0:00:02 > 0:00:05Think about it. What would you do if you had a bad run of luck?
0:00:05 > 0:00:10The chances are that you'd end up turning to Government agencies for a bit of help.
0:00:10 > 0:00:16We're very lucky to have a welfare state and I think a lot of people don't appreciate it.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21My husband is disabled. Without the benefit system, we would have found things very difficult.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Here in the UK, millions of us need to ask for help every year
0:00:25 > 0:00:29in the form of benefits, legal aid and healthcare.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34But there are some people who are out there to cheat the system out of as much as they can.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39Benefit cheats are criminals and they should be treated accordingly.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43How are these people managing to get away with this?
0:00:43 > 0:00:46But those people who are trying to get rich from the public purse
0:00:46 > 0:00:49are now being sniffed out by investigators
0:00:49 > 0:00:54who will make sure that as much money as possible is available to those who need it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58This is the world of Saints And Scroungers.
0:01:02 > 0:01:03Coming up on today's show...
0:01:03 > 0:01:05the scroungers out to play the system.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10A woman claiming benefits for years turns out to be a successful landlord
0:01:10 > 0:01:14and a big player in the curiously highly paid world of charity work.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18A number of awards ceremonies that she's attended here and abroad
0:01:18 > 0:01:22in very sort of glamorous outfits...
0:01:22 > 0:01:26..A scrounger who wasn't content with a hefty redundancy package
0:01:26 > 0:01:29and decided to fleece the system for all she could.
0:01:29 > 0:01:36Effectively what she did was continue to receive income-based benefits to which she was not entitled.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39And those in legitimate need of support...
0:01:39 > 0:01:44a mother who's reluctant to accept help following the birth of her daughter.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49I felt like I was letting everyone down, which is a normal feeling.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54You do feel guilty, you're thinking, "It's my fault, it's my fault this child's got this condition!"
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Losing your job can be devastating.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Very often you've got the same commitments and bills to pay,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06but without a wage to cover them.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10That's where benefits can come in really handy, to bridge the gap until you get your next break.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15But for some people their next career choice is to break the law.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21When 56-year-old Clarissa Ihenacho was made redundant in 2005,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25she applied to the council for housing and council tax benefit
0:02:25 > 0:02:30and to the Department for Work and Pensions for income support as a single person.
0:02:31 > 0:02:38She lived in Croydon, the largest of London's boroughs, with a population of over 360,000 people,
0:02:38 > 0:02:4143,000 of whom claim benefits.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45David Hogan is the investigations manager at Croydon Council.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Hello, David. How are you doing? Welcome.
0:02:49 > 0:02:56So, OK...councils don't generally cut off benefits for no particular reason.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58What were the concerns with Ihenacho?
0:02:58 > 0:03:00We started looking at this case back in 2008
0:03:00 > 0:03:05and the trigger for us was contact
0:03:05 > 0:03:10from a bailiff, someone who had been round to the Pemdevon Road address in Croydon,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12trying to make contact with the occupants.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15So what specifically sparked the bailiff's concern?
0:03:15 > 0:03:17There was never anybody in at this property.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Nobody ever answered the door to them.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21When we first looked at it,
0:03:21 > 0:03:26we realised there was a significant arrears of council tax at the property
0:03:26 > 0:03:29which is why the bailiffs were involved in the first place.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31And we, I suppose, took a different approach.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35What did you know about Ihenacho at this point?
0:03:35 > 0:03:42Well, on paper she was a single lady who had lost her job and was in receipt of state benefits,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44somebody not working.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48What she told us about the property was it was that she had the sole use of one room
0:03:48 > 0:03:53and that she shared the rest of the accommodation, so things like the bathroom and the kitchen,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56and her rent level was ?160 a week.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02The fact that she hadn't paid her council tax when she was getting money towards it
0:04:02 > 0:04:04was enough to kick-start an investigation,
0:04:04 > 0:04:09and the case landed on the desk of fraud investigators at Croydon Council.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14Now, due to the nature of her work, this one has asked not to be identified.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17As with any new case we make a number of checks.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19We look at the council records,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22we check who's claiming council-tax benefit,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25we check housing benefit, and on this particular case
0:04:25 > 0:04:30we checked the Land Registry at Pemdevon Road, and that's where we are now,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32to see who owned the property.
0:04:32 > 0:04:38Clarissa had claimed that a charity called the Family Education Helpline UK were her landlords.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42But the investigators' check with the Land Registry threw up something unexpected.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48The owner was in fact a man who shared the same name as Clarissa Ihenacho.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51It hasn't been declared on the application form
0:04:51 > 0:04:57and also it throws into question the legitimacy of the landlord and tenant relationship.
0:04:57 > 0:05:03As the name was the same, there was a suspicion that the owner of the property could be her brother,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05husband or even her father,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09something that would affect the validity of any benefits claim.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12The team got on the case, digging up some credit checks.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16There was also a charge on the property with a mortgage
0:05:16 > 0:05:20and some matrimonial rights for someone in the name of Ama Ihenacho.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Further investigation showed that Ama was Clarissa's middle name.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29They discovered that not only was their single claimant actually married,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33but was named on the mortgage of the property with her husband.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38Matrimonial rights means that if the proprietor was to sell the property,
0:05:38 > 0:05:45then Ama Ihenacho would have some claim to the profits of the sale of the property.
