0:00:02 > 0:00:05This programme tracks down thieves. It exposes fraudsters
0:00:05 > 0:00:08and it brings help to those who really deserve it.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11This is the frontline against benefit fraud.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13This is Saints And Scroungers.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Saints And Scroungers is all about busting benefit thieves,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43who steal millions every year, and the crack teams of investigators
0:00:43 > 0:00:46determined to scupper their devious scams.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50And we also shine a light on those who genuinely need the money,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54and the people who help them get it. They are our saints.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58The saints get help and the fraudsters get their comeuppance.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Coming up on today's show:
0:01:00 > 0:01:02The titled lady and her boyfriend,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06who posed as landlord and tenant to swindle the taxpayer
0:01:06 > 0:01:09out of nearly £93,000.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12There was clearly a relationship between them that was
0:01:12 > 0:01:14more than just friends.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Darling Oriol, love Graham. Kiss, kiss, kiss.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20OK. It's more than platonic, this, isn't it?
0:01:20 > 0:01:23And we meet at the dedicated carer
0:01:23 > 0:01:25who fell ill herself.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I couldn't help my nan. My nan couldn't help me.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32It reached a stage where it was really unbearable for us.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36But is a helping hand closer than she thinks?
0:01:41 > 0:01:45If somebody said they were living in a posh place like this,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49you wouldn't expect them to be claiming benefits, would you?
0:01:49 > 0:01:52But scroungers come in every shape and size,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and even lords and ladies sometimes feel
0:01:55 > 0:01:58they've got the right to dip their hand into the taxpayer's pot.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01This is Graham Young...
0:02:03 > 0:02:06..a 68-year-old man, claiming to be single
0:02:06 > 0:02:09and living in rented accommodation in Fulham, south-west London.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14He has no job and no savings and consequently is claiming benefits.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Now meet Lady Bowden.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21She's the wealthy widow who owns the flat Graham Young is renting.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24But it seems their relationship may not
0:02:24 > 0:02:27be as straightforward as landlord and tenant.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30In fact, Lady Bowden and Graham Young
0:02:30 > 0:02:32are suspected of being a couple, who together,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35are guilty of ripping off the benefit system,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38to the tune of just under £93,000.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Mark Dalton is Investigations Manager
0:02:41 > 0:02:44for Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48He's been in the job for 15 years,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52and knows a thing or two about how to rumble a benefit cheat.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54I joined him down on the river,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58to check out the unlikely scene of this suspected crime.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- What have we got here, Mark? - This is Carrara Wharf, Dom.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04This is a very nice block of flats by the Thames here,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Putney Bridge, and this was the place
0:03:07 > 0:03:10where Graham Young claimed housing benefits for years.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14It was purchased by Lady Bowden in March 2004.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18As far as des-res goes, slap bang on the Thames,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20- this is a very nice one to land. - Very nice indeed.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22How did you discover what was going on?
0:03:22 > 0:03:25We had a tip-off in the summer of 2008,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27really came from the local police,
0:03:27 > 0:03:32that there was an issue with somebody who lived on the estate here.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35They suspected the person was claiming benefits,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and the person had a partner
0:03:38 > 0:03:41who was financially sufficient to support that person.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45It turns out one of Graham Young's neighbours
0:03:45 > 0:03:47had blown the whistle on him.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49It seems that over the past few years,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Young had brought a series of petty court actions against
0:03:52 > 0:03:56the management company that ran the posh apartment block where he lived.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Roger Southam is chairman of the management company,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02which now manages the property.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06It was their job to sort out the mess Graham Young had created.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09The reason for the court action was some fairly spurious
0:04:09 > 0:04:13and fatuous claims he was making about damage to his car,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17about parking space not being available for him,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20about damage to his property.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23He claimed he had plant pots moved, plant pots taken.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25The whole myriad was just unbelievable
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and in every case, the judge threw out the cases
0:04:28 > 0:04:31and in every situation, costs were awarded against Young,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33and each time he turned round to say
0:04:33 > 0:04:36he couldn't afford the costs because he was on benefits,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39so the poor leaseholder was suffering,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42with money going on their service charge, and picking up the tab.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46So Graham Young had firmly established himself
0:04:46 > 0:04:48as the neighbour from hell.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53But it was Mark Dalton and the fraud team's job
0:04:53 > 0:04:56to find out whether he was also a benefit fraudster.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57Mark Dalton speaking. Can I help?
0:04:57 > 0:05:00In April 2008,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03a full investigation was launched into Graham Young.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06The first thing Mark needed to confirm was exactly what
0:05:06 > 0:05:10benefits Young had been claiming, and for how long.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Council records showed Mr Young had received housing benefit
0:05:15 > 0:05:19since May 2002, on the initial basis, of being on income support,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21and then that had become pension credits
0:05:21 > 0:05:23when he had reached his 60th birthday.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26He was claiming income support based on being single,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30out of work, with no income and no assets.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34The Department For Work And Pensions are responsible
0:05:34 > 0:05:37for administering income support,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39so Mark contacted his opposite number at the DWP...
0:05:41 > 0:05:45..Fraud Officer Monique Robbins.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Income support and pension credit
0:05:48 > 0:05:50are means tested benefits.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53The customer has to declare
0:05:53 > 0:05:55any form of income, property,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58capital, that they hold.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Monique was able to confirm that
0:06:00 > 0:06:03because Graham Young was receiving pension credits,
0:06:03 > 0:06:08he had also automatically qualified for council tax and housing benefit,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11which had paid for his posh riverside pad,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15owned, of course, by his equally posh landlady, Lady Bowden.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19In March 2004 we received a letter from Lady Bowden,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22confirming she was the new landlady,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25asking whether we could commence the payment of
0:06:25 > 0:06:28housing benefit into her bank account, which we did.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31So far, everything is looking legit.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34You've an unemployed, single man in his mid-60s, living alone,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37who needs a little bit of help paying rent.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39He gets a new landlady. She informs the Council
0:06:39 > 0:06:43and the housing benefit is paid directly into her account.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47But according to his disgruntled fellow residents,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Graham Young's new landlady, Lady Bowden,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52is in fact, his girlfriend,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56a little detail, which makes a big difference.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00If Lady Bowden is Graham Young's girlfriend,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02what's he actually guilty of?
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Basically living together fraud.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Where somebody claims benefits and fails to declare
0:07:07 > 0:07:10they're in a relationship, they have a partner
0:07:10 > 0:07:12who should be included in the claim.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15If that person was included in the claim, it would seriously
0:07:15 > 0:07:18reduce or extinguish their entitlement to benefit.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Lady Bowden...sounds very hoity-toity...
0:07:21 > 0:07:23what can you tell me about her background?
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Her original name was Oriol Bath
0:07:26 > 0:07:30and she was married to Frank Bowden,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34which is where she gets the Lady from. She was widowed in 2001.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38We believe she was wealthy in her own right before marrying Lord Bowden.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42He, himself, was the grandson of the person
0:07:42 > 0:07:44who built up the Raleigh cycle company.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48- All right for a few quid, isn't she? - She has considerable means, yes.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54It sounds like Lady Bowden has got easily enough money for two,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57but Mark still needed to prove, beyond a doubt,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59that these two were a couple living together
0:07:59 > 0:08:02and that she was supporting him while he claimed benefits.
0:08:04 > 0:08:05What the team needed now
0:08:05 > 0:08:08was to start digging for some hard evidence.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14We started looking into their background, their finances,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17to look for links between the two.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19We were quite surprised at what we found.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Mark contacted the DWP and asked them
0:08:23 > 0:08:25to take another look at Graham Young's claim form,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29from when he first applied for income support back in 2002.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32On it, they discovered he had declared
0:08:32 > 0:08:34a tiny share in a small studio in Fulham,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36but when they checked Land Registry to see
0:08:36 > 0:08:39what else they could discover about the property,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41they made an astonishing find.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45The studio in Fulham was a unit,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47single-storey unit,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49size of a double garage,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52owned initially by him, then sold to his father.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Subsequently,
0:08:54 > 0:09:00that was given by Graham Young and his stepmother
0:09:00 > 0:09:02to Oriol Bowden.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Hang on a minute. How many people do you know would give away
0:09:07 > 0:09:11a valuable property in one of London's most well-to-do boroughs,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15to their landlady? This case looked more suspicious by the second.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Mark sensed he was onto something
0:09:18 > 0:09:20and decided to delve deeper into the land registry,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24to see what other murky details would come to light.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27The investigation uncovered that in 2003,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31jointly, Lady Bowden and Graham Young
0:09:31 > 0:09:34purchased a property in Ramsgate for £100,000,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36without a mortgage.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38And later we discovered in 2008
0:09:38 > 0:09:41they had purchased another property in Ramsgate, again, jointly,
0:09:41 > 0:09:45without a mortgage, for £36,000.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49These transactions indicated their finances were wrapped up together,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52in the same way you'd expect a well off man and wife
0:09:52 > 0:09:54to have their finances wrapped up.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58These house purchases recorded in the Land Registry,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01seemed to show Graham Young was a man of property,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03but when you looked a bit closer,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Mark noticed that there was something funny going on.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Within days of each house being bought,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Graham Young removed his name from the title deeds, so Lady Bowden
0:10:12 > 0:10:14was left as the sole proprietor.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Clearly such an arrangement would
0:10:19 > 0:10:21hide assets that Mr Young owned,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24to allow him to claim any income-based benefits,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26and to keep anybody that was chasing him
0:10:26 > 0:10:29for any money he owed them, at bay.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33It looked like Graham Young and Lady Bowden had thought of everything,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36but what would happen when their double dealing
0:10:36 > 0:10:38eventually caught up with them?
0:10:38 > 0:10:40The first Lady Bowden and Graham Young
0:10:40 > 0:10:43knew about being investigated for benefit fraud,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45was when police knocked their door early one morning.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Next it's farewell to the scroungers and hello to the saints,
0:10:51 > 0:10:56the innocent men and women in the UK in dire need of government help
0:10:56 > 0:11:00and the people who show them the way to claim what they deserve.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05When a family member becomes ill,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08people often feel it's their duty to care for them,
0:11:08 > 0:11:09which is fair enough.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13But what happens when the stress becomes too much,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17and the carer themselves actually starts to become unwell?
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Kemille King is a single mother who's juggling bringing up
0:11:21 > 0:11:25her three sons, working with youngsters in a Bristol hostel
0:11:25 > 0:11:28and caring for her elderly nan when she fell ill.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32My nan had a stroke in 1995,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36which has left her paralysed on one side,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39and partially blind on the other side,
0:11:39 > 0:11:43so she just couldn't cope, it was hard for her to cope on her own.
0:11:45 > 0:11:4812 years ago the whole family moved from Jamaica to England,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and went to live with Kemille's aunt
0:11:51 > 0:11:53in her terraced house in Bristol.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57I met Kemille to find out how she's been coping since then.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Am I right in saying that Jamaicans, particularly,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04have a really good, loyal bond, with their families?
0:12:04 > 0:12:07You come together and really look after each other?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09As Jamaicans, we think our responsibility
0:12:09 > 0:12:10is to look after our parents.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13If it takes somebody to stop working
0:12:13 > 0:12:16to look after Nan, that's what we'd have to do.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Giving up work to be a carer wasn't an option for Kemille.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Along with her aunt, she was the breadwinner of the household
0:12:23 > 0:12:26and was doing over 70 hours a week as an assistant
0:12:26 > 0:12:28at a shelter for the homeless.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31My mum was working a lot.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35She was working a lot, coming home,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38having to do stuff for me and my brothers and my nan.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42I thought she was like a superwoman, basically.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45With Jowayne's help, Kemille was just about able
0:12:45 > 0:12:50to keep her head above water but then one day, disaster struck.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Kemille was on her way to work when she slipped and fell,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55injuring her back and shoulder.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Kemille was diagnosed with chronic regional pain syndrome.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03She was given a morphine patch to wear 24 hours a day,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and, devastatingly, had to give up work.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09I think, not going to work...
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I started to think, "What is going to happen?"
0:13:12 > 0:13:16The thinking became more stressful and more stressful became more pain
0:13:16 > 0:13:19and I was on that cycle, downhill.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Kemille's aunt insisted that she go to the doctor,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25who told her she was suffering from depression brought on
0:13:25 > 0:13:28by the terrible pain and stress that she was under.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31My GP knew that I was a main carer for my nan.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36I came home with a leaflet but I was very reluctant to ring.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I didn't want to ring anybody for help.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42The leaflet was for a publicly funded organisation
0:13:42 > 0:13:46called Bristol Black Carers, who were set up specifically
0:13:46 > 0:13:49to help carers in the black and Asian communities.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- So what did you do for Kemille? - I think the initial thing
0:13:52 > 0:13:54was looking at the housing.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57That was the crucial part of what we had to do, because
0:13:57 > 0:13:59she couldn't live in the conditions that she was living in.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02It was true that a new home for Kemille and the boys
0:14:02 > 0:14:05would transform all their lives, but, as usual,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Kemille was thinking of others first.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11My nan is just like my blood in my vein.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16So leaving her, taking the boys with me,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20was a big thing for her as well as for myself.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23It was now down to Hazel to find a solution to the nan problem
0:14:23 > 0:14:26that would be acceptable to Kemille.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29One of the free services that Bristol Black Carers provide
0:14:29 > 0:14:31is to supply care attendants,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33to give carers a break from their duties.
0:14:33 > 0:14:40For the first couple of days, I went down to see how it went,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44and she is having a fantastic time with that carer.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49Now that Kemille could see for herself how happy her nan was,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52she was ready to take more good advice from Hazel,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54this time about benefits.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Kemille's health is actually deteriorating,
0:14:56 > 0:15:01which is really quite worrying, so I've suggested to Kemille
0:15:01 > 0:15:03that we apply for disability living allowance.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08'In only a few months, Hazel had waved her magical wand
0:15:08 > 0:15:11'over so much of Kemille's life, but she saved her best trick for last.'
0:15:11 > 0:15:14How long did it take to get her a house?
0:15:14 > 0:15:16With Bristol Black Carer support,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18I think she got a house within seven to eight months.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22How long could somebody be waiting if they didn't have your help?
0:15:22 > 0:15:24A couple of years. It wouldn't surprise me.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27This is a beautiful house. Have you done this garden?
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Me and my sons have done it.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33'I couldn't wait to see the difference the house made to Kemille
0:15:33 > 0:15:35'so I went to check it out.'
0:15:35 > 0:15:37You must feel like the cat who got the cream,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39sitting in a house like this now?
0:15:39 > 0:15:43I feel relaxed. More relaxed.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48I feel that the boys have more space for their friends or whatever.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50I feel fantastic.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52You've moved on a little bit here.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55You've got what you deserve and need.
0:15:55 > 0:15:56What's happening with your nan?
0:15:56 > 0:16:00I try to see her at least twice a week but if I don't,
0:16:00 > 0:16:01because of how I feel,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04I don't worry about her.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Although I'm here and she's there, she's OK.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09On that note I will love you and leave you.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11- All the best for the future. - Thank you very much.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17'Back now to the world of the scrounger,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20'and the case against suspected benefit cheat, Graham Young,
0:16:20 > 0:16:25'and his supposed landlady, Lady Bowden, is heating up.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28'Hammersmith and Fulham Council has found evidence
0:16:28 > 0:16:32'to suggest they're guilty of living together fraud.'
0:16:32 > 0:16:35As we began to probe the finances
0:16:35 > 0:16:37of both Lady Bowden and Graham Young,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40it became clear their relationship
0:16:40 > 0:16:43was other than what you'd expect from a landlord and a tenant.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46'The investigation discovered that
0:16:46 > 0:16:50'while posing as a single man scraping by on benefits,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52'Graham Young and Lady Bowden had been building up
0:16:52 > 0:16:55'an extensive property portfolio
0:16:55 > 0:16:58'worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.'
0:16:58 > 0:17:01So this poor, old, unemployed, single bloke
0:17:01 > 0:17:04is actually now starting to look quite flush.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07He's got a stake in three valuable properties
0:17:07 > 0:17:09in London and the south-east,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11but what about that rather nice apartment on the Thames,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13where he's now living?
0:17:13 > 0:17:18We discovered that in 2004, Lady Bowden purchased the property.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21By 2008, Graham Young had moved out.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23She was well aware of that because both of them were,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27through different estate agents, trying to rent the property out
0:17:27 > 0:17:29whilst he was still receiving housing benefit.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31He was claiming rent from you
0:17:31 > 0:17:33and they were sub-letting it out to get more rent.
0:17:33 > 0:17:34Two slices of the cake?
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Two rental incomes for the same property,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39and one of them paid for by the taxpayer.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Just hold your horses for a second.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48He is claiming housing benefit for a property he no longer lives at.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52On top of that, him and Lady Bowden are trying to let the property
0:17:52 > 0:17:55so they can pocket the rent and the housing benefit on top of that.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Cheeky monkeys!
0:17:57 > 0:17:59'This was shaping up to be
0:17:59 > 0:18:02'one of the council's biggest and most complex cases yet.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06'All Graham Young's fraudulent benefit claims
0:18:06 > 0:18:09'were based on the fact that he was a single man without income,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13'so unless the team could prove once and for all he was in a relationship
0:18:13 > 0:18:15'with a rich partner,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18'the case against him and Lady Bowden would collapse.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22'If they were going to catch this greedy pair red-handed,
0:18:22 > 0:18:24'they needed to tread carefully.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27'One of Mark's colleagues on the Hammersmith fraud team
0:18:27 > 0:18:28'takes up the story.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32'In his line of work, it pays to conceal your identity.'
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Under the Social Security Act,
0:18:34 > 0:18:38we have powers to get information
0:18:38 > 0:18:41regarding the person's financial details
0:18:41 > 0:18:43once we suspect a crime is being committed.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46'The team got access to Lady Bowden
0:18:46 > 0:18:49'and Graham Young's bank accounts and what they found was dynamite.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52'It looked like she was bankrolling her boyfriend,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55'dishing out large sums at regular intervals and all the while,
0:18:55 > 0:18:56'he was claiming benefits
0:18:56 > 0:18:59'as a single, unemployed pensioner with no income.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01'That wasn't the half of it.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05'They also found evidence of some very tasty trips abroad.'
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Typically, what we saw was that they were travelling through Europe
0:19:08 > 0:19:13in France, Holland, Belgium and also in the United States.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22It's becoming increasingly clear that these two are together
0:19:22 > 0:19:24and they're not short of a bob or two either.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29They still continue to claim money from the system we pay taxes into.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Do these people have no shame?
0:19:33 > 0:19:35'After years of getting away with it,
0:19:35 > 0:19:40'Graham Young and Lady Bowden must have thought they'd fooled everyone.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45'But even the most devious criminals will sometimes betray themselves.'
0:19:45 > 0:19:49There was an insurance policy in the name of Oriol Bowden
0:19:49 > 0:19:53that listed Graham Young as a second driver to her vehicle.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Where it asked what their relationship was,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00she declared that he was her spouse.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01'Gotcha!
0:20:01 > 0:20:06'This was the vital piece of evidence the team were waiting for.
0:20:06 > 0:20:07'It was time to bring the couple in.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11'At this point, Lady Bowden was living at an address in Berkshire
0:20:11 > 0:20:14'and on 28th January 2009,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17'the police and Hammersmith and Fulham council
0:20:17 > 0:20:20'swooped in a dawn raid.'
0:20:20 > 0:20:23The first that Lady Bowden and Graham Young
0:20:23 > 0:20:26knew about being investigated for benefit fraud
0:20:26 > 0:20:30was when police turned up and knocked on their door very early one morning.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33'I've come along to the council offices to hear the report
0:20:33 > 0:20:36'from our undercover investigator.'
0:20:36 > 0:20:40Officers from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
0:20:40 > 0:20:44attended early morning at the home of Lady Oriol Bowden.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49Graham Young opened the door. He was in his pyjamas.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54On gaining entry to the property, Oriol Bowden was in the lounge,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57also in her nightwear.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Graham Young was clearly perturbed that we were there that early
0:21:00 > 0:21:05and he was quite annoyed that the police were there, full stop.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08'No wonder Graham Young was so angry.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10'It seemed that the early birds from the council
0:21:10 > 0:21:14'had definitely caught their worms.'
0:21:14 > 0:21:16When we went into the house,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19it was clear that one of the bedrooms was not used.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22That's clearly being used as a junk room.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25The assumption to us was that there was only one usable bedroom
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and it's clear they were sharing the same bed.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31What did they say in their defence?
0:21:31 > 0:21:35The defence was that Mr Young had been recently unwell
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and that Oriol Bowden was looking after him.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42They said he wasn't living there, he was staying there temporarily.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47'But their story didn't make any difference to the police.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50'Lady Bowden and Graham Young were both arrested
0:21:50 > 0:21:52'on the suspicion of benefit fraud.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56'Meanwhile, the team continued their search of the property.'
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Personal effects were found belonging to Graham Young.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Also, there were an exchange of cards
0:22:04 > 0:22:07and stationery that we've recovered,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09showing that there was clearly a relationship
0:22:09 > 0:22:12between them that was more than just friends.
0:22:12 > 0:22:18"Darling Oriol, much joy ahead. Love Graham, kiss, kiss, kiss."
0:22:18 > 0:22:21OK, it's more than platonic, this, isn't it?
0:22:22 > 0:22:26'And there was plenty more where that came from,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30'including various letters and postcards addressed to them both.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33'A framed photograph of Graham taken while on holiday in Venice
0:22:33 > 0:22:36'and a joint membership of the Caravan Club.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41'Hm, ideal for when they're tired of all those foreign trips.'
0:22:41 > 0:22:46The other pictures that the police took were photographs
0:22:46 > 0:22:49that clearly put Mr Young at this property.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51If we look at this photograph, it's clearly a picture
0:22:51 > 0:22:56of a man's shirt hanging on the back of a door,
0:22:56 > 0:23:02and in the bathroom, we have men's toiletries that are clearly belonging
0:23:02 > 0:23:03to a male and not a woman.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07A male shaver and foam, you know, that belonged to him.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11'The team brought all of this evidence back to London,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14'where it was added to the piles of paperwork already assembled
0:23:14 > 0:23:17'over this huge two-year operation.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21'Monique Robbins from the DWP was able to piece together
0:23:21 > 0:23:24'the facts before confronting Lady Bowden and Graham Young,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28'who were both interviewed under caution later that day.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38'Lady Bowden was the first to give her side of the story.'
0:23:41 > 0:23:43'My name is Oriol Bowden.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46'Erm, I have known Mr Young for a very long time.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49'We first met about 1974...'
0:23:50 > 0:23:56During the interviews, Oriol Bowden was quite helpful for the first.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58For the second interview,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01she made no comment on the advice of her solicitor.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06Graham Young refused to answer questions during both interviews,
0:24:06 > 0:24:11either, "I refuse to answer the questions" or making no comment.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Both denied that they were in a relationship
0:24:14 > 0:24:16other than tenant and landlady,
0:24:16 > 0:24:24and that their only relationship was that of very good, old friends.
0:24:26 > 0:24:31'But their denials fell on deaf ears when the facts spoke for themselves.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35'On 6th September, 2010, Lady Bowden and Graham Young went to court.'
0:24:38 > 0:24:41When Young and Bowden were finally charged,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44they were charged with a total of 18 offences,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48including social security fraud offences, money laundering and theft.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53'Both Bowden and Young pleaded not guilty to the charges.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55'The trial lasted a staggering 12 days,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58'in which time the jury heard
0:24:58 > 0:25:02'all the detailed evidence that the fraud team had provided.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05'In the end, it was the proof of their joint purchase
0:25:05 > 0:25:09'of their second Ramsgate property in 2003
0:25:09 > 0:25:12'that convinced the court that they were a couple
0:25:12 > 0:25:15'before he became her tenant in 2004,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18'when she started receiving housing benefit.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22'The jury returned a verdict of guilty as charged.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30'Young was guilty of failing to notify the council
0:25:30 > 0:25:33'that his circumstances had changed and continuing to claim
0:25:33 > 0:25:37'income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39'While his partner in crime, Lady Bowden,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42'was found guilty of acquiring criminal property
0:25:42 > 0:25:46'when she received money for the council for Young's benefits.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49'The total amount that this unscrupulous pair
0:25:49 > 0:25:51'had stolen from the taxpayer?'
0:25:56 > 0:26:00At sentencing, Graham Young was given 12 months' imprisonment
0:26:00 > 0:26:04and Lady Bowden was given 12 weeks' imprisonment
0:26:04 > 0:26:06and the sentences were not suspended.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14'So Lady Bowden and Graham Young paid the price for their greed
0:26:14 > 0:26:17'but what about the poor old tax payer?'
0:26:19 > 0:26:23- How did you get that money back? - We used the Proceeds of Crime Act.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26When the criminal investigation is ongoing,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28you're allowed under that legislation
0:26:28 > 0:26:31to freeze their assets, which meant she couldn't move them abroad
0:26:31 > 0:26:34or hide them so they were there,
0:26:34 > 0:26:38ready to be used to repay the taxpayer.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42- Ouch. It wasn't her lucky year, was it?- Nope.
0:26:42 > 0:26:48'What a result! Every penny stolen was returned to the public purse.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50'Job done.'
0:26:50 > 0:26:52As this couple found out to their cost,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55peer or pauper, it doesn't really matter who you are,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57you can't hide from the law.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd