0:00:02 > 0:00:08Every year, billions of pounds of our taxes are spent on those in genuine need of financial help.
0:00:08 > 0:00:14- 'This money provides a lifeline for people who deserve our support.' - Everything's crumbling around me.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17But unfortunately, about a billion goes on lining the pockets
0:00:17 > 0:00:19of those who aren't entitled to it.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23This is just pure greed and nothing else.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26'But if you're trying to cheat the system, you're being watched.'
0:00:26 > 0:00:29We knew where to look straightaway.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Welcome to the world of Saints And Scroungers.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'Saints And Scroungers shines a light on the good and the not so good
0:00:57 > 0:01:03'in Britain's welfare system. On one side, you have those who need a hand up,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06'and on the other, those who just want a hand-out.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08'It's a battle that's being fought every day,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11'investigators fighting to bring fraudsters to justice
0:01:11 > 0:01:15'and saints fighting to make sure people in need get what they're entitled to.'
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Coming up on today's show - a housing benefit cheat
0:01:22 > 0:01:26tries to rip off taxpayers with over a decade of deceit.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that Jackie Crane's partner
0:01:30 > 0:01:32was living with her at the claim address.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35And a family man gets a hand to turn his life around
0:01:35 > 0:01:37after suddenly losing his sight.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39My life now...
0:01:40 > 0:01:42..million times better.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49The great thing about the welfare system
0:01:49 > 0:01:51is that there's a pot of money there for you
0:01:51 > 0:01:53if things go wrong unexpectedly,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56like a relationship breaking down,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58finding yourself as a single mum with no income
0:01:58 > 0:02:00to support you and your family.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06That's the situation one mother from Croydon found herself in.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Jackie Crane was raising her daughter alone,
0:02:09 > 0:02:11and struggled to pay the bills,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13so she turned to the local council for help
0:02:13 > 0:02:16in the form of housing and council tax benefit.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20She filled out the forms, as anyone claiming benefits has to do,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22and asked for help paying the rent on her flat.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Why shouldn't she? Thousands of people just like her
0:02:25 > 0:02:27do exactly the same.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Her claim was successful, and over the next ten years,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32she received living costs and allowances
0:02:32 > 0:02:35stretching into the tens of thousands.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38But in 2009, out of the blue,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41the Department of Work and Pensions received an anonymous phone call
0:02:41 > 0:02:45suggesting things might not be quite as they seem.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48The precise details, along with a mountain of paperwork,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52landed on the desk of anti-fraud officer Gail Campbell.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53It all took place in Croydon,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57so that's where I've come to find out what was going on.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59So a lot of your leads,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01your ideas about who you should be investigating,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04come from tip-offs from the public. How does that work?
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Well, anybody can phone a fraud hotline
0:03:07 > 0:03:12and they can report whatever they see or whatever they think they see.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Presumably, you can't just look at that as fact.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18What's going through your mind when you look at one of the these tip-offs?
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Well, of course, it's not fact until it's been proven in any way,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26so we would look at the allegation and break it down.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Tell me what you saw when you first saw this tip-off about Jackie.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36What we received on this lady was that she lives with her partner.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39A description was given of the lady and her partner.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42So just to be clear, the tip-off claimed that
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Jackie wasn't a single mum and that she was living with a man.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48While living with someone isn't a crime,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52if you're claiming to be single and get benefits because of your status,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54it's quite a different story.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58What's the problem with that, from a benefits point of view?
0:03:58 > 0:04:02From a benefits point of view, if he is living at that address,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04he needs to be declared,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07because his income needs to be taken into consideration.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- So it's not just a case of investigating her activity?- No.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14We need to investigate the partner's activity, as well,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17and find out as much information as we can
0:04:17 > 0:04:21that brings him back to Jackie Crane's address.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Or on the off-chance that he does have an address of his own,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27that we can be satisfied that that is exactly where he lives.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30So to find out whether she's been doing something wrong,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34- you need to find out what he's been doing.- Yeah, basically.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38With both Jackie and her alleged live-in fella to investigate,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Gail knew that the first task
0:04:40 > 0:04:43was to go back through ten years of paperwork
0:04:43 > 0:04:45with a fine-toothed comb. Sorry about that, Gail.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Jackie Crane had been claiming housing benefit
0:04:49 > 0:04:50from that address since 1999.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53So, basically, from the first week
0:04:53 > 0:04:55that she was given the tenancy to the property.
0:04:55 > 0:05:01She continued to claim benefit based on the lone parent income support
0:05:01 > 0:05:04and there was never any breaks in her claim.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Over ten application forms and three visits,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Jackie Crane's always declared herself to be a single person.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15So, if Jackie's the one signing the benefit forms,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17she's the one who'll face the music
0:05:17 > 0:05:21if it's discovered that anything a little bit dodgy is going on.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23But, so far, all we know is
0:05:23 > 0:05:25she's been claiming she's a single mum for over ten years.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27And she could well have been.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Who's to say that this tip-off that she's living with a man is true?
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Gail's got to give her the benefit of the doubt, excuse the pun.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37As she's claiming to be on her own,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40it made sense to start by looking up details of her children.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43As soon as Gail got her mitts on the records,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45something leapt out at her.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48We looked at the birth certificates of both the children,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52and both birth certificates showed the same father
0:05:52 > 0:05:54and that he had declared on the birth certificate
0:05:54 > 0:05:57that he lived at the same address as Jackie Crane.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Hmm. Now, the first thing that's a bit odd about this
0:06:03 > 0:06:05is that Jackie only ever told the council she had one child.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Maybe she forgot about the other one. Not only that,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11it seems the kids' dad claims he's living with them all.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Now, that's definitely not what she told the council. And guess what.
0:06:15 > 0:06:16The name of the dad,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19well, it matches that given by the anonymous caller.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21So it looks like someone is either mixed up
0:06:21 > 0:06:24or Jackie's been a bit flexible with the truth.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Time for Gail to dig a little bit deeper
0:06:29 > 0:06:34to find out if Dad was definitely living there full-time.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37The employer only held one address for the partner
0:06:37 > 0:06:40and that was the Effingham Road address,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43the same address that the benefit was being claimed on.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47It showed that he declared that as his home address
0:06:47 > 0:06:51from October 1999.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53OK, but even if he's living there,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56they could still be entitled to benefits,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59unless he's bringing in a healthy wage to the family.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02The information in relation to his wages
0:07:02 > 0:07:05showed that he was earning quite a substantial salary.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Well, if this were true, then Jackie would be committing a blatant fraud,
0:07:09 > 0:07:14one which costs the public purse a whopping £1 billion a year.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17It could still be the case that Dad isn't actually living there,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21but just registered there for some reason.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23One way to tell is to look at his bank records,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25and find out where he goes shopping.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28When we looked at Jackie Crane's partner's bank statements,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32we could see that he'd made a lot of transactions on Mitcham Road in Croydon,
0:07:32 > 0:07:37and Mitcham Road is really close to the claim address in Effingham Road.
0:07:37 > 0:07:38A-ha.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42And he was going into the local shops, which are here,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44and using the ATM machine,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48but he was also making purchases in the shops, as well.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51All the evidence is now pointing to the fact that Jackie is living with,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54or at least near, her man.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56And it wasn't long before the investigation
0:07:56 > 0:07:58revealed something else.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02All his personal correspondences were to be addressed
0:08:02 > 0:08:05through the claim address at Effingham Road.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09That included his bank statements, his employment details,
0:08:09 > 0:08:15his payslips, anything to do with any finances, any loans.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20Virtually everything that he had was registered back to Jackie Crane's address.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22It's not looking good for Jackie.
0:08:26 > 0:08:32There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that Jackie Crane's partner was living with her at the claim address.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37If Gail needed any more convincing she was hot on the tail of a benefit cheat,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41back in the office, her years of investigative experience uncovered
0:08:41 > 0:08:43a suspicious gym membership payment
0:08:43 > 0:08:46coming out of Jackie's other half's bank account.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48She wasted no time in giving them a call.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51They provided us with information that showed that
0:08:51 > 0:08:54that membership belonged to Jackie Crane
0:08:54 > 0:08:56and that the partner was paying that
0:08:56 > 0:08:59through his own bank account as a direct debit.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Now, I'm no Sherlock,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06but birth certificate, bank account, employment records,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09all listing one man at one address which also happens to be
0:09:09 > 0:09:13the same address as a single mum living on benefits.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16You do start to wonder if that tip-off had some substance.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Gail and the fraud investigations team thought the same,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27so they invited Jackie in to see what she had to say for herself.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29At the first interview under caution,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31the allegation was put to Jackie Crane
0:09:31 > 0:09:35that she had been living at the claim address
0:09:35 > 0:09:38with her partner and that her partner worked.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42She denied that allegation and was quite taken aback by it.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44She did say that she had an on-off relationship
0:09:44 > 0:09:46with the person that we mentioned at the interview,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49but that he didn't live with her.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52It seemed Jackie had an answer for everything.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55And you know what? It all sounded very plausible.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57But can Gail put the case to bed?
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Was this like the crowning glory?
0:09:59 > 0:10:04Well, I did get a bit excited, I have to say.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07'Or will Jackie's stonewalling prove too much to handle?'
0:10:07 > 0:10:10She didn't have much to say in response to that,
0:10:10 > 0:10:11but she made a few faces.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22'OK, now it's farewell to our fraudsters,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24'and hello to the people that we call saints,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28'those in society who help others in genuine need,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30'but who are sometimes too proud
0:10:30 > 0:10:32'or don't even know how to claim what's rightfully theirs.'
0:10:36 > 0:10:39If you're sighted, it can be very easy to take for granted
0:10:39 > 0:10:42all the things you can see, whether it's a beautiful garden
0:10:42 > 0:10:44or the faces of your own children.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47But imagine one morning if you woke up
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and all of that had gone.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53The shutters, overnight, had come down on your world.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02'In December 2011, life for 42-year-old Michael Haley
0:11:02 > 0:11:05'and his family changed forever.'
0:11:05 > 0:11:08I just woke up one morning and I just couldn't see.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11I couldn't make out anything. Nothing at all.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14He just stood in the kitchen and said,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16"I just can't see."
0:11:16 > 0:11:21'It all began in the summer of 2011 when Michael started to notice
0:11:21 > 0:11:24'that the sight in one of his eyes wasn't as good as it used to be.'
0:11:24 > 0:11:29It was actually the vision in my left eye didn't feel right.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32It just slowly got worse and worse and worse.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35'It wasn't long before it began to affect Michael's ability
0:11:35 > 0:11:39'to do his job as a support worker for a local charity.'
0:11:39 > 0:11:41I was doing a lot of travelling about,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44travelling to different areas in the northeast,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46supporting profoundly deaf people,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50whether it's to support them shopping,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53doing a bit of life skills with them, like cooking.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58And then I started having problems with light during the night.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00It was very painful.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03'Michael's vision got so bad, he had no choice but to go on sick leave,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07'desperately hoping that his sight would improve.'
0:12:10 > 0:12:16'On Boxing Day, 2011, he woke up and was completely unable to see.'
0:12:16 > 0:12:20'This footage is the last time Michael saw his daughter.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23'And even then, he could only make out vague shapes.'
0:12:23 > 0:12:26The main thing was not seeing my daughter and my wife,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28physically not seeing them again.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Cos it was like someone had just cut a line and that was it.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36And it was really...really horrible.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38It was like a hole, really,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40that we just fell in this hole
0:12:40 > 0:12:42and we're trying to get back out.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46'Michael was immediately admitted to hospital,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49'where the doctors desperately tried to find out the cause.'
0:12:50 > 0:12:55They did absolutely loads of tests and then they came back to say that my eyes were absolutely normal.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59His brain is seeing the information and his mind is ignoring it.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Consequently, he's not aware of it, so he's attentionally blind.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06I asked him the question, I said,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09"Is there any guarantees that he may get some sight back?"
0:13:09 > 0:13:11No guarantees whatsoever.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19'Just when Michael needed it most, along came someone who could help.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22'He was visited in hospital by a lady from Action For Blind People.'
0:13:22 > 0:13:26We're a charity that provides practical and emotional support
0:13:26 > 0:13:28for people who are blind and partially-sighted.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Will I ever work? Will I be on benefits?
0:13:32 > 0:13:36At the time, I didn't know. It was really scary times.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39When we first met him, he obviously was lost
0:13:39 > 0:13:43and he was wondering what was out there for him now.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45You didn't know whether you would have enough money
0:13:45 > 0:13:48to feed the family, basically.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Pay the bills, pay the rent.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53It was critical we worked with Michael to ensure that
0:13:53 > 0:13:55him and his family were financially secure
0:13:55 > 0:13:57that they could plan, they could budget,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59and they knew what was coming in, what was going out.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02As Michael had effectively been made redundant,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04he was entitled to a payment from his old job.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Charlotte worked with them to make sure that Michael got
0:14:07 > 0:14:10what he was owed. But he knew that wasn't going to last him long.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14I was quite worried.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Are we going to have enough money to buy nappies for her at the time?
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Stuff like that. Just things like that.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21How are we going to live day-to-day?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24'Charlotte needed to ensure when Michael's cash ran out,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27'she'd sorted him out with money he was due from the government
0:14:27 > 0:14:33'to help him cope with his blindness and carry him through till he could get another job.'
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Having the money, the physical money that they knew they could go to the shop
0:14:36 > 0:14:39and buy what they needed, that they could feed their little girl,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41that they could pay the bills,
0:14:41 > 0:14:46you know, they're not thinking, "Can we put the heating on today?"
0:14:46 > 0:14:48'Charlotte's worked wonders for the family,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52'helping Michael with his job and a smooth transition onto benefits
0:14:52 > 0:14:55'to keep a roof over his young family's head.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59'It wasn't the only aspect of his life that needed to change.'
0:14:59 > 0:15:01He's always been independent.
0:15:01 > 0:15:07And always wanted to do for other people.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09'Being able to get round by himself
0:15:09 > 0:15:12'was one of the things that was most important to Michael,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'so the charity arranged for stick training sessions
0:15:15 > 0:15:18'with local charity My Guide helper, Bob Nunn.'
0:15:18 > 0:15:21We identify routes into the community,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23that are going to be helpful to them.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27And, erm, we help them to learn those routes,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30with the intention that they'll be able to do it themselves in the end.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34The consequence of that, it'll give him much more independence.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37'Michael is determined not to be a burden on others,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41'and, after six long months, all his hard work has paid off.'
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Once I'd done my training with the cane,
0:15:45 > 0:15:46it opened up my life.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49It's like an extension of your arm.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52He's now well able to go to the pub himself.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57And it gives him an opportunity to spend a bit of time on his own.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01'It's taken the whole family pulling together.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04'Even his three-year-old daughter has been helping out Dad where she can.'
0:16:04 > 0:16:08- What colour is it, Faye?- White.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11I'm no longer thinking, you know, I'm not going to see her,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14but I can feel her, I can feel how curly her hair is.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17You know, I've got a rough idea in my head of what she looks like.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20'With help from Action For Blind People,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23'Michael is now taking steps towards reaching his ultimate dream,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26'getting back to work.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31'And he's doing this by learning how to use computers designed specifically for blind people.'
0:16:31 > 0:16:33I'm striving to get back into work.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36And nothing's going to stop me if I can help it.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39'No-one should have to go through what Michael's been through,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42'but, with help, he and his family now know there's a way forward.'
0:16:42 > 0:16:44SHE GIGGLES
0:16:44 > 0:16:45I can't put in words,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48it's absolutely amazing the job that they do.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52They're invaluable, the information and the support that you get off them
0:16:52 > 0:16:54is absolutely invaluable.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Michael and his family have really picked themselves up after a challenging time.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01And with the help and support they've received,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05he can now look forward to a more independent and brighter future.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15'Now it's back to our scroungers, where the spotlight of suspicion
0:17:15 > 0:17:18'has fallen on a single mother living in Croydon.'
0:17:18 > 0:17:20This particular case was referred to us
0:17:20 > 0:17:22through the Department for Work and Pensions.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25And they had received an anonymous referral
0:17:25 > 0:17:27that suggested that Jackie Crane
0:17:27 > 0:17:31had a partner living with her and that he worked.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35'If true, this would mean that Jackie Crane had been fraudulently claiming benefits
0:17:35 > 0:17:40'that were based on the fact she was a single mother living on her own for the last ten years.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42There was absolutely no doubt in my mind
0:17:42 > 0:17:46that Jackie Crane's partner was living with her at the claim address.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49'Gail brought Jackie in for an interview under caution,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53'and asked her why her man was regularly using the cash point
0:17:53 > 0:17:55'and shop just round the corner from where she lived
0:17:55 > 0:17:58'if he wasn't living there.'
0:17:58 > 0:18:01She responded to this assumption by saying that,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04of course he would be using the shops close to the claim address
0:18:04 > 0:18:08because he visited her and the children most nights.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11'OK. Being a caring dad and regularly seeing your kids,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13'well, that's a good thing, right?
0:18:13 > 0:18:18'But if he wasn't living there, instead only visiting most nights,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22'then why had he told both his bank and his boss that he was living at that address?'
0:18:22 > 0:18:28She gave us an excuse that she allowed him to use her address,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30and, in fact, all of his payslips
0:18:30 > 0:18:34and any correspondence relating to the employment would've been sent to her address,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37because it was an address that he could trust.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40She did suggest that he still lived at his mother's address,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43which wasn't too far away from the claim address,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46but it was far enough.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49'It's an explanation that's quite plausible,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52'but Gail's gut instinct was still telling her
0:18:52 > 0:18:54'she was hot on the heels of a cunning benefit fraudster.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58'So she decided to have a little chat with Jackie's boyfriend's mum.'
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Well, she came for her interview
0:19:00 > 0:19:04and she answered the questions we had in relation to her son.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08And what she told us was that her son had not lived with her
0:19:08 > 0:19:12and in fact he left the house when he was 18 years old.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16'But, hold on, Jackie clearly stated under caution that he lived with his mother.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20'With cracks beginning to emerge in the story,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24'it was time for Gail to get Jackie back in for further questioning.'
0:19:24 > 0:19:28The second interview was a brief recap of what she'd said previously.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33We then made her aware that we'd spoken to her partner's mother
0:19:33 > 0:19:36and that we had a written statement from the mother.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39The mother had denied that he had lived with her
0:19:39 > 0:19:43throughout the years that Jackie and he had been a couple.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49She didn't have much to say in response to that, but she made a few faces.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52- 'Jackie's lips might be sealed...' - No comment.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54'..but with Gail convinced she was concealing the truth,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56'she turned up the heat.'
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Have a look at that and tell me what you think.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01'And eventually Jackie began to crack.'
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Different to what she said at the first interview
0:20:05 > 0:20:11was that he did contribute towards the food for the family.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13And he would take them shopping for food
0:20:13 > 0:20:16and he would pay for that.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20That was slightly different to what she said at the first interview,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24where she said that he didn't contribute at all to the household,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27that she paid the bills for everything.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30'The evidence was too much for Jackie.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34'Confronted with a comprehensive paper trail of the couple's finances
0:20:34 > 0:20:38'and statements from witnesses, she back-tracked even further.'
0:20:38 > 0:20:42She made that quite clear, that he would stay,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45he would stay occasionally and for no more than three nights a week.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Jackie Crane never made any enquiries
0:20:49 > 0:20:52to find out whether or not she needed to declare the partner,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55even though he was only there for supposedly three days a week.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58'Gail was convinced she had her on the ropes.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00'But Jackie still wasn't backing down.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04'The investigation had hit a bit of a stalemate.'
0:21:04 > 0:21:08- So you've interviewed under caution three times.- Yes.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13But at that stage, things still aren't feeling right for you. You've still got suspicions.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Yeah. It's, erm, a situation
0:21:16 > 0:21:21where we've got Jackie Crane telling us one thing
0:21:21 > 0:21:24and her partner's mother telling us a different version.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28So we still don't know where he lives 100 percent,
0:21:28 > 0:21:33we've had nothing to prove evidentially
0:21:33 > 0:21:36that he could be at another address. Everything that we had
0:21:36 > 0:21:39pointed to him living at Jackie Crane's address.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43You've got to decide at some point whether you've got a clear-enough picture,
0:21:43 > 0:21:49- enough evidence to take it to a court, to a jury, for them to decide on this.- Yeah.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54'Despite Jackie not 'fessing up, Gail was still confident she'd crack the case.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57'But with all the benefit claims in Jackie's name,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00'Gail had no charges to pin on the partner.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04'She raced ahead and summoned Jackie Crane to court...
0:22:05 > 0:22:08'..for a total of 13 counts of making false statements
0:22:08 > 0:22:11'in order to claim housing and council tax benefit
0:22:11 > 0:22:14'to the tune of around 47 grand.'
0:22:14 > 0:22:16That must be quite nerve-racking for you.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Because, I mean, you spent a lot of time working on these investigations
0:22:20 > 0:22:23and then to get to the stage where you can finally take some action,
0:22:23 > 0:22:27you've got to get your soldiers lined up, haven't you?
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Well, you have to be sure of your facts
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and base it purely on facts.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37You can't make your personal thoughts come into what you prepare for court.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39So it's purely based on evidence
0:22:39 > 0:22:44and what you produce as part of your evidence to the court,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46and to any jury, should it need to go to trial.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51So you've got to put all your suspicions and prejudices and all of that stuff to one side
0:22:51 > 0:22:54and just look at the facts that you've got.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57'Despite all her hard work and meticulous investigation,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00'Gail was about to have the wind taken out of her sails.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05'When the case got to the Magistrates' Court,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08'they decided the fraud was so serious it was passed up the ladder to Crown Court,
0:23:08 > 0:23:12'which meant a bit of a wait before the case could be heard.'
0:23:12 > 0:23:14It must be hugely frustrating,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17because you've got everything sorted out
0:23:17 > 0:23:20and the system is pushing you further back and back
0:23:20 > 0:23:24to actually when we discover the truth and justice is served.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26That's right. And also, you have to bear in mind
0:23:26 > 0:23:29that when you do give your evidence,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32her barrister looks at the delays
0:23:32 > 0:23:36and tries to make it look like
0:23:36 > 0:23:40the delays have been caused unfairly to her.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44And they do play on that a little bit.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48So it's always good to get your matter in court and dealt with very quickly.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51'With the potential for the case to slip away,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53'Gail knew that anxious months lay ahead.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57'Rather than resting on her laurels, she continued hunting for further proof,
0:23:57 > 0:24:03'when she discovered Jackie Crane had a public profile on a social network site.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06'A rookie mistake, as not only could it be read by anyone,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10'but what Jackie had written was about to land her right in it.'
0:24:10 > 0:24:13On her Facebook page, she'd made some declarations
0:24:13 > 0:24:19that her and her long-term boyfriend had split up.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22And there were two comments on there
0:24:22 > 0:24:26that made me wonder what had been going on,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29and she'd changed her status to single,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33which was another indication that something dramatic had happened.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35'But Gail didn't stop there.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38'She decided to check bank statements for the now ex-boyfriend
0:24:38 > 0:24:42'to see if there were any changes to his spending patterns around the time of the break-up.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45'Was she about to find the evidence she needed
0:24:45 > 0:24:48'to finally put this case to bed?'
0:24:48 > 0:24:51He, within a month, told his employer,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55he's told his bank, he's opened a new bank account, he's taken a tenancy,
0:24:55 > 0:24:59he now pays his way outside the borough.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03- So he'd moved out.- He'd gone.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05But he was in before, which is the crucial bit.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Well, yeah, this was the first time that I had ever seen
0:25:09 > 0:25:13anything that indicated a change in circumstances
0:25:13 > 0:25:17in relation to her and him being a couple.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21- Was this like the crowning glory? - Well, I did get a bit excited.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25I have to say, I did get a bit excited.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29'I'll say. With the new evidence and the other stuff Gail had uncovered,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32'surely now Jackie Crane wouldn't have a leg to stand on?'
0:25:33 > 0:25:36When Jackie Crane gave her evidence at court,
0:25:36 > 0:25:41again, she maintained that her partner had never lived with her.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45'Despite a witness statement from a friend corroborating Jackie's story,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49'it didn't take the jury long to bring in their verdict.'
0:25:49 > 0:25:53It was quite evident that the jury didn't believe a word that she said, because they found her guilty...
0:25:57 > 0:25:59..unanimously.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01'So Gail had been right all along.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04'And her hard work and perseverance paid off in the end.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06'After a decade of defrauding the system,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10'Jackie Crane was found guilty of conning Croydon Council
0:26:10 > 0:26:15'out of over £47,000 in housing and council tax benefits.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18'And on top of that, she was also found guilty
0:26:18 > 0:26:23'of cheating the Department of Work and Pensions out of just shy of 21 grand in income support payments.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27'For that lot, she was given 16 months behind bars.'
0:26:27 > 0:26:29So how did you feel then when that verdict came through?
0:26:29 > 0:26:36It's job satisfaction at the end of something when the jury agree
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and somebody is rightfully punished for what they've done.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Her status update was one of the things
0:26:46 > 0:26:48that finally nailed this scheming mum.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Well, here's a new status update for Jackie Crane.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57- HE TYPES - Currently detained at Her Majesty's pleasure.