0:05:46 > 0:05:52So Clarissa was a property-owner, something she'd omitted to mention on her claim forms.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56And so far, in just over three years, she'd claimed over...
0:06:05 > 0:06:09..totalling a whopping ?39,000 in overpayment.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13So where did the Family Education Helpline UK fit in?
0:06:13 > 0:06:17They'd been receiving all Clarissa's housing and council tax benefit
0:06:17 > 0:06:20as she'd put them down as being her landlord.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23It was ringing alarm bells with the fraud team.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27The address she'd given for the charity, Links Road,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30fell under Merton Borough Council's jurisdiction,
0:06:30 > 0:06:36but working across boroughs is nothing new to experienced fraud investigators like Graham Clark.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41Quite often councils will approach each other in an investigation
0:06:41 > 0:06:45if an address outside of their borough comes up
0:06:45 > 0:06:48and they need to approach that authority
0:06:48 > 0:06:53to find out who's registered at the address and whether any benefits are being claimed.
0:06:53 > 0:07:00It very much assists us because then we can exchange information and intelligence with that council
0:07:00 > 0:07:03and conduct a join investigation.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06When we started really looking at that property in Tooting,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09we found that it had been divided into two flats,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13but had been done so illegally, because Land Registry knew nothing about it.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18We also discovered that from one of the flats there was a benefit claim
0:07:18 > 0:07:22where the landlord had been identified as a Dr Bell-Gam.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28So the property Clarissa claimed was owned by the charity
0:07:28 > 0:07:33was in fact owned by a Dr Bell-Gam. Something wasn't adding up.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36So you've got a lot of evidence of a potential fraud here.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39What do you do next? What we do next is we like to get some answers,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42so we call them in for an interview under caution. How did that go?
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Well, initially she didn't turn up.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Now, although she didn't turn up, she did make contact later
0:07:47 > 0:07:51and she told us that she was ill which was why she couldn't turn up.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54The team needed answers from Clarissa.
0:07:54 > 0:08:00Will she be able to explain exactly who the housing and council tax benefit has been going to...
0:08:01 > 0:08:03..and how is she connected to the charity?
0:08:03 > 0:08:05We will see later.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10In my mind it shows that it wasn't a bona fide benefit claim,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12it was a fictitious claim
0:08:12 > 0:08:17where a landlord had been developed for the purposes of claiming housing benefit fraudulently.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24So for now it's farewell to the scroungers who are out to beat the system,
0:08:24 > 0:08:30and hello to those people determined to help those who need support
0:08:30 > 0:08:32but don't know how to ask for it.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Yes, the ones we call saints.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41For any couple desperately trying for a baby,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45finally getting the news that you're pregnant must be fantastic.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48But, sadly, things don't always go to plan,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52and nine months of waiting can result in heartache.
0:08:53 > 0:08:59Dawn Griffiths is a bus driver and has been together with her husband Geoff for 23 years.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04About three or four years ago, Geoff and I had had the day off together,
0:09:04 > 0:09:09and Geoff broached the subject of do we want to have children?
0:09:09 > 0:09:13His question surprised me, but my answer surprised both of us...
0:09:14 > 0:09:15..which was yes.
0:09:15 > 0:09:21In 2011, Dawn and Geoff were thrilled to find out that they were pregnant.
0:09:21 > 0:09:27Dawn was an older mother and as this was a much-wanted baby, doctors carried out some routine tests
0:09:27 > 0:09:30to reassure her that everything was all right.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35A week later I got a phone call our local hospital...
0:09:37 > 0:09:43You basically had...we were told we had a 1-in-60 chance of Lucy being born with Down's syndrome.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45That was a shock.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49There was a reasonably high chance of Down's syndrome,
0:09:49 > 0:09:54but for Dawn the most important thing was that her baby would survive.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57She was offered further tests, but they had their own risks.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02To me the risk was too high to lose a child that may or may not have Down's syndrome.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06So I just thought, "What will be, will be."
0:10:09 > 0:10:11People with Down's syndrome
0:10:11 > 0:10:15have 47 chromosomes while the rest of us in the general population
0:10:15 > 0:10:17have 46.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21People with Down's syndrome will have some kind of learning disability,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24some less than others,
0:10:24 > 0:10:30and most people with Down's syndrome will have some kind of health condition
0:10:30 > 0:10:32at some time in their life.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36There will be problems for them in their day-to-day lives...
0:10:36 > 0:10:39short-term memory is an issue for people with Down's syndrome,
0:10:39 > 0:10:44and learning is much more difficult,
0:10:44 > 0:10:50so if you have a baby with Down's syndrome, it will reach its milestones,
0:10:50 > 0:10:56he or she will reach the milestones much later than any other child.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00Taking this onboard, Dawn and Geoff counted down the days.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04And in October 2011, Dawn gave birth to Lucy.
0:11:05 > 0:11:11Once you're allowed to hold your child, it's better than winning the Lottery.
0:11:11 > 0:11:17The doctors examined Lucy when she was born to assess whether she was healthy.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21The paediatrician said, "We think Lucy may have Down's,"
0:11:21 > 0:11:24because they go off the facial details,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and apparently there's creases in the hands.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32But that wasn't all. Lucy was very ill at birth and the doctors had to take her away.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34This worried Dawn and Geoff even more.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Her heart rate was dropping to the point where she had to be resuscitated.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Obviously, it was really traumatic.
0:11:41 > 0:11:46I was exhausted there's still bits of Lucy's birth I really can't remember.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49But we were that close to losing her.
0:11:50 > 0:11:56Lucy's lungs were underdeveloped, she was finding it hard to breathe and she had two holes in her heart.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Thankfully, her condition soon stabilised
0:12:02 > 0:12:05and, after a week in hospital, Dawn got some good news.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08We were told, "Well, you can take Lucy home now,"
0:12:08 > 0:12:10and I just felt fantastic.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13You know, it was well worth the wait.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19It must be difficult enough coming to terms with your new baby's disability
0:12:19 > 0:12:22when there are doctors and nurses around to support you,
0:12:22 > 0:12:27but imagine how much more challenging that becomes once you get home and you're on your own.
0:12:29 > 0:12:35For most families, it's a huge shock when their child is born with Down's syndrome.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40A lot of families will go through a grieving process,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44because they literally grieve for the child that they thought they were going to have.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48When we got to take Lucy home,
0:12:48 > 0:12:53it was frightening. I suppose it is for every parent.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57When you're told your child has Down's syndrome
0:12:57 > 0:13:00or any form of condition, whatever it is,
0:13:00 > 0:13:05it sounds very dramatic, but it is a form of bereavement.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09And then not knowing anything about the condition...
0:13:11 > 0:13:13..I felt as a mum...
0:13:15 > 0:13:18..for all we knew, Lucy was going to be our one and only,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22and I felt like I was letting everyone down, which is a normal feeling.
0:13:22 > 0:13:28You do feel guilty, you're thinking, "It's my fault, it's my fault this child's got this condition!"
0:13:28 > 0:13:32As to adjusting to it, I think you just get on with it.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37Cos if you go to pieces, you're no good for yourself and you're certainly no good for your child.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42Dawn was facing the normal adjustment period every parent does with a newborn,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44sleepless nights and endless nappies.
0:13:44 > 0:13:50But Lucy's specific needs threw up some unexpected costs for the new family.
0:13:50 > 0:13:56Financially, at the time, we didn't know what the implications were going to be,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58because we didn't know the extent of Lucy's needs,
0:13:58 > 0:14:04whether or not it was going to be a good while before she could either walk or crawl or talk,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07whether or not I would have to stay at home permanently,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10which means my husband would have to be the sole provider.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15Dawn was happy to give up work if she had to look after Lucy,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18but this left them with just Geoff's income to live on,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22and, with Lucy's extra needs, the family started to feel the pinch.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29The fact that she's going to need hospital appointments far more than other children...
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Financially, they were struggling.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35But, like many new mums, Dawn was adamant she didn't want any help.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41Both me and my husband didn't want to claim for Disability Living Allowance for Lucy,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45because we didn't want the outside world to perceive us as scroungers...
0:14:46 > 0:14:53I suppose, as any other family would feel, that she's our child, she's our responsibility to provide for.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58Although money was a worry, they were happy to be bringing up their daughter.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03As she got older, though, the reality of how different Lucy was began to emerge.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07All of a sudden, these other children are leaving Lucy behind.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11That was hard, cos they were getting up and walking around,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14and Lucy hadn't even started crawling then.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16The pressure was taking its toll.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Dawn now realised she needed some help.
0:15:20 > 0:15:27When I went to my local council, it was Cheshire East, they offered a few other options.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32She actually said, "Well, there's a local charity that's based in Staffordshire.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34"Do you mind if we refer Lucy to them?
0:15:34 > 0:15:39"They deal with children with special needs.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43"They might be able to help you in far more ways that we can't."
0:15:44 > 0:15:48I said OK and that's how I got to hear about Caudwell.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Caudwell Children's Charity offers practical and emotional support
0:15:52 > 0:15:54to families with disabled children.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59And Dawn's case landed on the desk of charity worker Julie Dony.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02When I first met Dawn and Lucy, I was asked originally just to go out
0:16:02 > 0:16:06and meet the family and see if there was any support we could provide.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11The family had been offered help, but would it be the type of support that they needed?
0:16:11 > 0:16:13We'll find out later.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Now, from those in need of help to those who abuse the system
0:16:20 > 0:16:24that we, the British public, pay into year on year.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Losing your job can be tough both financially and emotionally,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32but there is a pot of Government money that's there to help out to bridge the gap
0:16:32 > 0:16:35until you find your next job.
0:16:35 > 0:16:41Unfortunately, there's a tiny minority of people who can't help but help themselves to that money
0:16:41 > 0:16:44to which they're not legally entitled.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50Linda Callander is a former civil servant who has worked for Warwickshire Court Services
0:16:50 > 0:16:52for 24 years as a legal assistant.
0:16:52 > 0:16:59As a result of restructuring to the court services in May 2007, Linda lost her job
0:16:59 > 0:17:01and she began claiming income support
0:17:01 > 0:17:03from the Department for Work and Pensions
0:17:03 > 0:17:07and housing benefit from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12Everything seemed above board and there was no reason to doubt her claim.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Income-based benefits
0:17:15 > 0:17:19are in payment to people who do not have at their disposal
0:17:19 > 0:17:22large amounts of capital,
0:17:22 > 0:17:27who, for whatever reason, do not and are not able to work.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33But all that changed when the Department for Work and Pensions received some information.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35The case with Linda Callander
0:17:35 > 0:17:38came to our attention in August 2009
0:17:38 > 0:17:42as a result of anonymous information that was received
0:17:42 > 0:17:48by the hotline where people give information on suspected benefit-fraud claims.
0:17:48 > 0:17:55It was alleged that Miss Callander had had a lump-sum compensation payment from an ex-employer.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01The tip-off was passed on to fraud investigator Christopher Hammond who wasted no time.
0:18:03 > 0:18:10As a result of the information being received, a fraud investigation file was set up,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council were contacted
0:18:13 > 0:18:17to work jointly on the investigation.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Callander now had two authorities on her tail.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24But what exactly was she suspected of doing wrong?
0:18:25 > 0:18:30All capital assets between ?6,000 and ?16,000 are taken into account,
0:18:30 > 0:18:39and payments are deducted from benefit if somebody has capital assets over ?16,000.
0:18:39 > 0:18:45Because they are mean-tested benefits, that person is not entitled to receive income support,
0:18:45 > 0:18:50jobseeker's allowance, income-based housing benefit or council tax benefit.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54This was just an allegation from an anonymous tip-off
0:18:54 > 0:18:57saying that she'd had a lump sum from her last employer.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00What Christopher needed was hard evidence,
0:19:00 > 0:19:05so he got straight on the phone to Callander's previous employers at Warwickshire Court Services.
0:19:05 > 0:19:11It was established through the legal gateways that Miss Callander had received a sum of...
0:19:13 > 0:19:14..after tax,
0:19:14 > 0:19:22and she did not declare this to the Department when she made a claim in May 2007.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25It's pretty unbelievable.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30The timeline the fraud team had uncovered showed just how brazen she was being.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33She had in fact finished work on...
0:19:33 > 0:19:36receiving the lump-sum payment on...
0:19:36 > 0:19:41and then started claiming income support on...
0:19:42 > 0:19:46She was interviewed by a financial assessor at Nuneaton Jobcentre Plus office
0:19:46 > 0:19:52whereby she gave information and confirmed that she only had...
0:19:54 > 0:19:56..in capital assets,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59and she did not declare any of the lump-sum compensation payments.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05Over a three-year period, Linda Callander had received
0:20:05 > 0:20:08over ?10,000 from the Department for Work and Pensions
0:20:08 > 0:20:12and over ?20,000 from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16That's a total of over ?31,000.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19In Linda Callander's case, effectively what she did
0:20:19 > 0:20:25was continue to receive income-based benefits to which she was not entitled,
0:20:25 > 0:20:34thereby taking away the possibility that those benefits could be paid to more vulnerable members of society
0:20:34 > 0:20:38who had a genuine need for those benefits.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44It was clear to the team at the Department for Work and Pensions and the council
0:20:44 > 0:20:47that this ex-legal assistant was pulling a fast one,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50and Christopher decided it was time they had a chat.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54At the interview, under caution,
0:20:54 > 0:21:00Miss Callander said that she had received the money, the lump-sum compensation payment,
0:21:00 > 0:21:07and she had then transferred the money into her mother's account two days later on 18 May 2007.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12So, two days after making a claim for income support benefit,
0:21:12 > 0:21:17Callander moved the compensation payout into her mum's account.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19I bet her mum couldn't believe her luck!
0:21:19 > 0:21:24She said that her mother had paid for her in times of difficulty
0:21:24 > 0:21:30for various holidays abroad and replacing cars,
0:21:30 > 0:21:37and she felt that the money that she received from her employer was owed to her mother
0:21:37 > 0:21:39and she should be paying it immediately to her.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44The authorities weren't having any of it,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46and Chris's team issued court proceedings.
