 > 0:19:56the false identities of Hassan Kamara and Leila Raymond,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Nura Kamara was ready to put the final parts of his grand plan into action.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05Nura's residency was due to expire in 2009
0:20:05 > 0:20:09and just prior to that, he submitted a further application
0:20:09 > 0:20:14for permanent residence so that he could stay here indefinitely.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18He submitted a letter with that to say that he was now
0:20:18 > 0:20:20divorced from Helene. She was living elsewhere,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24but that he was now living with Hadiza Mohammed with whom
0:20:24 > 0:20:28he had a child and he wanted her to stay on the basis of his
0:20:28 > 0:20:32permanent residence so that she could get residence in the UK as well.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Nura Kamara has now divorced his French wife and is busy
0:20:36 > 0:20:40formulating a plan whereby he and Hadiza can stay in the UK.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Surely he's got to be married to an EU national
0:20:43 > 0:20:45in order to get indefinite leave to stay?
0:20:47 > 0:20:51If you've been in a marriage with an EU national and then separate,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53it doesn't mean you can't apply for permanent residence,
0:20:53 > 0:20:58providing that the European national was working in the UK
0:20:58 > 0:21:00for a continuing period of five years.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01Although he was now divorced,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04he had been in a relationship for the required amount of time
0:21:04 > 0:21:07with Helene and he was granted permanent residence.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Nura had provided the Home Office with information that appeared
0:21:11 > 0:21:13to show Helene living and working in the UK
0:21:13 > 0:21:17and on that basis he had been granted permanent residency,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20but now, Tina took a closer look at the file.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25In 2008, Helene suddenly gets resurrected.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28She applies to HM Revenue & Customs,
0:21:28 > 0:21:33she submits wage slips saying that she's a self-employed hairdresser.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35She still has no National Insurance number,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37but on the basis of the declared earnings,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Inland Revenue then bill her for small amounts of tax.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44What's odd about this is that
0:21:44 > 0:21:47although she claims to have separated from Nura in 2007,
0:21:47 > 0:21:51the invoices she submits are from the address in Croydon.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54The UK Border Agency and Croydon Council were confident
0:21:54 > 0:21:58they had enough evidence to bring this couple in for questioning.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01In November 2010, they were invited for an interview
0:22:01 > 0:22:03at the council offices and told
0:22:03 > 0:22:06it was to discuss benefit options with them.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Over nine years, they had claimed over £70,000 in housing benefit
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and over £11,000 in council tax benefit
0:22:13 > 0:22:16using fake European identities.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18When they arrived, they were shown into a room
0:22:18 > 0:22:20and there was a team from the UKBA there.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24They were then arrested for immigration offences
0:22:24 > 0:22:26and taken to Croydon Police Station.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Social services came to look after their child.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33A team of officers from Croydon Council and the UKBA went to
0:22:33 > 0:22:35the bed and breakfast they were staying in
0:22:35 > 0:22:37and searched their accommodation there.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40We discovered that there was a lockup storage unit which
0:22:40 > 0:22:43was in South Norwood, so we left and went and searched that as well.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46What they discovered was a whole pile of evidence that
0:22:46 > 0:22:49appeared to strengthen their case against the couple.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52There were a large number of photographs found.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Particularly, nine or ten pictures of the wedding between Nura and Helene.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01The pictures were both before and during the ceremony, and that was all.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04That was all there was of Helene, but there were hundreds of photographs
0:23:04 > 0:23:07of Hadiza and Nura together before the wedding,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10day after the wedding, on a family outing,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12and it just detailed their life.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16The search also revealed a number of incriminating documents,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19suggesting that Nura had been manufacturing a life
0:23:19 > 0:23:22for his ex-wife Helene without her knowledge.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25There were also the wage slips relating to Helene Vingadio
0:23:25 > 0:23:28that mentioned her being self-employed as a hairdresser.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31There's a number of handwritten wage slips there
0:23:31 > 0:23:33and the correspondence from HMRC.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36This leads me to believe that it's Hadiza
0:23:36 > 0:23:38and Nura that are submitting these invoices to HMRC
0:23:38 > 0:23:41so that they can deal with any incoming post
0:23:41 > 0:23:43and any further enquiries.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47The more evidence they uncovered, the more convinced they became
0:23:47 > 0:23:49that Nura had created a fake life for Helene
0:23:49 > 0:23:52that she knew nothing about.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55We also found a notebook that contained
0:23:55 > 0:23:58crib notes for Helene Vingadio.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01There was her name, date of birth, the date she started self-employment
0:24:01 > 0:24:06and also what appears to be a practice signature for Vingadio,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10the same as it appears on the application forms in the Home Office.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13There was also Helene Vingadio's original residence permit
0:24:13 > 0:24:19that was issued from April 2003 to April 2004 bearing her photograph.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22What's more, they discovered that Hadiza Mohammed had been
0:24:22 > 0:24:26working illegally in a care home using a fake British passport.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29In a lockup where all their furniture was stored after the fire,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33we found a jewellery box which contained the false British passport
0:24:33 > 0:24:36that she'd actually used in order to gain work.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41There was now enough evidence to prosecute Nura Kamara
0:24:41 > 0:24:43and Hadiza Mohammed.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Nura Kamara was charged with immigration offences which were...
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Those are the benefit offences. Hadiza was charged with...
0:24:58 > 0:25:01The couple both pleaded guilty.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05In June 2011, Nura received a three-year prison sentence.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Hadiza was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Both are appealing against removal from the UK when they're released.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18He deserved the three-year sentence. Hadiza was very lucky
0:25:18 > 0:25:20to get away with an 18-month sentence.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23It was only the fact she's got children that stopped him
0:25:23 > 0:25:25from giving her a longer sentence as well.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Nura Kamara had cheated the system to become a permanent UK resident
0:25:29 > 0:25:31and at the time of their arrest,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34his partner's application was being considered.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37They had made up false identities to swindle
0:25:37 > 0:25:40thousands out of British public funds.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45Nura Kamara and Hadiza Mohammed were claiming benefits under the names of
0:25:45 > 0:25:50Hassan Kamara and Leila Raymond right up to the day they were arrested.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54One of the conditions of his leave to remain was that he had no recourse
0:25:54 > 0:25:57to public funds, therefore he had to keep the two identities going
0:25:57 > 0:26:00in order to claim the benefits.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04It's systematic abuse of the British system of benefits and welfare.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07It's taking advantage of people that actually need the money.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10If it wasn't for the fire, they wouldn't have come to
0:26:10 > 0:26:13the attention of the council or the Home Office.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16They would have been given leave to remain in the UK
0:26:16 > 0:26:19and possibly continued with the fraud for another good few years.
0:26:19 > 0:26:25Nura and Hadiza scrounged money off the taxpayer for nine whole years,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28and if that hasn't wound you up, cop a load of this.
0:26:28 > 0:26:34We found details of property and land owned in Nigeria
0:26:34 > 0:26:38and on this land, there was a goat farm, a fish farm.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42There was also a house and there was a farm shop.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46We think all of that was funded by the benefits we paid them.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49That really gets my goat,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53but I'm glad to say, it's game over for Nura and Hadiza.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Their master plan has finally been found out.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd