0:00:02 > 0:00:04One of the things that makes this country great
0:00:04 > 0:00:07is that whenever we find someone in genuine need, we help them out.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10It's a much-needed hand up when times are tough.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12It's a terrible experience.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14It's like hitting a brick wall.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16But then, whenever there's cash on offer,
0:00:16 > 0:00:19you'll always find someone who wants to steal it.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21He withdrew it all in cash.
0:00:21 > 0:00:27Allegedly, it was for the purpose of repaying loan sharks in part.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31But those who cheat the system will usually get what's coming to them.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34He did plead guilty to all charges.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38This is the world of Saints And Scroungers.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Saints And Scroungers highlights the worthy and corrupt people
0:01:03 > 0:01:06that are taking money out of our welfare state system.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08On one hand, there are legitimate claimants.
0:01:08 > 0:01:09On the other, you have cheats
0:01:09 > 0:01:12who are bent on ripping off the taxpayer.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15It's a war that's fought every day across the UK.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Fraud investigators battling to bring the cheats to justice,
0:01:18 > 0:01:22and saints fighting to make sure people in true need
0:01:22 > 0:01:23get what they deserve.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Coming up on today's show...
0:01:25 > 0:01:28a fraudster bent on ripping off the taxpayer,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30despite being minted...
0:01:30 > 0:01:35He had deposited into his bank account about £327,000.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37..and we meet a family that found help,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40after their situation seemed hopeless.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42The doctors gave up on him,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45and then you get a tiny charity that wants to help,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47and it's like a miracle.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Fraud investigators not only detect fraud,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58they also work hard to regain the money that's been lost.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02And to do this, they often have to work with other agencies
0:02:02 > 0:02:03and government departments.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05This is a story about how someone
0:02:05 > 0:02:08who thought they could get away with playing the system
0:02:08 > 0:02:11came up against more than they bargained for.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Meet 60-year-old Martin Wright,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17who worked as a part-time cleaner
0:02:17 > 0:02:20and needed help with benefits because of his low income.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22I've come to the Insolvency Service
0:02:22 > 0:02:25to meet with Liz Thomas, who was the official receiver
0:02:25 > 0:02:28responsible for looking into his case,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31along with investigators from other organisations.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Let's talk about Martin Wright.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38When did he first flick up on your radar?
0:02:38 > 0:02:4015th March, 2010,
0:02:40 > 0:02:44when the Colchester County Court made a bankruptcy order against him.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47He owed money to Tendring District Council,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and they asked the court to make him bankrupt,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52to try and force him to pay.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54So once somebody's been made bankrupt,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57what does that mean for them in the immediate future?
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Well, it means that any assets that they have
0:03:00 > 0:03:04at the date of the bankruptcy order belong to the bankruptcy estate.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07But it does mean that your assets, they're not yours any more?
0:03:07 > 0:03:11They're taken and they can be realised, as you say,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- liquidated, turned into money, to pay off your creditors.- Yes.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18And Martin Wright's creditors, Tendring District Council,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21were not just seeking to get money back that he owed to them.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24This was money that had been stolen from the taxpayer.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29Nicola Russell was the fraud investigator in charge of the case.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35Mr Wright was working as a cleaner for a cleaning company.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38He advised that he was working around 16 hours a week.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42He had stopped claiming benefit for a short while,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44a couple of years, and then re-applied,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48because he had bought a property in Frinton-on-Sea.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50In total, over a seven-year period,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Martin Wright claimed £17,864
0:03:53 > 0:03:56in housing and council tax benefit,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59which he was entitled to, given his low earnings.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02However, his claim came under the spotlight
0:04:02 > 0:04:07when fraud investigators became suspicious about his true income.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Mr Wright's claim came to my attention due to the benefits team.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15They'd asked Mr Wright for some wage slips
0:04:15 > 0:04:18for his new company that he worked for.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20These wage slips were in the same format
0:04:20 > 0:04:22as a previous company he worked for,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26therefore, they were suspicious that something was wrong.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Wright was claiming that he now worked
0:04:28 > 0:04:30for a company called Help At Hand,
0:04:30 > 0:04:35and investigators decided to check out this employer.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38There's no details anywhere that I could say
0:04:38 > 0:04:41that there was a company that existed.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Maybe Wright had made a mistake,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46or maybe he just made up his employer,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48but why would anyone do that?
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Nicola didn't waste any time in going to find out.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57As I couldn't find any information on Mr Wright or the company,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01I decided I would make a visit to the property where he lived.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04When I arrived at the property in Frinton-on-Sea,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07it was a large, detached property.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10To me, it didn't look like
0:05:10 > 0:05:12a property that someone was claiming benefit from.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14It definitely doesn't sound like a place
0:05:14 > 0:05:17that a cleaner on a very low wage would be living in.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Nicola couldn't interview Wright
0:05:19 > 0:05:20properly there and then,
0:05:20 > 0:05:25but when she did eventually get to put specific questions to him,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28he told her that the information they had for him was correct,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31except for one important detail.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32I then took a statement
0:05:32 > 0:05:35from Mr Wright. Mr Wright confirmed that
0:05:35 > 0:05:38they had one Barclays account,
0:05:38 > 0:05:39and that they were on a low income,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43and he was earning approximately £80 a week.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Mr Wright said he worked for a company called Clean 205.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Hold on, Clean 205?
0:05:49 > 0:05:52I thought he worked for a cleaning company called Help At Hand!
0:05:52 > 0:05:54While companies
0:05:54 > 0:05:55of similar names might exist
0:05:55 > 0:05:59and, of course, people do change the company they work for,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03this new information raised more questions for the investigators.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06The fact the wage slips provided looked similar
0:06:06 > 0:06:08prompted suspicion that Wright didn't actually
0:06:08 > 0:06:10work for either of these companies
0:06:10 > 0:06:12and had falsified the pay documents.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Nicola decided to go and have
0:06:14 > 0:06:15another chat with Wright,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19to get to the bottom of his employment situation.
0:06:19 > 0:06:20I knocked on the door
0:06:20 > 0:06:25and it took some time for Mr Wright to come round from the back.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29When I questioned Mr Wright if that was his name,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31he said, "No, it's not me."
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Mr Wright denied that he was himself.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36I did ask to speak to Mrs Wright,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38and she eventually did come to the door.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41I was only able to speak to Mrs Wright,
0:06:41 > 0:06:45as Martin Wright refused to be interviewed by me.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50So Martin Wright had been giving false information to the claims team
0:06:50 > 0:06:54and had clearly been trying to avoid the investigators
0:06:54 > 0:06:57when they came round to question him.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59There was something wrong with Mr Wright,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and the team needed to try a different tack
0:07:02 > 0:07:05to get to the bottom of what was going on.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08After the interview, I sent a letter
0:07:08 > 0:07:10to Mr and Mrs Wright,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13asking for bank statements and wage slips.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17The new wage slips advised a different company
0:07:17 > 0:07:20that Mr Wright worked for, Star Hygiene Ltd.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24Hold on, now he was saying he worked for another company,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27a different employer. The investigators had asked Wright
0:07:27 > 0:07:31the same question three times and got three different answers.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Nicola's team focused on finding out
0:07:33 > 0:07:36who was behind this latest cleaning company, Star Hygiene,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40and also did a bit of digging to see if Wright had any other income.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44As I was unhappy with the information
0:07:44 > 0:07:46that Mr Wright had supplied to me,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49I decided to run some checks through Companies House.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54He had no current companies open at the time that I checked.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56However, when checking his wife's name,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58I could confirm that
0:07:58 > 0:08:02she did have a current company that was not dissolved.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06This company was called Star Hygiene Ltd,
0:08:06 > 0:08:11which was the company that was on Mr Wright's wage slips.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Wright had been working for his own wife's company.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Didn't mention that on his claim form!
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Investigators suspected that Wright must have been getting
0:08:23 > 0:08:26more than what he'd stated his weekly wages were,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30especially when they found out just how successful the company was.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Additionally, I checked Land Registry
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and found that they had an undeclared property
0:08:37 > 0:08:40that was registered under the company name.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44The Land Registry check showed that Mrs Wright owned the property
0:08:44 > 0:08:46and that they'd bought it just after
0:08:46 > 0:08:48the housing benefit claim had finished,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50but they didn't advise it
0:08:50 > 0:08:54when they re-applied for council tax benefit.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56They had two houses.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Seems like Mr Wright had not been particularly honest
0:08:59 > 0:09:00while making his benefit claims,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02and while there was no suggestion
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Mrs Wright had been involved in any wrongdoing,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08further digging revealed some more interesting information.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Mr Wright wasn't just a cleaner at his wife's firm.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14He was in charge.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17So, Martin Wright wasn't just a low-paid employee,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21he was, in fact, the boss of a very successful company.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25And they were about to find evidence to show just how successful it was.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28I found out Mr Wright had a hidden business,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32therefore, I knew he must need a bank account to put the money in.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Therefore, I did a credit check on him.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Through the credit check, I found an undeclared bank account.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Getting the statements from this bank account,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42I found that he had £98,000
0:09:42 > 0:09:44going through this account
0:09:44 > 0:09:46over two years.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50£98,000 - that's serious cash.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53With the evidence stacking up against Wright,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55the fraud investigators decided to bring him in
0:09:55 > 0:09:57for an official interview under caution.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01When he was questioned about the money in his accounts,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03he said this wasn't his money.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Mr Wright was asked about
0:10:05 > 0:10:06the undeclared property
0:10:06 > 0:10:12and he would not admit it until he was shown the Land Registry.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16I asked him if he still owned the property, and he said it was sold.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Wright seemed to have an explanation for everything.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22But eventually, he did admit that he'd fraudulently claimed
0:10:22 > 0:10:25over £17,000 in benefits from the council.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Mr Wright was charged with five offences -
0:10:28 > 0:10:31for failing to declare a bank account,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34failing to declare that his wife had a directorship,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and failing to declare a property.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40He did plead guilty to all charges.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43The fraud team had their man.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46But would they get the council's money back?
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Mr Wright refused to pay any of his overpayments.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Therefore, we decided to go through the insolvency services
0:10:55 > 0:10:57for bankruptcy action to be taken.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05For now, though, it's farewell to the fakers and fiddlers
0:11:05 > 0:11:07and hello to the people we call our saints.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Those in society that help others in real need,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12but who are too proud,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15or often don't know how to claim what they're entitled to.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23Taking the decision to start a family is a big plunge,
0:11:23 > 0:11:27and it can put stresses and strains on a relationship,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29even when things go smoothly.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32But when things turn out in a way you hadn't expected,
0:11:32 > 0:11:37well, that's when our welfare system and support groups are invaluable
0:11:37 > 0:11:40in helping people to find a different kind of family life.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Carol Terrell was happily married, had a good job,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and was hoping to develop her career
0:11:48 > 0:11:50after she returned from maternity leave.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53There were complications during the birth of her first baby,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Charles, but when he did eventually arrive, she was overjoyed.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00His jet black hair and his blue eyes,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02and...oh, he was beautiful.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04I just loved him from the day I saw him.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05Just an amazing feeling,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09to have this special child in your hand.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Staff at the hospital told Carol that Charles was fine,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15but she did notice a few things about him
0:12:15 > 0:12:17that didn't seem quite right.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19He had a very strange cry.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20It wasn't a normal baby cry.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24His eyes just stared at you. There was no emotion in his face.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27He didn't hold anything, but we thought that was normal.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29We weren't sure.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30Something was wrong.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Carol took Charles to a private doctor to get a second opinion,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37and they discovered that he had problems with his digestive system
0:12:37 > 0:12:39which would need an operation.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43They also identified the first signs of some kind of brain disorder.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46It was a very difficult Christmas,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49knowing that you were having to face an operation
0:12:49 > 0:12:50in the New Year for him,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53and not knowing whether this was going to work.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55And even if it did work,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58how do you face life with a child that's got brain damage?
0:12:58 > 0:13:01How are we going to cope with this?
0:13:01 > 0:13:03What is his future?
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Charles underwent a successful operation
0:13:06 > 0:13:08to correct the digestive problems,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11but doctors said there was nothing medically they could do
0:13:11 > 0:13:13to help him with the many other problems
0:13:13 > 0:13:16that were preventing his development.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19The prognosis was that there was no reason why
0:13:19 > 0:13:21he wouldn't have a normal lifespan,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23but that possibly,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26he could lie on the floor for the rest of his life.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28When doctors said there was nothing more
0:13:28 > 0:13:30they could do for Charles medically, well,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33that's when Carol thought she had nowhere left to turn.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Then a friend told her about BIBIC,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40a charity that offers practical advice and support
0:13:40 > 0:13:43for parents that have children with developmental problems,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Jeanette Saunders is a senior developmental therapist
0:13:46 > 0:13:48in the organisation.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53Charles first came to BIBIC when he was 11 months old.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55He could only roll just a little bit
0:13:55 > 0:13:59and his head control was quite poor for an 11 month old.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02The staff at the charity conducted a two-day assessment
0:14:02 > 0:14:06with Charles to work out a programme for Carol to carry out.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09We discovered that Charles was hyperextending,
0:14:09 > 0:14:14which means he was throwing himself backwards and tensing his muscles.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17His hands were fisted, so he wasn't opening them
0:14:17 > 0:14:21and exploring as he should be, or holding objects.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23He had very little balance,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27he wasn't sitting, and his head control was very poor.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31So we devised a programme to address all of those issues.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35'This was actually giving me a routine,'
0:14:35 > 0:14:40with smells, with tastes, with exercise.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45Five, four, three, two, one.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Finish. Good eating.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50It all seemed to be going well,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53but when cracks appeared in Carol's relationship with her husband
0:14:53 > 0:14:56and he decided to leave the family home,
0:14:56 > 0:15:01Carol's world fell apart and she struggled to cope with everything.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03I was in a lot of debt.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07I couldn't work, I was totally reliant on benefits.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Having to get the children to school...
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Eventually, my dad stepped in and he took the children to school for me
0:15:14 > 0:15:17and I collected them, so it just gave me a break.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20'He doesn't always go through the night, so you're tired,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23'so you need to somehow find some time during the day to sleep.'
0:15:23 > 0:15:25It was very, very difficult.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27Looking after a child with the sort of difficulties
0:15:27 > 0:15:30that Charles has would be hard for any parent,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34but doing it alone and with no income took its toll.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37The charity helped Carol navigate the complex benefit system
0:15:37 > 0:15:40and she received housing benefit, income support,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Disability Living Allowance and Carer's Allowance, which helped
0:15:43 > 0:15:47a little, but it was still a tough time for the family.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49It really did affect Mum.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52She kind of... She wasn't herself.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55I guess she was depressed.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57The day my husband left...
0:15:57 > 0:15:59BIBIC have been amazing.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02They gave me a bursary to continue the programme,
0:16:02 > 0:16:07and never have not seen him. They've never rejected him.
0:16:10 > 0:16:11They've always been there.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14With Charles's future with the charity secure,
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Carol could concentrate on delivering his programme,
0:16:18 > 0:16:19and everybody in the family
0:16:19 > 0:16:21would have an important contribution to make.
0:16:21 > 0:16:27From experience, it is important to involve the whole family.
0:16:27 > 0:16:34Siblings can feel left out, or not involved.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37With BIBIC's help, we got Charles to walk,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41and it's such a transformation to see this boy who...
0:16:41 > 0:16:45at...I think it was three years old was still lying on beanbags,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49who still couldn't get up. We then saw this transformation,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53and we saw him walk, and we're developing his speech right now.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56The programme, that included exercises
0:16:56 > 0:16:59to develop Charles physically and mentally,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03was providing astonishing results when he started school.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Charles progressed in a way that we never expected him to,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09and it was enhanced by the BIBIC programme.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11When I knew what they were doing at school,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13BIBIC showed me how to do those things,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17and we enhanced his programme at home.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20But when it came for Charles to move on to secondary school,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23it wasn't going to be a straightforward transition.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25We had a problem with the school saying,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29"No, we don't want to take him," having said that they would.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Charles had been out of school for two years,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34but with the help of the team at the charity,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Carol succeeded in getting him a place back in full-time education.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39And during this time,
0:17:39 > 0:17:43the team also provided some advice for Carol
0:17:43 > 0:17:47that proved crucial in Charles's next stage of development.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51BIBIC then recommended me, while he was out of school,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54to join Scouts, so as to give him something to do.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58So we started Scouts in 2008,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01and that was the best thing we've ever done.
0:18:01 > 0:18:07It was giving him people to mix with, and the leaders were amazing.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12David Ward was one of the Scouts
0:18:12 > 0:18:16that Charles became friends with after he joined.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Everyone kind of interacts with him. He responds well to them.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21And no-one kind of thinks,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24"Just cos he's slightly disabled, we're not going to include him."
0:18:24 > 0:18:27In all the teamwork and stuff, in all the games,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29he's always been put straight in a team.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Everyone kind of accepts him,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33and they've taken quite a liking to him.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Push the mouse... You can do it.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40David and Charles hit it off so well
0:18:40 > 0:18:43that Carol decided to make David an offer he couldn't refuse.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47The charity had helped the family access direct payments -
0:18:47 > 0:18:50these are a government benefit which enables people with disabilities
0:18:50 > 0:18:54to have the freedom to choose and pay for their own care
0:18:54 > 0:18:57and services to suit their own needs, and Carol knew
0:18:57 > 0:19:01the best way to spend Charles's money was by employing David.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04Carol happened to mention that
0:19:04 > 0:19:08they'd got the extra time given to them for a carer,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11so I took on that role,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13and I've been doing it for about a year now.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15And since then, we've got him up climbing walls,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17we've got him bouldering, which is low-level climbing,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19we've got him jumping in rivers, canoeing, kayaking.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It's just great seeing him achieve all the stuff he does.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26It's a weight off my shoulder, because this means
0:19:26 > 0:19:29he is now being treated like a normal teenager,
0:19:29 > 0:19:31without Mum being around,
0:19:31 > 0:19:36and he's got a nice young lad that's happy to deal with his needs,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40but also treats him normally, which Charles prefers.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43And he hasn't stopped there.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Charles's journey continued last year, when he carried
0:19:46 > 0:19:50the Paralympic torch with other members of his Scout troop.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Charles just loved it, absolutely loved it.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56And he enjoyed all the people shouting at him
0:19:56 > 0:19:59from the balconies, and we were running alongside him.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03It was so nice to see BIBIC's work.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06He carried it for all the people that supported us,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08from the church, from BIBIC,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12all the Scout people who have been there for him
0:20:12 > 0:20:14and have supported him,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16and I felt that day he carried it,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19it was like landing on the moon and...thank you.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23No doubt Charles will have other challenges in his life
0:20:23 > 0:20:25as he moves on, but with the help of the charity
0:20:25 > 0:20:27and the support of his family,
0:20:27 > 0:20:32he is now well equipped to deal with whatever life has to throw at him.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40Now, though, it's time to return to our self-serving scroungers.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45The Fraud Investigation team at Tendring District Council
0:20:45 > 0:20:49have successfully prosecuted Martin Wright for illegally claiming
0:20:49 > 0:20:53over £17,000 in housing and council tax benefit.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56After securing a conviction for the benefit fraud,
0:20:56 > 0:20:57Tendring District Council
0:20:57 > 0:21:00referred the case to the Insolvency Service
0:21:00 > 0:21:02after Wright refused to pay back the money
0:21:02 > 0:21:05he'd stolen from the taxpayer.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08OK, so this is fairly straightforward, then.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11He's defrauded the council from benefits,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14he has to pay those back, he can't do it,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17therefore, the council is asking the court
0:21:17 > 0:21:19to make him bankrupt, insolvent.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22I think in this case, it's a case of he wouldn't pay the money back,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24not necessarily that he couldn't.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29We had already spoken to Tendring Council, who had indicated to us
0:21:29 > 0:21:32that Mr Wright had had quite a considerable amount of money,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35so we had a look in his bank accounts,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39and looked at the period prior to the bankruptcy order,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and we found that in August 2009,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45he had deposited into his bank account
0:21:45 > 0:21:48about £327,000.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52So, where did that money come from?
0:21:52 > 0:21:54The money came from the sale of a property,
0:21:54 > 0:22:00and it was the net proceeds after payment of the mortgage.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04So he sold a house, and the difference between
0:22:04 > 0:22:10- the mortgage and the amount he sold the house for is that 320,000?- Yeah.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Wright had been sentenced to nine months' imprisonment
0:22:13 > 0:22:15for the benefit fraud, but if he thought that
0:22:15 > 0:22:17when he got out, that would be the end of the matter,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20well, he didn't quite appreciate how investigating authorities
0:22:20 > 0:22:24work together to protect taxpayers' money.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26It was now Liz's responsibility
0:22:26 > 0:22:31to try and see how Wright could repay Tendring District Council
0:22:31 > 0:22:35the £17,864 that he owed to the taxpayer.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39So you go to him as he is released from jail, or some days afterwards,
0:22:39 > 0:22:41and what do you say, exactly?
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Well, we go through a questionnaire of questions
0:22:45 > 0:22:48which look at establishing what assets he might have,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52and also establishing what other creditors he might have.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57- OK, so what did he have?- Nothing. - Nothing at all?- No.
0:22:57 > 0:23:03- That's what he told you?- That's what he had.- He had nothing?- No.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- So, you looked in his bank accounts? - Yes.- Nothing?
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Not at the date of the bankruptcy order, no.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13You checked... Where did he live at that point? Was he homeless?
0:23:13 > 0:23:17- He was in rented accommodation. - So, nothing there, no asset.- No.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19What?! He sold his property
0:23:19 > 0:23:22and withdrew the proceeds from his account
0:23:22 > 0:23:25at exactly the same time that he owed Tendring District Council
0:23:25 > 0:23:29the 17 grand he'd ripped off from the taxpayer.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31So what's your next move, then?
0:23:31 > 0:23:33What can you do at this point as a sanction?
0:23:33 > 0:23:38Well, I have quite wide-ranging powers as an Official Receiver,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42and one of those powers allows me to look at individuals' conduct
0:23:42 > 0:23:46before they were made bankrupt, and to make an assessment of
0:23:46 > 0:23:49whether I think that that conduct is reasonable.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52And in this case, I assessed that it wasn't reasonable,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55and in those circumstances, I can make application for
0:23:55 > 0:23:58a Bankruptcy Restrictions Order. Because Mr Wright
0:23:58 > 0:24:02signed a Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking,
0:24:02 > 0:24:07which is a legal document whereby he agrees to abide by the restrictions.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09OK, so he's a bankrupt for longer,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11but it's still not really
0:24:11 > 0:24:15A) getting your money back for Tendring Council,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18and it's not really...doesn't really feel like a punishment,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21cos he's playing fast and loose with bankruptcy anyway.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25But in this case, we also submitted a report to
0:24:25 > 0:24:29the Department For Business, Innovation & Skills' legal team,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33because we felt that there was criminal actions, as well.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36The Department For Business, Innovation & Skills
0:24:36 > 0:24:39has a special investigation section, which was created to make sure
0:24:39 > 0:24:43insolvency and bankruptcy aren't abused.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Ian West was the Investigations Officer in the department
0:24:46 > 0:24:49that was given Martin Wright's case to consider.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53The suggestion of criminality was the fact that he had a property
0:24:53 > 0:24:55which nobody knew about
0:24:55 > 0:24:58until the Official Receiver made their enquiries,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00which was worth some £500,000.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04The equity in the property was some £327,000.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07And when he sold that property, he withdrew the proceeds,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09contrary to the bankruptcy order.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13He withdrew it all in cash and, allegedly,
0:25:13 > 0:25:18it was for the purpose of repaying loan sharks in part,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20and I think he might well have said that
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- he gambled other parts of it away. - Ian and his team
0:25:23 > 0:25:26had to work closely with Liz at the Insolvency Service
0:25:26 > 0:25:29to establish the case against Wright.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32We had all the documentary evidence provided to us.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34So then what we have to do is reduce it to evidential form
0:25:34 > 0:25:36by taking witness statements.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39A key aspect of the case for investigators
0:25:39 > 0:25:43at the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills
0:25:43 > 0:25:47was the timing of the sale of Wright's property.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51But before they could tackle that, they had to establish the facts.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55The Land Registry records all sales and purchases of property,
0:25:55 > 0:26:00so by going to Land Registry, you can get the details of
0:26:00 > 0:26:03who sold and who bought the property,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05and the amount that it was bought for.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09So that actually proves the fact that he had ownership of it,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12what money he got from it, where that money went.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16And when it did go to court, Wright was found guilty again -
0:26:16 > 0:26:19this time, for bankruptcy offences.
0:26:19 > 0:26:25Martin Wright received an immediate custodial sentence of six months.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Another good conviction for the team.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29And all of the authorities
0:26:29 > 0:26:32involved in this case plan to keep pursuing Wright,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35to get back that £17,864
0:26:35 > 0:26:39that he still owes to taxpayers.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42If any assets can be found that he has,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46then they will be taken possession of by the trustee in bankruptcy,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48who is the Official Receiver.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50So there's a warning, then.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52You may think you've hidden the money well,
0:26:52 > 0:26:57but the authorities won't rest until they've reclaimed every penny.