0:21:48 > 0:21:54There were some delays because the defence did not want the case to be heard in Warwickshire
0:21:54 > 0:21:57because of her previous employment,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01and the case had to be transferred to different courts in Leicester,
0:22:01 > 0:22:06and eventually it was heard in Derby Crown Court in May 2013.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Linda Callander pleaded not guilty to three counts of dishonesty
0:22:11 > 0:22:13under the Social Security Administration Act,
0:22:13 > 0:22:19and throughout the two-day trial she tried to convince the jury that she was repaying a debt to her mum.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22At the end of the trial,
0:22:22 > 0:22:26the jury went out for ten minutes
0:22:26 > 0:22:30and came back and returned a verdict of guilty.
0:22:30 > 0:22:38And the judge said, "Well, Miss Callander, you have heard the outcome of the jury,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40"and plainly they did not believe you."
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Linda Callander was sentenced to...
0:22:48 > 0:22:52She was also given 280 hours of unpaid community service.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58The judge remarked that the 280 hours community service
0:22:58 > 0:23:03would probably equate to the 30-odd thousand pounds that had been overpaid.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06It was a great result,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10but the Department for Work and Pensions and Nuneaton and Bedworth Council
0:23:10 > 0:23:12also wanted their money back.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14They applied for a confiscation order,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18and the judge decided that Miss Callander should repay the full amount
0:23:18 > 0:23:20that she'd fraudulently claimed...
0:23:22 > 0:23:25..and, if she didn't within six months,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28she'd be sent to prison for up to 18 months.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Was that enough of an incentive for her to grab her chequebook?
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Miss Callander has fully repaid in excess of ?30,000
0:23:36 > 0:23:42to the Department for Work and Pensions and to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46It was the second good result for the investigation teams.
0:23:47 > 0:23:53It demonstrates that we will not tolerate cases where somebody has claimed benefits
0:23:53 > 0:23:55to which they are not entitled.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00And when the overpayment trickled through to the Department for Work and Pensions,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02they knew exactly how to spend it.
0:24:03 > 0:24:11Money that is recovered can be redirected back into investigations
0:24:11 > 0:24:14so that we can continue our fight against benefit fraud.
0:24:14 > 0:24:20Linda Callander had a hefty redundancy package of almost ?60,000,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and she could be enjoying the rewards.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Instead, because of her greed and dishonesty,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30she's now doing 280 hours of unpaid work.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39OK, now it's time to leave the deceitful world of fakes and frauds,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43and return to those who truly need the welfare system that the state provides.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48In 2011, Dawn Griffiths gave birth to her daughter Lucy.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52She had Down's syndrome and needed extra care,
0:24:52 > 0:24:57but Dawn just loved being a mum and gave up work as a bus driver to become Lucy's full-time carer.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02Coping well, she initially refused to seek help or claim benefits.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06The first year, to me, felt tough.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10As she got older, the gap was becoming more and more pronounced.
0:25:11 > 0:25:18She had her own way of getting round, but she couldn't interact with them the same as other children could.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23So that was hard. Emotionally, I felt I was letting her down.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Dawn was coping as well as she could but, in reality, she was exhausted.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33Finally, she reached out to her council who put her in touch with a children's charity.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37We provide practical and emotional support
0:25:37 > 0:25:39for disabled children and their families.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40This can be through
0:25:40 > 0:25:44a variety of ways, through family services, for example,
0:25:44 > 0:25:50where we can help families access those things that they really, desperately need.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54When a family does have a disabled child, it's not always obvious what help is out there for them.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58They come from a position of really being thrown in at the deep end.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03Dawn's was referred to one of the charity's support workers Julie Dony.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05When I first met Dawn and Lucy,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07the referral came from the children's centre.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I was asked originally just to go out and meet the family
0:26:10 > 0:26:13and see if there was any support we could provide.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20She actually came round and wanted to know what was Lucy's situation.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21She met Lucy.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25And it was more of a case of, "Well, this is what Caudwell do,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28"this is what, as a charity, we can offer you.
0:26:28 > 0:26:34"Have you thought about sensory equipment? Have you thought about Disability Living Allowance?"
0:26:34 > 0:26:39It can be quite difficult to understand how someone can work hard
0:26:39 > 0:26:43to provide for themselves and their families all their lives and pay their taxes,
0:26:43 > 0:26:48but, when the time comes when they need support and need to claim benefits,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50it just doesn't feel right.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53They don't see themselves as benefit claimants.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56It must have been a huge wake-up call for Dawn
0:26:56 > 0:26:59when she realised that Lucy's condition was so serious
0:26:59 > 0:27:04that not only was she eligible for help, but she needed it.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09Lucy was not claiming DLA at that point,
0:27:09 > 0:27:13and so one of the first things we did was we applied for DLA.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18Part of the problem with DLA is they're very lengthy forms,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21and parents struggle to fill them in.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Dawn had been very reluctant to claim Disability Living Allowance,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28feeling that as a mother it was her role to meet Lucy's every need.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31But after much soul-searching with her husband,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34they realised it really could help.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Now we're in the mindset, it's Lucy's money and not ours.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43It pays for treats, it pays for days out that ordinarily we wouldn't do.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48With the financial assistance in the form of Disability Living Allowance now coming into the household,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52on one side at least things were getting easier.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55The DLA helps with things that perhaps you don't think about.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Fuel to take Lucy...for the car to take Lucy to hospital.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04Parking at the hospital. For parking, it's ?3 each time.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09Which doesn't sound an awful lot, but if you've got to go every six weeks, it soon adds up.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Lucy might need specialist equipment.
0:28:12 > 0:28:18Days out that perhaps mainly we might not have been able to afford otherwise,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21treats for Lucy, guilt-free treats.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26You're kind of thinking that, you know, in the future Lucy might want something
0:28:26 > 0:28:30where, at the time, if we didn't have the Disability Living Allowance,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33it might put financial strain on us.
0:28:33 > 0:28:39But if we didn't have the Disability Living Allowance, I think we would struggle.
0:28:40 > 0:28:45So with some of the money worries being dealt with, what about Lucy's development?
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Dawn had her parents on hand to help her,
0:28:47 > 0:28:52but she wanted to give her daughter every bit of help she could to grow.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56Sensory equipment helps with children's development.
0:28:56 > 0:29:02The fish tank. The lights change colour. It's got the bubbles so it's quite relaxing.
0:29:02 > 0:29:08It's pretty and with the lights as well, it improves the hand-eye coordination,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12their concentration, and it gives pleasure as well.
0:29:12 > 0:29:18Dawn had been taking Lucy to sensory rooms in her area with great results,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21but they could only get to them every now and then.
0:29:21 > 0:29:22Money was a bit of an issue,
0:29:22 > 0:29:27so we just felt it would be really nice for Lucy to have the equipment at home,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29because she was responding so well to it.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33It wasn't easy, it took us six months of constant e-mails...
0:29:33 > 0:29:35But it was worth the effort.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39Julie succeeded in getting Dawn and Lucy the funding needed
0:29:39 > 0:29:42so that Lucy could have the sensory equipment at home.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47When it came and...
0:29:47 > 0:29:53..we showed it to Lucy, her reaction was, like, amazing.
0:29:54 > 0:30:00It was...it was like a fairy story, to be honest, just watching her...
0:30:00 > 0:30:06open up...in ways we'd never seen her do before. I just feel very emotional now...
0:30:07 > 0:30:09..mainly for her... Sorry.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16It's really nice for Lucy to be able to have easy access to the equipment in her own home,
0:30:16 > 0:30:21and she can use it as much or as little as she wants to.
0:30:21 > 0:30:27But it helps her... I mean, it's helped her hand-eye coordination so much.
0:30:28 > 0:30:33Lucy was doing well, but Dawn and Geoff were exhausted.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37I know it's a horrible thing to say... I really needed a break.
0:30:37 > 0:30:42The charity helped the family access a fund to enable them to have a little bit of time together.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44The holiday was fantastic.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It was nice to...
0:30:47 > 0:30:50You find you get in the habit of routine.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54And then it's, well, Lucy's got to go down for a sleep, she's got to have her dinner,
0:30:54 > 0:30:56nappy changes...
0:30:57 > 0:30:59..what am I going to give Lucy for her dinner?
0:30:59 > 0:31:03It's just nice to think about me and my husband,
0:31:03 > 0:31:08rather than having Lucy being the focus all the time.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11And that's what I find...still find difficult is making time for me.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16Julie's helped Dawn and the family both financially and emotionally,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20and the difference to all their lives has been overwhelming.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25Lucy's now able to communicate and interact with her family better,
0:31:25 > 0:31:30her physical movement has improved and her personality is starting to shine through.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32La-la-la! There you go!
0:31:32 > 0:31:40If I could say something to Julie, I don't think words could actually just say how grateful we are...
0:31:41 > 0:31:45I mean, I know it sounds silly, but I can't put it in words how grateful we are...
0:31:46 > 0:31:49..because whether she knows she's doing it or not...
0:31:49 > 0:31:52I suspect she doesn't realise, she's...
0:31:54 > 0:31:59The only thing I could say would be, like, if she went now, it would be like losing a leg.
0:31:59 > 0:32:00That's how I feel.
0:32:01 > 0:32:08Slightly wrong analogy, I know, but it's the only way I can describe in words how fantastic Julie's been.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11CLAPPING
0:32:11 > 0:32:15Dawn knows that she can call me if she needs any further support
0:32:15 > 0:32:17and, you know, I'm always on the end of a phone.
0:32:18 > 0:32:23Most people with Down's syndrome will go to ordinary school,
0:32:23 > 0:32:24will learn to read and write,
0:32:24 > 0:32:31be able to have some kind of supported living environment
0:32:31 > 0:32:33and go out to work,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35and people with Down's syndrome get married now
0:32:35 > 0:32:38and lead full and rewarding lives.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41I hope Lucy goes from strength to strength.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43I would like Lucy to have an independent life,
0:32:43 > 0:32:45and live a full independent life...
0:32:47 > 0:32:50..and do whatever Lucy wants to do.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52And I'm sure she will reach her full potential.
0:32:53 > 0:32:58Lucy's condition means that her life will never be straightforward.
0:32:58 > 0:33:03However, at least Dawn and the family now know that they have got people they can rely on
0:33:03 > 0:33:06who'll be there with them every step of the way.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10And that means that as a family they can plan together for the future...
0:33:10 > 0:33:13which is as much as any parent can hope for.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23Time now to leave our saints and return to the greedy world of our scroungers.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28Clarissa Ihenacho had been claiming benefits on the basis that she was single.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32She'd told the council her landlord was a charity in Tooting,
0:33:32 > 0:33:36but it turned out the property was actually owned by her own husband.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41So around ?27,000 worth of benefits had been wrongly going
0:33:41 > 0:33:45to the charity's address whose landlord was down as one Dr Bell-Gam.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47We got in touch with Merton Council
0:33:47 > 0:33:50which is the council for Tooting.
0:33:50 > 0:33:55They provided some information to us, for example, electoral-roll information,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58and information about who was the council-tax payer.
0:33:58 > 0:34:04They said that Clarissa Ihenacho was the registered council-tax payer at the address,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07and also had given a care-of address as Pemdevon Road.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11In my mind it shows that it wasn't a bona fide benefit claim,
0:34:11 > 0:34:13it was a fictitious claim
0:34:13 > 0:34:18where a landlord had been developed for the purposes of claiming housing benefit fraudulently.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20The plot thickened.
0:34:20 > 0:34:26Clarissa was paying council tax at the address she'd originally claimed was her landlord's,
0:34:26 > 0:34:28the Family Education Helpline headquarters.
0:34:28 > 0:34:33But the investigation had shown that the owner was a Dr Bell-Gam.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39When I looked at the Land Registry for Links Road, it showed that it was purchased in 1986
0:34:39 > 0:34:43by Bell-Gam Clarissa Ama Ihenacho.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48Caudwell Ihenacho has clearly used a number of her names in different orders
0:34:48 > 0:34:50to claim different things.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53For example, bank accounts, mortgage applications...
0:34:53 > 0:34:56she does change her name around.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02OK...so not only does Clarissa have rights to one property,
0:35:02 > 0:35:04she owns the property in Links Road.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06Oh, and I think she's a doctor.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08The team wanted answers.
0:35:08 > 0:35:15Clarissa claimed to be too ill to attend an interview under caution, so they went to her.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20When we drove to Pemdevon Road, this road that we're in now,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23we knocked on the front door,
0:35:23 > 0:35:25we introduced ourselves,
0:35:25 > 0:35:28and we were let into the property at this stage.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32Her son was actually present at the address at the time,
0:35:32 > 0:35:35and we have to use recording equipment
0:35:35 > 0:35:38to take note of the questions that we ask in the interview.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43And there was some concern about using electricity at her property, etc,
0:35:43 > 0:35:47and it became very difficult to conduct the interview at that particular time,
0:35:47 > 0:35:52and we decided that it was not suitable to do a home interview at that stage.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55Clarissa Ihenacho became quite distressed
0:35:55 > 0:35:58and angry at our presence in her property,
0:35:58 > 0:36:02so we decided not to conduct the interview and left the area.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07Clarissa wasn't going to play ball,
0:36:07 > 0:36:11and because she wasn't telling the council anything, they dug deeper
0:36:11 > 0:36:15and found out that she herself had set up the charity.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19I did some additional research on the internet,
0:36:19 > 0:36:21putting in all combinations of her name,
0:36:21 > 0:36:27and it brought up quite a bit of information regarding charity work that she's been doing,
0:36:27 > 0:36:35a number of awards ceremonies that she's attended here and abroad in very sort of glamorous outfits...
0:36:35 > 0:36:40In addition to that, there was an article in the Nigerian Guardian about Clarissa Ihenacho
0:36:40 > 0:36:45where she described herself as an educationalist in this country,
0:36:45 > 0:36:50a family lady with a husband and children,
0:36:50 > 0:36:55and actually stating that she was...held a PhD...
0:36:57 > 0:36:59..very different circumstances.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03So she's actually the founder of the charity
0:37:03 > 0:37:08that she was calling her landlord in the fraudulent benefit claim?
0:37:08 > 0:37:10Yes. And officers looked at the photos
0:37:10 > 0:37:14and they realised that this was the same woman that they'd seen
0:37:14 > 0:37:17when they visited her about the housing benefit claim.
0:37:17 > 0:37:22OK. So she obviously wasn't who she claimed she was. What else did you discover?
0:37:22 > 0:37:26Well, we discovered that she had a mortgage on the Links Road address.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Now, if you remember, this was the address that she said her landlord lived at.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32And the doctorate? Any truth in that?
0:37:32 > 0:37:36Well, we're not sure. We did investigate this, but, to be honest, it was inconclusive,
0:37:36 > 0:37:43and we feel that she probably did some academic training before she left to come here to the UK,
0:37:43 > 0:37:45but we don't know that she ever qualified.
0:37:46 > 0:37:52On the initial application form for housing benefit, her property at Tooting wasn't declared,
0:37:52 > 0:37:57and also the fact that she had matrimonial rights in Pemdevon Road wasn't declared.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01In addition, we would say that the landlord was completely fabricated.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05A tenancy agreement was provided as support of the application
0:38:05 > 0:38:08as to her liability to pay rent at that address,
0:38:08 > 0:38:12and we say that there was never any liability to pay rent,
0:38:12 > 0:38:14because she was renting from herself,
0:38:14 > 0:38:20because she was one of the founder members of the Family Education Helpline UK.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25Although Clarissa owned one of the properties with her husband,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27he wasn't the one making the claims.
0:38:27 > 0:38:32So it was only Clarissa against whom the investigators had any evidence.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36They took her to court, but she wasn't going down without a fight.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40During the trial she was in complete denial that she was actually being prosecuted
0:38:40 > 0:38:42and that she'd actually done anything wrong.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47She believed that there was nothing she had done, this was unjust
0:38:47 > 0:38:49and she shouldn't be tried.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53It was a waste of the taxpayers' money and time.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58In court she gave a number of documents to the judge and the jury
0:38:58 > 0:39:02stating that she was involved in charity work here and abroad,
0:39:02 > 0:39:07and monies that she'd obtained here was actually used to fund an orphanage,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09the Arrows Of God Orphanage,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12and that without that money they would not be able to survive
0:39:12 > 0:39:15and this would have an effect on the children in the orphanage.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19From the information that we'd obtained during the investigation,
0:39:19 > 0:39:24we could see no transfers of money abroad to charities.
0:39:24 > 0:39:31It looked like all the money had been used to pay for her mortgages both on Pemdevon and Links Road.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36Clarissa pleaded not guilty on eight counts of fraud,
0:39:36 > 0:39:41including dishonestly making false statements and furnishing false documentation.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47But the jury didn't believe a word she said and convicted her on all eight counts.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52The judge sentenced her to a one-year custodial sentence.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55When the sentence was given,
0:39:55 > 0:40:02she reacted very badly, with disbelief, there was quite a lot of noise in the court,
0:40:02 > 0:40:06the family were all present as well and they were upset as well.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09It was...it was a very...
0:40:10 > 0:40:14..heated situation, er, at that point.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21But it wasn't just a conviction the team was after.
0:40:21 > 0:40:27They wanted to ensure that Clarissa paid all the money back and more under the Proceeds Of Crime Act.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32Enter Zoe Neale, financial investigator at Croydon Council.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37After conviction, we inform the court we wish to proceed to confiscation.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42In certain cases, the council is within its rights to ask not just for the money that's been overpaid,
0:40:42 > 0:40:45but also to confiscate any assets that they have
0:40:45 > 0:40:49which were gained as a result of their criminal behaviour.
0:40:49 > 0:40:57What I do is I compile a list of her assets, I look for evidence of any property,
0:40:57 > 0:40:59I look for evidence of her lifestyle,
0:40:59 > 0:41:02I look for evidence of anything which could show that she had something
0:41:02 > 0:41:05which she could use to satisfy a confiscation order.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07She has not just gained financially
0:41:07 > 0:41:10from the housing benefit overpayment
0:41:10 > 0:41:11or from the benefit fraud,
0:41:11 > 0:41:14she has also gained because she has had rental income.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18So I investigated about the houses, I've been through her bank accounts,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21I'm looking for unexplained cash amounts,
0:41:21 > 0:41:24I'm looking for unexplained income...
0:41:24 > 0:41:29I found that she had shares, PEPs, ISAs, she has a car...
0:41:29 > 0:41:34It turns out that Clarissa had been living a lifestyle most of us would envy.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38And it was all from the proceeds of taxpayers' money.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42It turns out, in fact, she was worth a fair whack.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45I believe that she's profited from her crime by about...
0:41:48 > 0:41:53However, I also have to work out how much I think she has in available assets.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57And that would include how much is in her bank accounts, how much is her property,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59how much is her car, and I believe that's about...
0:42:02 > 0:42:06Having pocketed ?39,000 she shouldn't have,
0:42:06 > 0:42:11over three years her profits were almost 16 times that much.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14Zoe and her team are now on their tail.
0:42:15 > 0:42:20She can't get rid of her assets because I have frozen her 15 bank accounts and the two properties,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22so she cannot dissipate her assets.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26What happens is we don't stop, we don't give up, this does not go away....
0:42:26 > 0:42:30our solicitors will still be writing to the court to say, "We need to get this resolved."
0:42:30 > 0:42:37And then, basically, our solicitors and the courts and the defendant are trying to get a court date sorted,
0:42:37 > 0:42:41but we will eventually get a court date and we will eventually come to some agreement.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45It's looking like there's no way out for Clarissa.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49Charity begins at home, eh?
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Well, Clarissa Ihenacho certainly thought so,
0:42:51 > 0:42:57except she believed that the Government was the charity and she was the worthy cause.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00She denied it right up to the bitter end.
0:43:00 > 0:43:06But that doesn't change the fact that she'll now be making a sizeable donation back to the public purse.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd