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 > 0:00:12This is the frontline in the battle against benefit fraud.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14This is Saints & Scroungers.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Saints & Scroungers is all about busting benefit thieves
0:00:40 > 0:00:44who steal millions every year, and the crack teams of investigators
0:00:44 > 0:00:47determined to scupper their devious scams.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51And we also shine a light on those who genuinely need the money
0:00:51 > 0:00:53and the people who help them get it.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55They are our saints.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59The saints get help and the fraudsters get their comeuppance.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Coming up on today's show...
0:01:03 > 0:01:06How a scrounging couple connived to steal nearly 70 grand
0:01:06 > 0:01:11in benefits while he worked full-time, using someone else's name
0:01:11 > 0:01:15and claimed to be unable to work due to disability.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20The crux of the investigation was to prove that he wasn't, in fact, disabled at all.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24And a woman living in danger in her own home.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27It's always on my mind that I'll walk in, come in the house,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30and Mum's had a fall in the bathroom and that's it.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32She's not with me any more.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Living a double life is no easy task.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Don't I know it!
0:01:40 > 0:01:43You have to juggle two separate names and two separate identities.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Not that I'd know. After all, there is only one Dominic Littlewood.
0:01:47 > 0:01:48Now clear off, you!
0:01:48 > 0:01:52But some people really do live two completely different lives
0:01:52 > 0:01:57and it's only when they overlap that they end up getting caught out.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Meet the Joneses, James and his partner Kay from Croydon.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06On the surface they're a couple deserving of benefits.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09She has a daughter to support and very little income coming in.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12He apparently suffers from a painful arthritic condition
0:02:12 > 0:02:15which means he's unable to work.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18But appearances can be deceptive.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25On top of the benefits he's been getting, has James Jones stolen
0:02:25 > 0:02:29someone else's identity to make even more money from a full-time job?
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Croydon Council and the Department for Work and Pensions
0:02:32 > 0:02:37have received an anonymous call on the benefit fraud hotline.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Andy MacDonald has taken on the case.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48The tip-off we received said that James Ivor Jones
0:02:48 > 0:02:51was working full-time for a tram operations company,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54as a tram driver, under the name of Stephen Gooding.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00So he's suspected of being more dishonest than disabled,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03while the couple have apparently been busy scrounging
0:03:03 > 0:03:08almost 70 grand in benefits they're not entitled to.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12I've come to meet Croydon Council's fraud investigator Gail Campbell,
0:03:12 > 0:03:14who's on their case.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Am I right in saying that, right up until the point
0:03:19 > 0:03:24when the DWP called you, had, for any reason, James Jones stepped into your radar before that?
0:03:24 > 0:03:28We didn't have any need to be looking at their claim for benefit.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30It was maintained properly.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32But, of course, now your alarm bells are ringing.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34The DWP are saying, "We've got a problem here.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38- "You've probably got a problem." - Yeah.- You pulled the file. What did you discover?
0:03:38 > 0:03:43Well, we discovered that they'd been claiming housing and council tax benefits
0:03:43 > 0:03:45from 1999 as a couple, right up to 2010.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50So they got housing benefit, council tax allowance and what, incapacity benefits?
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Incapacity benefit was being paid for James Jones.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58- So, basically, as far as their claims go, they've got multiple claims going on?- Yeah.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02- OK. And if they're entitled to 'em, albeit, fair and good.- Mm-hm.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07From 2004, James Jones also claimed incapacity benefit
0:04:07 > 0:04:11because of an arthritic condition he said prevented him from working.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13So, if he's claiming incapacity benefits,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15what is he saying is wrong with him?
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Well, he says he's got a condition called ankylosing spondylitis.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22In a nutshell, what is that? Layman's terms, please.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24It's an inflammatory condition of the spine.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26A bad back that's such that he can't work.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30And how long had he been claiming he was suffering from this from?
0:04:30 > 0:04:34On his forms, he says he's had that condition since 1996.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39So, if he can't work, and she's got a kid to support,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42so far things look pretty legit.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46But, in April 2010, the Department for Work and Pensions,
0:04:46 > 0:04:51which was paying Jones' incapacity benefit, received a mysterious tip-off
0:04:51 > 0:04:53that cast doubt on the legitimacy of his claims.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56The allegation was very specific.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00It said that James Ivor Jones and Stephen Gooding were one and the same person,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03one of them in receipt of social security benefits,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05and the other one in full-time employment
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and working for a tram operations company.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Round about the same time, a man calling himself Stephen Gooding
0:05:13 > 0:05:16attended a Jobcentre in order to make a claim for benefit.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19When his National Insurance number was checked,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23he was told he couldn't claim because he was working.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Mr Gooding protested his innocence to the clerk and said,
0:05:27 > 0:05:33"Well, I'm not working, so I'm not sure why your records could possibly show that."
0:05:33 > 0:05:34Hang on a minute.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39So Stephen Gooding was trying to sign on in another part of the country,
0:05:39 > 0:05:44but the DWP was being told that he was driving a tram in Croydon
0:05:44 > 0:05:48and that the Croydon Stephen Gooding was actually James Jones.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Was he lying about his name AND his health?
0:05:54 > 0:05:59If he genuinely had this condition, would he be able to drive a tram?
0:05:59 > 0:06:03I'd say it's very unlikely because you need to be sitting to drive the tram and,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07if you've got any condition of the back, I would think that you would
0:06:07 > 0:06:11find that very uncomfortable and you wouldn't be able to do your job.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14If he didn't have this disability, and he was working full-time,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17would they have been entitled to those benefits?
0:06:17 > 0:06:19They wouldn't have been entitled to the housing
0:06:19 > 0:06:21and the council tax benefit,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25or the incapacity benefit because he obviously would be working.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28So, literally, nothing of what he was claiming he was entitled to?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Not if he was working, no.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Surely it couldn't be our Mr Jones
0:06:34 > 0:06:36working at the tram company, could it?
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Time to find out whether there was any truth to this rumour.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47One of the first stages of the investigation, obviously, was to contact the tram company and say,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51"Do you have anybody working in the name of Stephen Gooding?"
0:06:51 > 0:06:53They were able to confirm to us that they, in fact,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57did have somebody by that name in full-time employment as a tram driver.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00It turned out there was further damning evidence to link
0:07:00 > 0:07:05James Jones in Croydon to Stephen Gooding in the West Country.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10The tram company were also able to confirm the National Insurance number
0:07:10 > 0:07:13used by the Stephen Gooding that they had working for them
0:07:13 > 0:07:16was the same National Insurance number used by the chap
0:07:16 > 0:07:19who represented himself in Jobcentre.
0:07:19 > 0:07:25At that stage, it was absolutely clear to us that there was a case of a hijacked identity.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28The evidence is mounting.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30But why on earth would James Jones
0:07:30 > 0:07:34want to steal Stephen Gooding's identity?
0:07:34 > 0:07:37What we do know is that James Jones did have a previous conviction
0:07:37 > 0:07:42for benefit fraud in 2004, due to the fact that he failed
0:07:42 > 0:07:47to declare to the Department that his partner was earning money.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50He received a community service order as punishment for that.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55So he's already been caught with his hands in the benefit jar
0:07:55 > 0:07:59and, apparently, he didn't learn his lesson that time.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Identity theft is a worryingly common problem in the UK.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10It can be devastating to those people whose identities are stolen
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and it is estimated to cost us taxpayers £1.9 billion a year.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24And proving each case can be tricky, time-consuming and expensive.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27In James Jones' case, there was nothing to prove
0:08:27 > 0:08:31that the person who hijacked Stephen Gooding's national insurance number
0:08:31 > 0:08:33was James Jones.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38The crux of the investigation for the Department at this stage, then,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42was to prove that James Jones, who was in receipt of incapacity benefit
0:08:42 > 0:08:47as being disabled, was A - working in the name of Stephen Gooding,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49i.e. he had hijacked the identity,
0:08:49 > 0:08:53and also B - that he wasn't, in fact, disabled at all.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01What was going on? Was there two Stephen Goodings?
0:09:01 > 0:09:04One that says he's out of work
0:09:04 > 0:09:08and one in Croydon, working full-time on the trams?
0:09:08 > 0:09:12And what did either of them have to do with James Jones?
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Coming up, the net is closing in on James Jones.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Of course, the contradiction that we got from the surveillance
0:09:20 > 0:09:24was not just that this one person was using two different identities, but also,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27if you like, the medical background was completely contradictory.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31But will it be enough proof to stop this fraudster in his tracks?
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Next, it's farewell to the scroungers and hello to the saints.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43The innocent men and women all over the UK in dire need of government help,
0:09:43 > 0:09:48and the people who show them the way to claim what they deserve.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55There's no place like home, I'm sure you would all agree.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00And, when you've worked hard all your life, there's nothing like having a place to call your own.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02But what happens when you can't afford its upkeep
0:10:02 > 0:10:05and it starts to become a hazard to your health?
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Who can you turn to?
0:10:11 > 0:10:1679-year-old pensioner Eunice Stewart has lived in her family home
0:10:16 > 0:10:19in Bristol for the past 26 years.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23But now, instead of being the safe haven it should be,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26her home has been falling apart around her.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31I've come to meet Eunice's daughter, Wendy, to find out what's been going on.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34I mean, the very obvious thing to suggest, of course, is, why doesn't she sell up
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and buy something a bit smaller, something a bit more manageable?
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Um, mainly because it's the family home and we don't want to get rid of it.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Mum wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45She wants to stay in that home and that's what we want to achieve for her.
0:10:45 > 0:10:51As Wendy takes me down the road to meet her mother, I'm getting the impression here
0:10:51 > 0:10:55that Eunice is very much of the old school - proud, independent,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58with a fighting spirit that has stood her in good stead
0:10:58 > 0:11:01so far in her life and she's not about change now.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05- Hello, Eunice.- Pleased to meet you. - And lovely to meet you, too.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07- What a lovely dress. Is this new?- Yes.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- You look smashing, I've got to say.- Thank you.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11So tell me something about the house.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Dare I say it? Have you ever thought about selling up and moving on?
0:11:13 > 0:11:17- No.- Does that mean you've never thought about it or you mean...
0:11:17 > 0:11:21- I thought about it but I'm not selling it.- Right. Why not?
0:11:21 > 0:11:23I want to stay here till I die.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25'Just as I thought.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28'This lady is not for moving and, indeed, why should she?'
0:11:32 > 0:11:36However, there are some seriously dangerous issues in this house,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40just waiting to trip Eunice up, and quite literally.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46For a start, the kitchen has a hazardous step and a poor layout.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50The cupboards are unusable, the taps need replacing and,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54for the past eight years, Eunice has had to get down on her hands and knees to light the oven.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01She's had to come in, every time she wants to light this,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05she's got to come down to light the pilot light which is at the bottom?
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Right at the back. You can see where the paper's been burnt and stuff, so that's no good.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13Another room that is fast becoming unusable is the bathroom.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17So this is the bathroom, as it stands at the moment.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22'Eunice has sciatica so she can't use the bath any more
0:12:22 > 0:12:26'and the damp coming through the walls and the condensation
0:12:26 > 0:12:27'make it a serious slip hazard.'
0:12:29 > 0:12:32It's always on my mind that, you know, I'll walk in, come in the house
0:12:32 > 0:12:36and Mum's had a fall in the bathroom and that's it.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Staying in her own home is clearly the best option
0:12:42 > 0:12:45but where is the money to do all these repairs going to come from?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Because, without them Eunice is in real danger of harm
0:12:48 > 0:12:50or of losing her home.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55I'm not in a financial situation to help her at the moment, nor is my brothers and sisters.
0:12:55 > 0:13:01So we are just doing our best to see if we can get everything done by other ways.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07And then, just when the family had all but given up hope,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10in stepped their very own saint.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Meet Joss Clark from home improvement agency
0:13:13 > 0:13:19Bristol Care & Repair, whose mission in life is to help elderly people,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22and the disabled, to stay in their own home safely.
0:13:22 > 0:13:28First thing I can see here, Eunice, is the step into the kitchen.
0:13:28 > 0:13:34What would be really good is if we could give you a half-step into the kitchen
0:13:34 > 0:13:38so you've only got a small step down, and that might help you.
0:13:38 > 0:13:44The other thing that we could look at doing is putting what's called a grab rail
0:13:44 > 0:13:47on the wall here for you. And that might assist you as well.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Another hazard that I can see immediately,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52as we come into the kitchen, is your cooker,
0:13:52 > 0:13:56where it's placed in the kitchen and, particularly,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00this door opening into this doorway is a trip hazard.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04So what might be a good idea is if we have a cooker
0:14:04 > 0:14:07that's at a height that you can just pull food in and out,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09- without having to bend down.- Yes.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12It would be much safer for you.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Obviously you can't use your bath any more so what we need to look at doing
0:14:16 > 0:14:20is some kind of level access shower - might be quite good for you.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21So there's no step into the shower.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26So I think what we're talking about here today is a new kitchen and a new bathroom for you.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Yes, please. Yes, please. Thank you.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30- Is that good?- Yes.- Excellent.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35What a result for Eunice and a relief for the family.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39But, wouldn't you know it, it's not quite as simple as it sounds.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Care & Repair must have discussed with you
0:14:41 > 0:14:44various different payment plans and options to try and get it done.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- Mm, yeah.- Cos that's the big issue here, of course. Mum knows the work needs doing, don't you, Eunice?
0:14:48 > 0:14:50- Yeah.- You know that. But it's a money thing, isn't it?
0:14:50 > 0:14:52- You haven't got the money to sort it out.- No.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54What did they say about the finances?
0:14:54 > 0:14:58What she would have to do is get a loan and then, if she didn't qualify the loan, or couldn't get the loan,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02then what they'd actually do is tag it on to the property,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06so if the property ever gets sold, then that's the way they recoup their money.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09But, I think, as a family, we need her to sit down and look at the options.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13I think the best one for us, basically, is if she needs the loan,
0:15:13 > 0:15:15let's get the loan and we'll all contribute towards the cost of it.
0:15:15 > 0:15:21However, unknown to the family, saintly Joss was determined to find a way to help.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26By pure chance, Joss and her team were getting ready to celebrate
0:15:26 > 0:15:31the charity's 25th anniversary of keeping Bristolians safely in their own homes.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36Could this prove to be just the opportunity Joss was looking for?
0:15:38 > 0:15:43Part of the celebrations for the 25th birthday of Care & Repair
0:15:43 > 0:15:47is that the organisation decided to have a house makeover.
0:15:47 > 0:15:53Joss actually put Mum's name forward for her to have some works done, for nothing, basically.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58One of the people on the board who was looking at the applications
0:15:58 > 0:16:02was driving his car out and I stopped him.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04So I knew before I got in the building that she'd won,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06so I was really pleased
0:16:08 > 0:16:12It was so exciting. My mum hasn't got a mobile phone so I couldn't tell her,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16so I was ringing everybody else, going, "Oh, my God!"
0:16:17 > 0:16:22Two weeks later and it's time for the work to begin in Eunice's home.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29We've contacted our contractors who we work with on a regular basis.
0:16:29 > 0:16:35They're donating their time, their labour, the materials for free.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39The whole family's involved in this and I just think it's going to make
0:16:39 > 0:16:43a huge, huge difference to that family's life.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48I think you're right about that, Joss.
0:16:48 > 0:16:54The makeover in the kitchen has turned an unusable, hazardous, no-go area
0:16:54 > 0:16:57into a spanking new workable kitchen.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I like the kitchen very much. It's like a palace
0:17:02 > 0:17:06I look around and it's so nice, everything. Really good.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09I thank you very much for helping me.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13As for the bathroom, what was once a cold, damp slip hazard
0:17:13 > 0:17:15with a bath Eunice just couldn't use,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19is now a wonderfully equipped warm bathroom.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22It's comfortable. It's liveable.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27She's safer and more secure so, as a family, we'll be much happier
0:17:27 > 0:17:29about Mum being here by herself now.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31It's going to mean a lot to us all.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Toast to Nanny's house - cheers!
0:17:34 > 0:17:36ALL: Cheers, Nan!
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Back in the world of scroungers, over in Croydon, the council's fraud team
0:17:47 > 0:17:51is on the verge of cracking the case of James and Kay Jones,
0:17:51 > 0:17:55who are suspected of stolen identity and multiple benefit fraud,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57totalling nearly £70,000.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05Hmm, so the Joneses are claiming lots of benefits.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10Are they entitled to them, or is he moonlighting under a false identity?
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Time for the DWP to jump on board.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20Working together, Croydon Council and the DWP suspect
0:18:20 > 0:18:24that he may not be disabled and, what's more, that he may be working
0:18:24 > 0:18:28full-time for a local tram company under a hijacked identity.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34The tricky thing is how to prove it.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Andy MacDonald of the DWP is hot on the trail.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43What was very interesting, from our point of view, is that the tram company
0:18:43 > 0:18:47told us that they'd had to actually deal with a rumour
0:18:47 > 0:18:51that certain members of the public had been referring to him as Jimmy, while he was on the trams.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54They called him in and asked him about this and said,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56"What's the explanation for this?"
0:18:56 > 0:19:00And all that Stephen Gooding, or James Jones, as we knew, could say to them was,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03"I've been called many things in my time. But I am Stephen Gooding."
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Interesting as this was, it wasn't enough.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12The team needed to find proof that this Stephen Gooding
0:19:12 > 0:19:14was actually James Jones.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19The tram company was able to confirm to us from personnel records
0:19:19 > 0:19:22that the address that they held for Stephen Gooding was the same address
0:19:22 > 0:19:25that was being used for the incapacity claim for James Jones.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30This was exactly the breakthrough they needed
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- but there were more to come. - Further, they were able to confirm
0:19:33 > 0:19:37that the stated next of kin for Stephen Gooding was Kay Wheadon,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41who we knew to be the partner of the benefit recipient James Jones.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45What a coincidence, eh(!)
0:19:45 > 0:19:48So the Stephen Gooding who's working as a tram driver here in Croydon
0:19:48 > 0:19:51has the same address as James Jones!
0:19:51 > 0:19:53And, on top of that, he also has the same wife!
0:19:58 > 0:20:01So the next question must surely be,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03was she in on the fraud with her husband
0:20:03 > 0:20:05or had she been duped, along with everyone else?
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Well, it's quite simple. She's filled the forms in.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11This is her handwriting on the forms.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13The forms have been signed by her and him.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16I would say that she's fully aware of what's going on.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- They're thick as thieves, aren't they?- Yeah, they've both been doing it together.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Well, that seems fairly conclusive.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26But the team still needed photographic proof
0:20:26 > 0:20:30that James Jones and Stephen Gooding were one and the same person.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37So the DWP came up with a cunning plan to catch this wily fraudster.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42Armed with a photograph of Stephen Gooding from the tram company files,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46they laid in wait outside Purley Jobcentre, where James Jones
0:20:46 > 0:20:51was due to be called in for a standard benefits assessment interview to check
0:20:51 > 0:20:55that he was receiving the correct benefits for his needs.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00We were in the vicinity of the Jobcentre for, I don't know,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02let's say about around an hour.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06We saw somebody go in to the Jobcentre who was a close match
0:21:06 > 0:21:09to what we had of the description of Gooding.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15We then received information from an investigator inside
0:21:15 > 0:21:20that a gentleman had presented himself to the clerk as James Jones.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23This person was filmed inside the Jobcentre
0:21:23 > 0:21:28and then when this person left the Jobcentre, he was again filmed.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31At that stage, we were able to compare it and say
0:21:31 > 0:21:35James Jones and Stephen Gooding are the same person.
0:21:35 > 0:21:36Result!
0:21:36 > 0:21:41Just the conclusive proof needed to nail James Jones as a fraudster.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45But what about his so-called disability?
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Of course, the contradiction that we got from the surveillance
0:21:49 > 0:21:52was not just that this one person was using two different identities,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54but also, if you like,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58the medical background was completely contradictory between the two.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01One person working, fully able, fully fit,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04fully mobile, in the tram company.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08And then this other person representing himself at the Jobcentre
0:22:08 > 0:22:11who seemed to be able to struggle just to get into the Jobcentre
0:22:11 > 0:22:13without the assistance of a stick.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16And yet we know that these are the same person.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Unbelievable.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22The team now had concrete proof that James Jones was posing
0:22:22 > 0:22:26as Stephen Gooding so that he could work and bring home the bacon.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29But, on top of that, he was also claiming to be unable to work
0:22:29 > 0:22:32so that he could claim benefits on top of his wages.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Now that's what I call royally screwing the system.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40The team now had enough evidence to go and arrest Jones
0:22:40 > 0:22:42and bring him in for questioning.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Tell me what happened on the day of the arrest.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49The arrest team and myself, and an officer from the DWP,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53we went to the tram headquarters.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56When James Jones turned up for work,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58he was called into the manager's office.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01What he wasn't aware of was that the police were hiding round the door.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04The manager then asked him to identify himself.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06As soon as he gave his name as Stephen Gooding,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09the police then arrested him and cautioned him.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13What was his face, can you remember?
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Yeah, he was shocked, very surprised
0:23:15 > 0:23:18and speechless, really. He didn't say anything at all.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20- He didn't have a clue this was about to happen?- No.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23The locker of the employee Stephen Gooding was then searched
0:23:23 > 0:23:27and amongst the items that were seized, as evidence in this case,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30were a bank card in the name of Stephen Gooding,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34and also a front door key which we later found out to be the key to James Jones' house.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38With the evidence against him stacking up,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Jones was interviewed under caution at Croydon police station.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46He was very forthcoming during the course of the interview.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49He admitted signing all of the claim forms that were shown to him,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51the claim forms for the incapacity benefit.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56He admitted working in the name of Stephen Gooding.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59He admitted the offences that we were putting to him.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Finally, after years of lies and deceit,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07this tram-driving fraudster had run out of track.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11But how did James Jones in Croydon
0:24:11 > 0:24:14manage to steal a National Insurance number from Stephen Gooding
0:24:14 > 0:24:18in an entirely different part of the country?
0:24:18 > 0:24:21James Jones was able to confirm to us
0:24:21 > 0:24:25that he was working as a taxi driver in Croydon in 1997,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29which was round about the time that Stephen Gooding lost his wallet,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and we knew that Gooding has connections to Croydon,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34so it was always a possibility, perhaps,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38that that's how he got hold of the identity.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41After James Jones was released, pending sentencing,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44his wife Kay Wheadon Jones was also arrested
0:24:44 > 0:24:49and brought in to Croydon police station for questioning...
0:24:49 > 0:24:52where she admitted to helping to fill out the benefit forms.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55But that wasn't all.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00She also admitted that she knew James Jones used the identity
0:25:00 > 0:25:04of Stephen Gooding for work purposes and that he used the identity
0:25:04 > 0:25:08of James Jones, which is his real identity, for claiming benefits.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13James Jones and Kay Wheadon Jones were charged with 26 counts
0:25:13 > 0:25:17of fraud, including making false statements,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20making false representations, false accounting
0:25:20 > 0:25:23and obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27On the 7th of January 2011,
0:25:27 > 0:25:32James Jones pleaded guilty to fraud and deception.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Kay Wheadon Jones also pleaded guilty
0:25:37 > 0:25:41to aiding and abetting James Jones to commit fraud.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47James and Kay Jones swindled UK taxpayers
0:25:47 > 0:25:52out of a total of £67,641.27.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58James Jones was sent to prison for three years.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Kay Wheadon Jones was sentenced to 12 months,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08suspended for two years, and ordered to do 200 hours community service.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13She was spared jail as the judge decided she would not have become
0:26:13 > 0:26:16involved in the crime without pressure from her husband.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19A custodial sentence is probably the only fair thing
0:26:19 > 0:26:21that a judge could give under the circumstances.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22Given the length of the fraud,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26and the sophistication of the fraud, and, in fact, the efforts
0:26:26 > 0:26:31that Wheadon and Jones went to, to make this fraud continue over that long period.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35It sends out a good signal to anyone that wants to commit benefit fraud
0:26:35 > 0:26:39in that we're here, we'll catch you and we'll bring you to justice.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42And justice for the real Stephen Gooding
0:26:42 > 0:26:46must be that he can finally call his name his own again.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51So, keeping up with the Joneses has been no easy task but now,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54finally, they've run out of track.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Last stop - Her Majesty's pleasure.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd