0:00:02 > 0:00:05In this country, the money we pay in taxes goes to provide essential services.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09It's a safety net as well, to help when things go wrong.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11We'd got ourselves into a big dark hole.
0:00:11 > 0:00:17But there are some people who see that money as something they deserve, even when they don't.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19A sustained and calculated fraud.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23But for anyone trying to cheat the system, there's a price to pay.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25They could face prison as well.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30This is the world of Saints and Scroungers.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54This is Saints and Scroungers.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57We'll show you people who think they can make a fast buck
0:00:57 > 0:01:00stealing public money from you and me, the taxpayer.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04And we also tell the stories of unsung heroes and heroines.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08The saints get the recognition they deserve,
0:01:08 > 0:01:10and for the fraudsters? Well, it's pay-back time.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Coming up on today's show...
0:01:15 > 0:01:20a couple living a lavish lifestyle at the expense of the system.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24It's been described as a champagne lifestyle, because in the garage, there was a lot of champagne!
0:01:24 > 0:01:30And a full-time mum and carer at rock bottom gets a helping hand to get back to work.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33My confidence had gone. Smashed to pieces. I had no self esteem.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Some people have got the master plan.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Live life to the full. Work hard.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Eventually, maybe, invest in a property portfolio
0:01:46 > 0:01:48and then end up living in Spain
0:01:48 > 0:01:51on the Mediterranean, with your own yacht.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56OK. It's more of a dream than reality, I'll give you that.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00But one person who was determined to follow this dream
0:02:00 > 0:02:02was Paul Hoyle.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05He spent most of the year in his villa in Spain
0:02:05 > 0:02:08and also owned properties in the UK and France.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13To cruise around in, he had his pick of a yacht or his flash E-Type Jaguar.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17And with glamorous blonde Kim Burrell on his arm,
0:02:17 > 0:02:22to most people, Paul Hoyle was the image of the perfectly successful businessman.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27But not to those in the benefits department at Thurrock Council.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Following a routine council tax check in May 2008,
0:02:31 > 0:02:36suspicions arose about how genuine Paul Hoyle's benefit claims were,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38triggering an investigation.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40The case was passed on to Debbie Brazil,
0:02:40 > 0:02:44a benefit fraud investigator at Thurrock council.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Routine checks are carried out by verification officers
0:02:48 > 0:02:53just to ensure that the claim has been paid correctly
0:02:53 > 0:02:55and continues to do so.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00When they first heard of Paul Hoyle, nothing seemed dodgy at all.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05Paul Hoyle first became aware to Thurrock council
0:03:05 > 0:03:10when Kim Burrell named him as the landlord in September 2004.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Before renting a property from Paul Hoyle,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Kim Burrell, a 44-year-old mother of two
0:03:16 > 0:03:19had previously lived in a house a few miles away in Purfleet,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22which she sold to a man called James Ward.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Very little was known about James Ward.
0:03:26 > 0:03:32He was alleged to have had the deeds transferred into his name
0:03:32 > 0:03:34in August 2004.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38So, after selling the property to James Ward,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Kim Burrell started renting a property from Paul Hoyle,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44and as she wasn't working, sought financial help
0:03:44 > 0:03:47from Thurrock Council to pay for it.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50She made a claim for housing benefit, council tax benefits
0:03:50 > 0:03:54and possibly income support as a single parent with two dependent children.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58But investigators discovered the first discrepancy in the paper trail
0:03:58 > 0:04:02a year later, when information provided by Kim Burrell
0:04:02 > 0:04:04looked suspicious.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08During her claim, Kim Burrell gave birth to another daughter
0:04:08 > 0:04:11in June 2005
0:04:11 > 0:04:14which she reported to the Department of Work and Pensions,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17but failed to report to Thurrock Council.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23OK. So far, we have a mum claiming housing benefit
0:04:23 > 0:04:27and benefit for a child she's failed to tell the council about.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31What she did tell them about was a change of landlord
0:04:31 > 0:04:33when ownership of the property she lived in
0:04:33 > 0:04:37was transferred from Paul Hoyle to James Ward,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40the same man she'd sold her first house to.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46So, three people. Kim Burrell, single mum on full benefits.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Paul Hoyle, her first landlord,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52and James Ward, her new landlord,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54who also purchased her first house.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59In fact, this James Ward had quite a nice collection of properties.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03And the team discovered he wasn't the only property mogul in town.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Credit checks into Kim Burrell revealed
0:05:06 > 0:05:10that in February 2008, this benefit-reliant single mum of three
0:05:10 > 0:05:13bought a house in Bulphan, Upminster.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18To get the mortgage, she'd claimed she was a self-employed stockbroker.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21What's more, Paul Hoyle was back in the picture
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and seeking financial assistance for the same property.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Was he looking to claim benefits to pay off Burrell's mortgage,
0:05:27 > 0:05:31while she was also claiming benefit to live in a house down the road?
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Alarm bells started ringing at Thurrock Council.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38The case was passed up to their head of fraud.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Hoyle submitted a claim for Jobseeker's Allowance,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45stating he'd just come back from Spain where he'd been working.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49And he was looking for a property and he submitted housing benefit claims
0:05:49 > 0:05:51for a house in Albert Road, Bulphan.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55On his application forms,
0:05:55 > 0:05:56Hoyle claimed he was bankrupt
0:05:56 > 0:05:59and unable to work in Spain any longer
0:05:59 > 0:06:00because of a bad back.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Considering he was once raking in money as Burrell's landlord,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08investigators thought it was time to look further
0:06:08 > 0:06:09into Burrell and Hoyle's relationship
0:06:09 > 0:06:12and where all their money was going.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15A raft of credit checks at the various addresses
0:06:15 > 0:06:17showed a number of links between them
0:06:17 > 0:06:20and also started to show up other people whose names cropped up in the inquiry,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23specifically a chap called James Ward.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27So property tycoon James Ward is back in the picture.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30What's more, Hoyle has named this James Ward
0:06:30 > 0:06:31as his new landlord,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34rather than Burrell, who actually purchased the property.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Confused? You're not the only ones.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Burrell, Hoyle and Ward had a number of connections.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43And they didn't look like coincidences.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Landlords, tenants, home-owners,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49an ex-pat, a bankrupt and a single mum.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Could the list get any longer?
0:06:51 > 0:06:54There was only one way for the fraud team to go.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57You'd need to go into this with an open mind,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00because sometimes a landlord will have a number of different properties,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02and a tenant will move around.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04The team needed more info.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07So they decided to investigate even further
0:07:07 > 0:07:10the mystery man that was James Ward,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13owner of two properties both connected to Burrell and Hoyle.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18James Ward was associated with a company called Fenland Building Company.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22The checks we did on that showed it was just a virtual office.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25There was nothing to it, no substance to it at all.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29So the information we were able to gather on him was fairly limited.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34He seemed to be a man who existed on paper, but we weren't sure he existed in real life.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Blimey. So now investigators weren't even sure if he was around at all.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Ward's identity wasn't the only one becoming clearer in the investigation.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46The other one was that of Kim Burrell's third child.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49The father given on the birth certificate was Paul Hoyle.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53And the address for both of them was the claim address.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55What they were up to was murky.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57But how much murkier could it get?
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Thank goodness it's time to say farewell to the fraudsters
0:08:06 > 0:08:08and hello to the people we call saints -
0:08:08 > 0:08:11those in society that help others desperately in need
0:08:11 > 0:08:14who don't know how to claim what's rightfully theirs.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22School days. The happiest of your life, or so they say.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25But for some people they aren't.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29And if you don't like school, the chances are you won't get good qualifications.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33It's hard enough to get a job these days WITH good qualifications.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34So where do you start?
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Sky, a 48-year-old single mother,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43moved from London to Watford after her relationship ended.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46With her were her children, aged 12 to 15.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49The youngest being Jonathan, known as JJ,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51who had learning disorders.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54I didn't work. I hadn't worked for some years
0:08:54 > 0:08:57cos my son, JJ, at an early age,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01was diagnosed with ADHD and learning difficulties and behavioural problems.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04So I became his full-time carer.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08Sky and her children relied heavily on benefits to survive.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13'At times, I actually went without eating myself'
0:09:13 > 0:09:18so if it was a bit cold, I could put money on the gas, electric, make sure my children were fed.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21So it's no joke being on benefits.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24As JJ grew older, his behaviour settled,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28but Sky, who had no qualifications, was left feeling pretty worthless,
0:09:28 > 0:09:30unable to improve her life prospects.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I knew I didn't want to live on benefits.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I knew I wanted to get a job.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40But I really didn't believe I had the capability
0:09:40 > 0:09:43or anyone would really want to employ me.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47When Sky was at her lowest point,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49someone threw her a lifeline.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52I met somebody locally who told me about a place
0:09:52 > 0:09:54that I could go, like a community place,
0:09:54 > 0:09:59and they did education and different activities and so forth.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00The organisation Sky was told about
0:10:00 > 0:10:03was community-based charity Ascend.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06The aim of Ascend is to move people forward in their lives.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10To rebuild their confidence, rebuild their self esteem.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13And hopefully get them back into lifelong learning
0:10:13 > 0:10:15or into work.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19I've come to Watford to meet Sky,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21to hear a little bit of her story.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26So introduce me to the Sky who walked through the door here.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Unconfident, timid.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Not really thinking much of herself.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Didn't really think that she was worth much.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44It was down to the people at the centre to coax Sky out of her shell
0:10:44 > 0:10:46and help her figure out what she needed.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50'It was overcoming the emotional barrier,'
0:10:50 > 0:10:52the baggage that Sky brought in.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55We had to overcome that first.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57I used to work before I had children.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02Before my son was born and we found his issues that he had.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04And I believe I needed a bit of myself back.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07There was a bit of me that had been missing for many years.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12So Sky felt finding a job might be the answer to finding herself.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14But she had a lot of work to do.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19She always said because she doesn't have qualifications it would hold her back.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21The majority of our service users
0:11:21 > 0:11:24will have had a really bad experience of school.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29And so we see a lot of people who have low self esteem, low confidence,
0:11:29 > 0:11:35and they cannot see how they can reach any potential goal.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38I absolutely detested school.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40I didn't come out with any qualifications.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44'But I realise now the reason could very well have been
0:11:44 > 0:11:47'because in later life I found out I'm dyslexic.'
0:11:47 > 0:11:49So I think the reason behind me not liking school
0:11:49 > 0:11:53was probably because I couldn't manage within the classes.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Like a tenth of the UK population,
0:11:58 > 0:12:03Sky suffers from dyslexia which means she has difficulty reading, spelling and writing.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07It was only in the years after school that Sky was told she had dyslexia
0:12:07 > 0:12:10but she hadn't received help to deal with it yet.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Roy Carroll, a support worker for Ascend, aimed to do just that.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18She wanted to learn better English
0:12:18 > 0:12:21so that she could apply for jobs and not feel guilty about it
0:12:21 > 0:12:25and not feel as if she was hiding something.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28If you're dyslexic, there's nothing wrong with telling people. "I'm dyslexic."
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Sky had lived with the burden of dyslexia for years
0:12:32 > 0:12:34and it even had an effect on her duties as a mother.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38The time I struggled most
0:12:38 > 0:12:41was when one of my children would ask me to spell a word and I couldn't spell it.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44I used to get angry and say, "I'm busy. Leave me alone."
0:12:44 > 0:12:48That's how I used to get out of spelling to my children.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51My mum thinks she's stupid. That's how she looks on herself.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54She says, "I can't do this", or "I can't do that."
0:12:54 > 0:12:56But she can do it.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58So we pointed her in the right direction
0:12:58 > 0:13:01of getting onto an English class and a maths class.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04'I will go and sit in a classroom with them for the first two lessons'
0:13:04 > 0:13:07or three lessons, or however long it takes to settle people down
0:13:07 > 0:13:09to get them into the swing of it.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13I didn't feel like anyone was judging me or anyone looked down on me.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17And the thing I liked most about it was I could help other people.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21With time, patience and reassurance,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Roy helped Sky to accept her dyslexia
0:13:23 > 0:13:28then recognise and use the skills she did have to help other people at Ascend.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33The progress Sky has made since she first came to Roy for help is amazing.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38When you've got dyslexia and you can't spell properly, it really does hold you back.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41I can remember our interview, the very first one we had,
0:13:41 > 0:13:45that you said about feeling stupid because you were dyslexic.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47But look at what I'm doing, and I'm dyslexic.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49That's what you actually said to me at the time.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52"I'm going to share something with you, Sky. I'm dyslexic."
0:13:52 > 0:13:55- And I was like, "Really?!" I couldn't believe it.- That's right.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58'Every week I would go, and I'd learn something new.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01That made me feel better about myself.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04With the support and tuition of people at the charity,
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Sky's received a certificate for completing an English course
0:14:08 > 0:14:11and also passed her level three City & Guilds in Maths.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15She was a really hard worker. Turned up every day, done her work,
0:14:15 > 0:14:16passed the exam.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21So when did the point come when you decided, "Actually I am employable. I can do this"?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24I think it was after doing my exams.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I was absolutely overjoyed that I passed those.
0:14:27 > 0:14:33And I think possibly going to job club, sending out CVs,
0:14:33 > 0:14:37applying for jobs and ringing, joining agencies.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40I just one day had this realisation
0:14:40 > 0:14:43and I said, it was January time,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45I said, "By the summer I will be working."
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Eventually, Sky's hard work paid off.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55After applying for a job that she particularly liked the sound of,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57she was offered a position.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03She hadn't been out of work, really. She'd been doing other work while she was at home.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04Caring for her son.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06So she had lots of caring experience.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08She knew a lot about it.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12So we tried to direct her into that area of becoming a carer.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15People think they've got no skills at all,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19but there are actually lots of skills that they gain throughout their life
0:15:19 > 0:15:24that they can use to go and seek further employment.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Tell me about your job. What do you do?
0:15:26 > 0:15:29I'm a care assistant. I look after the elderly.
0:15:29 > 0:15:36I do a night shift, so my job basically consists of going in at ten o'clock at night,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39making sure that everybody's comfortable through the night.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42There's a bell system if they need anyone.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46And we just basically look after the residents.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- I really enjoy what I do. - Are you good at it?
0:15:49 > 0:15:51I'd like to think so.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55There's been no complaints yet. I haven't had the boss take me in the office and tear me to shreds yet!
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Thanks to the people that work at the charity,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Sky is now in employment.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03It was thanks to them that she managed to find herself,
0:16:03 > 0:16:07get qualified and then get her life back on track.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11'I'm grateful that they took the time with me and could see my potential.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13'Because I didn't see it.'
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Words can't describe how proud of my mum I am.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19I'm really proud of my mum. I am.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22'It means I've done my job properly, basically.'
0:16:22 > 0:16:30So if somebody can go out, feel that they've got no chance in life of improving themselves,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33then they can. Anyone can.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37And they just gave me my confidence. They gave me my self esteem.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39They made me realise, you know,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41that you are worth it.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46If Sky's story proves anything, it's this.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48With the right help and inspiration,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51you can claim back the self confidence that you need
0:16:51 > 0:16:54to get out and prove yourself all over again.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Not all benefit claimants are as deserving.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Some, in fact, are milking the system
0:17:07 > 0:17:09for every penny they can.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16Thurrock benefit fraud investigators had received a tip-off from their council tax department
0:17:16 > 0:17:19that two individual claimants, mother of two Kim Burrell
0:17:19 > 0:17:21and ex-pat bankrupt, Paul Hoyle,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24were possibly in a relationship and living together.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28But Burrell had claimed she was single, living with just her children
0:17:28 > 0:17:31and renting a property on Church Road in Bulphan
0:17:31 > 0:17:34from a man called James Ward.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38James Ward was associated with a company called Fenland Building Company.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42The checks that we did on that showed that really it was just a virtual office.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45There was nothing to it. No substance to it at all.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49So the information we were able to gather on him was fairly limited.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51He seemed to be a man who existed on paper
0:17:51 > 0:17:54but we weren't sure existed in real life.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56In addition, the fraud team discovered
0:17:56 > 0:18:01that Burrell had gone on to purchase a house nearby on Albert Road in Bulphan
0:18:01 > 0:18:05by claiming she was a self-employed stockbroker on the mortgage application.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Alarm bells rang when Hoyle submitted a benefit claim for the same property,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12attempting to deceive the benefit system
0:18:12 > 0:18:16by claiming its landlord was strangely the same mystery man,
0:18:16 > 0:18:17James Ward.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21We were still looking for a positive link between Burrell and Hoyle,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24rather than a causal link through associations with properties.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Kim Burrell gave birth to a daughter.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Although that birth wasn't reported to the council
0:18:30 > 0:18:32because it would have blown the cover on her claim,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34it was reported to the DWP
0:18:34 > 0:18:39because she could then claim additional benefits in relation to child benefit.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42The father given on the birth certificate was Paul Wayne Hoyle.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46The address for both of them was the claim address.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49So we now had a definite link between the two
0:18:49 > 0:18:50and could start to build on that.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54This new information meant the investigation team
0:18:54 > 0:18:57had enough concrete evidence to do more detailed checks
0:18:57 > 0:18:59on Burrell and Hoyle.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02We're entitled under Social Security Fraud Act powers
0:19:02 > 0:19:05to make background enquiries into people's bank accounts.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10That was the next stage. All the bank accounts that we identified were interrogated.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15One of these showed that she was making regular payments to a bank in Spain,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17£650-odd a month,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19which was being withdrawn from ATMs in Spain.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23So somehow, this single mother on benefits
0:19:23 > 0:19:26could afford to send £650 a month to Spain.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Very odd.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Another strange coincidence -
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Paul Hoyle stated on his benefit claim form
0:19:32 > 0:19:35that he had been working in Spain
0:19:35 > 0:19:40but that now he was in the UK, bankrupt and unable to work due to an injury.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42The plot was thickening.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Had Burrell been sending Hoyle money while he was in Spain?
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Graham needed to call in a colleague
0:19:49 > 0:19:54to do Land Registry checks and shed some light on the mystery man also involved, James Ward.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59They had been buying and selling a few properties
0:19:59 > 0:20:02within the Thurrock area.
0:20:02 > 0:20:09Between the accounts in the name of James Ward, Paul Hoyle and Kim Burrell,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12there were substantial unexplained cash deposits
0:20:12 > 0:20:18as well as substantial transfers of monies between the three account holders.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Obviously, as a result of this analysis,
0:20:21 > 0:20:26it was quite clear that all three were in cahoots.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Gary discovered that benefit claimants Burrell and Hoyle and mystery man Ward
0:20:32 > 0:20:36had between them managed to purchase three Essex properties.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38And who'd been paying the mortgages?
0:20:38 > 0:20:41The benefits system and innocent tenants
0:20:41 > 0:20:43placed in the properties to pay rent.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48All the profits made were sneakily hidden in undeclared bank accounts.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Thurrock Council were beginning to believe that Burrell and Hoyle
0:20:51 > 0:20:55were anything but two single people on the brink of poverty.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00In fact, it was beginning to look as though they'd amassed a very nice little property empire
0:21:00 > 0:21:04thanks to some large-scale mortgage and benefit fraud.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08With enough information to warrant a search,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10it was time for the fraud investigation team
0:21:10 > 0:21:13to crack down on this conniving couple.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17The unwelcome visit took place early one morning in April 2012
0:21:17 > 0:21:19with Essex police.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23And the house in Bulphan didn't look like the house of anyone living on the bread line.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28It has a fairly large recently laid forecourt.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32There was a caravan and a number of cars on the forecourt.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Also cars that were associated with Burrell parked outside.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39We knocked the door and Mr Hoyle answered the door to us
0:21:39 > 0:21:41in his dressing gown and pyjamas.
0:21:41 > 0:21:47He invited us in and there we found Kim Shirley Burrell in bed.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51It certainly didn't look like your average benefit claimant's house.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Very nicely decorated downstairs.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00Big TV. Lounge-cum-diner. Nice big kitchen.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02A large amount of jewellery and watches were found.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07By the looks of it, Burrell and Hoyle thought they had something to celebrate.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12There was a recently converted garage at the side of the house,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16stacked floor to ceiling with wines and spirits and beer.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18It's been described as a champagne lifestyle
0:22:18 > 0:22:21because in the garage, there was an awful lot of champagne.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24The regular money disappearing off to Spain
0:22:24 > 0:22:26was about to make a lot more sense, too.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29We established that there had been a property in Spain
0:22:29 > 0:22:33which had been purchased using documents bought off the internet,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36purporting to be P45s, what have you.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38So the whole of that was bent.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Also amongst the paperwork, two boats had come up.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45A boat called Cyban, a nine-metre boat registered in the UK,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47and then another 32-foot yacht
0:22:47 > 0:22:49which was on a mooring out in Spain.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Yachts, champagne, expensive jewellery.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Kim Burrell and Paul Hoyle had been living a footballer's lifestyle
0:22:57 > 0:23:00at the expense of the UK taxpayer.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04There was another unexplained man involved. James Ward.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08The team were about to find out just who this enigma really was.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12There was a box in the bedroom.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17We opened it and it contained paperwork, passports and some cash.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20When I looked at the passports,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22it all started to become clear.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27Because there was the passport of the man who opened the door, Paul Wayne Hoyle,
0:23:27 > 0:23:32and also in there was the passport of James Thomas Ward
0:23:32 > 0:23:34who was the same man.
0:23:36 > 0:23:42It finally became apparent that Paul Hoyle had assumed an alias
0:23:42 > 0:23:46of an individual by the name of James Ward.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51And he had actually opened a number of bank accounts in this alias.
0:23:51 > 0:23:57So James Ward, the property tycoon that Kim Burrell sold her first house to
0:23:57 > 0:24:01and who took over ownership of the second property from Paul Hoyle
0:24:01 > 0:24:04couldn't be found because he was, in fact, Paul Hoyle.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08With their status as a couple in cahoots pretty much confirmed,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12the investigators took Burrell and Hoyle in for questioning.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14They were arrested and taken away.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18It took all day to search the property because of the amount of stuff that was there.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23We took away some 200 exhibits connected with the benefit fraud.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27And they were subsequently interviewed at Grays police station.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31Refusing to co-operate, Burrell and Hoyle mainly chose to remain silent
0:24:31 > 0:24:35during their interviews about the elaborate benefits scam.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Kim Burrell did, however, insist
0:24:37 > 0:24:41she had no idea James Ward and Paul Hoyle were the same person.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44We were able to say that all of Burrell's overpaid benefit,
0:24:44 > 0:24:49housing benefit and council tax benefit, could be recovered.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Also identified that she had undeclared assets and undeclared capital
0:24:53 > 0:24:55which nulled her income support.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57So that was fairly easy.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02In relation to Hoyle, again it was easy to show
0:25:02 > 0:25:06that he had manufactured documents in order to support the claim made by Burrell.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11So how much had this pair managed to claim in dodgy benefits?
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Investigators did some sums
0:25:13 > 0:25:16and came up with an astounding figure.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20We were a few pounds shy of £100,000 by the time we'd finished.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Yes, over six years, between them, Burrell and Hoyle claimed
0:25:23 > 0:25:26just over £47,000 in housing benefit,
0:25:26 > 0:25:30over £46,000 in income support,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34and over £4,000 in council tax benefit,
0:25:34 > 0:25:39totalling just over £97,000.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44It was determined that we would prosecute, and a large number of offences were put to them.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46They pleaded guilty to some and not guilty to others.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49The pleas were accepted and after a number of adjournments,
0:25:49 > 0:25:53they eventually appeared at court in June 2012
0:25:53 > 0:25:55and were then sentenced.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58So Burrell and Hoyle finally admitted their crimes.
0:25:58 > 0:26:04Over six years, they'd rifled public money to build up a property portfolio.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08And they'd used benefits and private rent to pay off the mortgages.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Hoyle was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18And Burrell was sentenced to eight months imprisonment
0:26:18 > 0:26:23but her prison sentence was suspended for 12 months.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27She was also ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work in the community
0:26:27 > 0:26:31and received a curfew for a period of four months.
0:26:31 > 0:26:37Thurrock Council are now going through the process of retrieving some of their stolen money
0:26:37 > 0:26:41through confiscating assets and freezing the couple's bank accounts.
0:26:41 > 0:26:46They'll both be in a position to claim benefits by the time we're finished with them!
0:26:46 > 0:26:50With Hoyle behind bars and Burrell on a curfew and community service,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54there's one jet set couple that won't be flying anywhere for a while.