0:00:01 > 0:00:04Think about it. What would you do if you had a bad run of luck?
0:00:04 > 0:00:09The chances are that you'd end up turning to Government agencies for a bit of help.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14We're very lucky to have a welfare state and I think a lot of people don't appreciate it.
0:00:14 > 0:00:20My husband is disabled. Without the benefit system, we would have found things very difficult.
0:00:20 > 0:00:25Here in the UK, millions of us need to ask for help every year
0:00:25 > 0:00:28in the form of benefits, legal aid and healthcare.
0:00:28 > 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.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42How are these people managing to get away with this?
0:00:42 > 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 > 0:00:53who want to make sure that as much money as possible is available to those who need it.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57This is the world of Saints And Scroungers.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Coming up on today's show...
0:01:03 > 0:01:05the scroungers out to play the system.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09A woman claiming benefits for years turns out to be a successful landlord
0:01:09 > 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 > 0:01:21in very sort of glamorous outfits...
0:01:21 > 0:01:25And those in legitimate need of support...
0:01:25 > 0:01:29a mother who's reluctant to accept help following the birth of her daughter.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34I felt like I was letting everyone down, which is a normal feeling.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39You do feel guilty, you're thinking, "It's my fault, it's my fault this child's got this condition!"
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Losing your job can be devastating.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Very often you've got the same commitments and bills to pay,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50but without a wage to cover them.
0:01:50 > 0:01:56That's where benefits can come in really handy, to bridge the gap until you get your next break.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00But for some people their next career choice is to break the law.
0:02:00 > 0:02:06When 56-year-old Clarissa Ihenacho was made redundant in 2005,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10she applied to the council for housing and council tax benefit
0:02:10 > 0:02:15and to the Department for Work and Pensions for income support as a single person.
0:02:16 > 0:02:23She lived in Croydon, the largest of London's boroughs, with a population of over 360,000 people,
0:02:23 > 0:02:2643,000 of whom claim benefits.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31David Hogan is the investigations manager at Croydon Council.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35- Hello, David. How are you doing? - Welcome.
0:02:35 > 0:02:41So, OK...councils don't generally cut off benefits for no particular reason.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43What were the concerns with Ihenacho?
0:02:43 > 0:02:45We started looking at this case back in 2008
0:02:45 > 0:02:50and the trigger for us was contact
0:02:50 > 0:02:55from a bailiff, someone who had been round to the Pemdevon Road address in Croydon,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58trying to make contact with the occupants.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01So what specifically sparked the bailiff's concern?
0:03:01 > 0:03:03There was never anybody in at this property.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04Nobody ever answered the door to them.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06When we first looked at it,
0:03:06 > 0:03:11we realised there was a significant arrears of council tax at the property
0:03:11 > 0:03:14which is why the bailiffs were involved in the first place.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17And we, I suppose, took a different approach.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20What did you know about Ihenacho at this point?
0:03:20 > 0:03:27Well, on paper she was a single lady who had lost her job and was in receipt of state benefits,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29somebody not working.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34What she told us about the property was it was that she had the sole use of one room
0:03:34 > 0:03:39and that she shared the rest of the accommodation, so things like the bathroom and the kitchen,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43and her rent level was £160 a week.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47The fact that she hadn't paid her council tax when she was getting money towards it
0:03:47 > 0:03:50was enough to kick-start an investigation,
0:03:50 > 0:03:55and the case landed on the desk of fraud investigators at Croydon Council.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00Now, due to the nature of her work, this one has asked not to be identified.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03As with any new case we make a number of checks.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05We look at the council records,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08we check who's claiming council tax benefit,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11we check housing benefit, and on this particular case
0:04:11 > 0:04:15we checked the Land Registry at Pemdevon Road, and that's where we are now,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17to see who owned the property.
0:04:17 > 0:04:23Clarissa had claimed that a charity called the Family Education Helpline UK were her landlords.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28But the investigators' check with the Land Registry threw up something unexpected.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33The owner was in fact a man who shared the same surname as Clarissa Ihenacho.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37It hasn't been declared on the application form
0:04:37 > 0:04:42and also it throws into question the legitimacy of the landlord and tenant relationship.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48As the name was the same, there was a suspicion that the owner of the property could be her brother,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50husband or even her father,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54something that would affect the validity of any benefits claim.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58The team got on the case, digging up some credit checks.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01There was also a charge on the property with a mortgage
0:05:01 > 0:05:06and some matrimonial rights for someone in the name of Ama Ihenacho.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11Further investigation showed that Ama was Clarissa's middle name.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15They discovered that not only was our single claimant actually married,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19but was named on the mortgage of the property with her husband.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24Matrimonial rights means that if the proprietor was to sell the property,
0:05:24 > 0:05:31then Ama Ihenacho would have some claim to the profits of the sale of the property.
0:05:31 > 0:05:37So Clarissa was a property-owner, something she'd omitted to mention on her claim forms.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42And so far, in just over three years, she'd claimed over...
0:05:51 > 0:05:54..totalling a whopping £39,000 in overpayment.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58So where did the Family Education Helpline UK fit in?
0:05:58 > 0:06:02They'd been receiving all Clarissa's housing and council tax benefit
0:06:02 > 0:06:06as she'd put them down as being her landlord.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09It was ringing alarm bells with the fraud team.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12The address she'd given for the charity, Links Road,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15fell under Merton Borough Council's jurisdiction,
0:06:15 > 0:06:21but working across boroughs is nothing new to experienced fraud investigators like Graham Clark.
0:06:21 > 0:06:27Quite often councils will approach each other in an investigation
0:06:27 > 0:06:31if an address outside of their borough comes up
0:06:31 > 0:06:33and they need to approach that authority
0:06:33 > 0:06:39to find out who's registered at the address and whether any benefits are being claimed.
0:06:39 > 0:06:46It very much assists us because then we can exchange information and intelligence with that council
0:06:46 > 0:06:48and conduct a join investigation.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51When we started really looking at that property in Tooting,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55we found that it had been divided into two flats,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59but had been done so illegally, because Land Registry knew nothing about it.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03We also discovered that from one of the flats there was a benefit claim
0:07:03 > 0:07:08where the landlord had been identified as a Dr Bell-Gam.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13So the property Clarissa claimed was owned by the charity
0:07:13 > 0:07:18was in fact owned by a Dr Bell-Gam. Something wasn't adding up.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21So you've got a lot of evidence of a potential fraud here.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25- What do you do next?- What we do next is we like to get some answers,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- so we call them in for an interview under caution.- How did that go?
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Well, initially she didn't turn up.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Now, although she didn't turn up, she did make contact later
0:07:32 > 0:07:36and she told us that she was ill which was why she couldn't turn up.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40The team needed answers from Clarissa.
0:07:40 > 0:07:46Will she be able to explain exactly who the housing and council tax benefit has been going to...
0:07:47 > 0:07:49..and how is she connected to the charity?
0:07:49 > 0:07:51We will see later.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56In my mind it shows that it wasn't a bona fide benefit claim,
0:07:56 > 0:07:57it was a fictitious claim
0:07:57 > 0:08:02where a landlord had been developed for the purposes of claiming housing benefit fraudulently.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10So for now it's farewell to the scroungers who are out to beat the system,
0:08:10 > 0:08:15and hello to those people determined to help those who need support
0:08:15 > 0:08:17but don't know how to ask for it.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Yes, the ones we call saints.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26For any couple desperately trying for a baby,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30finally getting the news that you're pregnant must be fantastic.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33But, sadly, things don't always go to plan,
0:08:33 > 0:08:38and nine months of waiting can result in heartache.
0:08:38 > 0:08:44Dawn Griffiths is a bus driver and has been together with her husband Geoff for 23 years.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49About three or four years ago, Geoff and I had had the day off together,
0:08:49 > 0:08:54and Geoff broached the subject of do we want to have children?
0:08:54 > 0:08:59His question surprised me, but my answer surprised both of us...
0:08:59 > 0:09:01which was yes.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06In 2011, Dawn and Geoff were thrilled to find out that they were pregnant.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12Dawn was an older mother and as this was a much-wanted baby, doctors carried out some routine tests
0:09:12 > 0:09:15to reassure her that everything was all right.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20A week later I got a phone call from our local hospital...
0:09:22 > 0:09:28You basically had...we were told we had a 1-in-60 chance of Lucy being born with Down's syndrome.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31That was a shock.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34There was a reasonably high chance of Down's syndrome,
0:09:34 > 0:09:39but for Dawn the most important thing was that her baby would survive.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42She was offered further tests, but they had their own risks.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47To me the risk was too high to lose a child that may or may not have Down's syndrome.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51So I just thought, "What will be, will be."
0:09:53 > 0:09:56People with Down's syndrome
0:09:56 > 0:09:59have 47 chromosomes while the rest of us in the general population
0:09:59 > 0:10:01have 46.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06People with Down's syndrome will have some kind of learning disability,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08some less than others,
0:10:08 > 0:10:14and most people with Down's syndrome will have some kind of health condition
0:10:14 > 0:10:15at some time in their life.
0:10:15 > 0:10:22Short-term memory is an issue and learning is much more difficult.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Taking this on board, Dawn and Geoff counted down the days.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31And in October 2011, Dawn gave birth to Lucy.
0:10:31 > 0:10:37Once you're allowed to hold your child, it's better than winning the Lottery.
0:10:37 > 0:10:43The doctors examined Lucy when she was born to assess whether she was healthy.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46The paediatrician said, "We think Lucy may have Down's,"
0:10:46 > 0:10:50because they go off the facial details,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52and apparently there's creases in the hands.
0:10:52 > 0:10:58But that wasn't all. Lucy was very ill at birth and the doctors had to take her away.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00This worried Dawn and Geoff even more.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Her heart rate was dropping to the point where she had to be resuscitated.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Obviously, it was really traumatic.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12I was exhausted there's still bits of Lucy's birth I really can't remember.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15But we were that close to losing her.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Lucy's lungs were underdeveloped, she was finding it hard to breathe
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and she had two holes in her heart.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Thankfully, her condition soon stabilised
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and, after a week in hospital, Dawn got some good news.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31We were told, "Well, you can take Lucy home now,"
0:11:31 > 0:11:33and I just felt fantastic.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37It must be difficult enough coming to terms with your new baby's disability
0:11:37 > 0:11:41when there are doctors and nurses around to support you,
0:11:41 > 0:11:46but imagine how much more challenging that becomes once you get home and you're on your own.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49When we got to take Lucy home,
0:11:49 > 0:11:54it was frightening. I suppose it is for every parent.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57When you're told your child has Down's syndrome
0:11:57 > 0:12:01it sounds very dramatic, but it is a form of bereavement.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04And then not knowing anything about the condition,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06I felt as a mum, for all we knew,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Lucy was going to be our one and only,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11and I felt like I was letting everyone down.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14As to adjusting to it, I think you just get on with it.
0:12:14 > 0:12:20Cos if you go to pieces, you're no good for yourself and you're certainly no good for your child.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24Dawn was facing the normal adjustment period every parent does with a newborn,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27sleepless nights and endless nappies.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32But Lucy's specific needs threw up some unexpected costs for the new family.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38Financially, at the time, we didn't know what the implications were going to be,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40because we didn't know the extent of Lucy's needs,
0:12:40 > 0:12:46whether or not it was going to be a good while before she could either walk or crawl or talk,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50whether or not I would have to stay at home permanently,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53which means my husband would have to be the sole provider.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58Dawn was happy to give up work if she had to look after Lucy,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01but this left them with just Geoff's income to live on.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05She initially refused to seek help or claim benefits.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08The first year, to me, felt tough.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13As she got older, the gap was becoming more and more pronounced.
0:13:13 > 0:13:20She had her own way of getting round, but she couldn't interact with them the same as other children could.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22So that was hard.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Dawn was coping as well as she could but, in reality, she was exhausted.
0:13:25 > 0:13:31Finally, she reached out to her council who put her in touch with a children's charity.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35We provide practical and emotional support
0:13:35 > 0:13:37for disabled children and their families.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39This can be through
0:13:39 > 0:13:43a variety of ways, through family services, for example,
0:13:43 > 0:13:48where we can help families access those things that they really, desperately need.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53Dawn's case was referred to one of the charity's support workers Julie Dony.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55When I first met Dawn and Lucy,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57the referral came from the children's centre.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00I was asked originally just to go out and meet the family
0:14:00 > 0:14:03and see if there was any support we could provide.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10She actually came round and wanted to know what was Lucy's situation.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14And it was more of a case of, "Well, this is what Caudwell do.
0:14:14 > 0:14:20"Have you thought about sensory equipment? Have you thought about Disability Living Allowance?"
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Dawn had been very reluctant to claim Disability Living Allowance,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27feeling that as a mother it was her role to meet Lucy's every need.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30But after much soul-searching with her husband,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33they realised it really could help.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Now we're in the mindset, it's Lucy's money and not ours.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41It pays for treats, it pays for days out that ordinarily we wouldn't do.
0:14:41 > 0:14:47With the financial assistance in the form of Disability Living Allowance now coming into the household,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50on one side at least things were getting easier.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54The DLA helps with things that perhaps you don't think about.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Fuel to take Lucy...for the car to take Lucy to hospital.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03Parking at the hospital. For parking, it's £3 each time.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Which doesn't sound an awful lot, but if you've got to go every six weeks, it soon adds up.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12So with some of the money worries being dealt with, what about Lucy's development?
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Dawn had her parents on hand to help her,
0:15:15 > 0:15:21but she wanted to give her daughter every bit of help she could to grow.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Sensory equipment helps with children's development.
0:15:24 > 0:15:31The fish tank. The lights change colour. It's got the bubbles so it's quite relaxing.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36It's pretty and with the lights as well, it improves the hand-eye coordination,
0:15:36 > 0:15:41their concentration, and it gives pleasure as well.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46Dawn had been taking Lucy to sensory rooms in her area with great results,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49but they could only get to them every now and then.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Money was a bit of an issue,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55so we just felt it would be really nice for Lucy to have the equipment at home,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58because she was responding so well to it.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02It wasn't easy, it took us six months of constant e-mails...
0:16:02 > 0:16:03But it was worth the effort.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Julie succeeded in getting Dawn and Lucy the funding needed
0:16:07 > 0:16:11so that Lucy could have the sensory equipment at home.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14When it came and we showed it to Lucy,
0:16:14 > 0:16:18her reaction was, like, amazing.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23It was...it was like a fairy story, to be honest, just watching her...
0:16:23 > 0:16:30open up...in ways we'd never seen her do before. I just feel very emotional now...
0:16:30 > 0:16:33..mainly for her... Sorry.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40It's really nice for Lucy to be able to have easy access to the equipment in her own home,
0:16:40 > 0:16:46and she can use it as much or as little as she wants to.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49It's helped her hand-eye coordination so much.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54Julie's helped Dawn and the family both financially and emotionally,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57and the difference to all their lives has been overwhelming.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02Lucy's now able to communicate and interact with her family better,
0:17:02 > 0:17:07her physical movement has improved and her personality is starting to shine through.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11I know it sounds silly, but I can't put it in words how grateful we are...
0:17:11 > 0:17:13If she went now, it would be like losing a leg.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15That's how I feel.
0:17:15 > 0:17:22Slightly wrong analogy, I know, but it's the only way I can describe in words how fantastic Julie's been.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Dawn knows that she can call me if she needs any further support
0:17:26 > 0:17:29and, you know, I'm always on the end of a phone.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34Most people with Down's syndrome will go to ordinary school,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36will learn to read and write,
0:17:36 > 0:17:42be able to have some kind of supported living environment
0:17:42 > 0:17:44and go out to work,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and people with Down's syndrome get married now
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and lead full and rewarding lives.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52I hope Lucy goes from strength to strength.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56I would like Lucy to live a full, independent life
0:17:56 > 0:17:58and do whatever Lucy wants to do.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01I'm sure she will reach her full potential.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Lucy's condition means that her life will never be straightforward.
0:18:05 > 0:18:11However, at least Dawn and the family now know that they have got people they can rely on
0:18:11 > 0:18:14who'll be there with them every step of the way.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18And that means that as a family they can plan together for the future...
0:18:18 > 0:18:22which is as much as any parent can hope for.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31Time now to leave our saints and return to the greedy world of our scroungers.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Clarissa Ihenacho had been claiming benefits on the basis that she was single.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40She'd told the council her landlord was a charity in Tooting,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44but it turned out the property was actually owned by her own husband.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49So around £27,000 worth of benefits had been wrongly going
0:18:49 > 0:18:53to the charity's address whose landlord was down as one Dr Bell-Gam.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55We got in touch with Merton Council
0:18:55 > 0:18:58which is the council for Tooting.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02They provided some information to us, for example, electoral-roll information,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06and information about who was the council tax payer.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11They said that Clarissa Ihenacho was the registered council tax payer at the address,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15and also had given a care-of address as Pemdevon Road.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18In my mind it shows that it wasn't a bona fide benefit claim,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20it was a fictitious claim
0:19:20 > 0:19:26where a landlord had been developed for the purposes of claiming housing benefit fraudulently.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28The plot thickened.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33Clarissa was paying council tax at the address she'd originally claimed was her landlord's,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36the Family Education Helpline headquarters.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41But the investigation had shown that the owner was a Dr Bell-Gam.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46When I looked at the Land Registry for Links Road, it showed that it was purchased in 1986
0:19:46 > 0:19:51by Bell-Gam Clarissa Ama Ihenacho.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56Clarissa Ihenacho has clearly used a number of her names in different orders
0:19:56 > 0:19:58to claim different things.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01For example, bank accounts, mortgage applications...
0:20:01 > 0:20:04she does change her name around.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09OK...so not only does Clarissa have rights to one property,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12she owns the property in Links Road.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Oh, and I think she's a doctor.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17The team wanted answers.
0:20:17 > 0:20:24Clarissa claimed to be too ill to attend an interview under caution, so they went to her.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28When we drove to Pemdevon Road, this road that we're in now,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31we knocked on the front door,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33we introduced ourselves,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36and we were let into the property at this stage.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40Her son was actually present at the address at the time,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and we have to use recording equipment
0:20:43 > 0:20:46to take note of the questions that we ask in the interview.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51And there was some concern about using electricity at her property, etc,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55and it became very difficult to conduct the interview at that particular time,
0:20:55 > 0:21:00and we decided that it was not suitable to do a home interview at that stage.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Clarissa Ihenacho became quite distressed
0:21:03 > 0:21:06and angry at our presence in her property,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10so we decided not to conduct the interview and left the area.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Clarissa wasn't going to play ball,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19and because she wasn't telling the council anything, they dug deeper
0:21:19 > 0:21:24and found out that she herself had set up the charity.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26I did some additional research on the internet,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30putting in all combinations of her name,
0:21:30 > 0:21:35and it brought up quite a bit of information regarding charity work that she's been doing,
0:21:35 > 0:21:43a number of awards ceremonies that she's attended here and abroad in very sort of glamorous outfits...
0:21:43 > 0:21:48In addition to that, there was an article in the Nigerian Guardian about Clarissa Ihenacho
0:21:48 > 0:21:53where she described herself as an educationalist in this country,
0:21:53 > 0:21:58a family lady with a husband and children,
0:21:58 > 0:22:03and actually stating that she was...held a PhD...
0:22:05 > 0:22:07..very different circumstances.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11So she's actually the founder of the charity
0:22:11 > 0:22:15that she was calling her landlord in the fraudulent benefit claim?
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Yes. And officers looked at the photos
0:22:18 > 0:22:22and they realised that this was the same woman that they'd seen
0:22:22 > 0:22:25when they visited her about the housing benefit claim.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29OK. So she obviously wasn't who she claimed she was. What else did you discover?
0:22:29 > 0:22:34Well, we discovered that she had a mortgage on the Links Road address.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Now, if you remember, this was the address that she said her landlord lived at.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40And the doctorate? Any truth in that?
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Well, we're not sure. We did investigate this, but, to be honest, it was inconclusive,
0:22:44 > 0:22:51and we feel that she probably did some academic training before she left to come here to the UK,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54but we don't know that she ever qualified.
0:22:54 > 0:23:00On the initial application form for housing benefit, her property at Tooting wasn't declared,
0:23:00 > 0:23:05and also the fact that she had matrimonial rights in Pemdevon Road wasn't declared.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09In addition, we would say that the landlord was completely fabricated.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13A tenancy agreement was provided as support of the application
0:23:13 > 0:23:16as to her liability to pay rent at that address,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20and we say that there was never any liability to pay rent,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22because she was renting from herself,
0:23:22 > 0:23:29because she was one of the founder members of the Family Education Helpline UK.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Although Clarissa owned one of the properties with her husband,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35he wasn't the one making the claims.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40So it was only Clarissa against whom the investigators had any evidence.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44They took her to court, but she wasn't going down without a fight.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48During the trial she was in complete denial that she was actually being prosecuted
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and that she'd actually done anything wrong.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55She believed that there was nothing she had done, this was unjust
0:23:55 > 0:23:58and she shouldn't be tried.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01It was a waste of the taxpayers' money and time.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06In court she gave a number of documents to the judge and the jury
0:24:06 > 0:24:10stating that she was involved in charity work here and abroad,
0:24:10 > 0:24:15and monies that she'd obtained here was actually used to fund an orphanage,
0:24:15 > 0:24:17the Arrows of God Orphanage,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20and that without that money they would not be able to survive
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and this would have an effect on the children in the orphanage.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27From the information that we'd obtained during the investigation,
0:24:27 > 0:24:32we could see no transfers of money abroad to charities.
0:24:32 > 0:24:40It looked like all the money had been used to pay for her mortgages both on Pemdevon and Links Road.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Clarissa pleaded not guilty on eight counts of fraud,
0:24:43 > 0:24:50including dishonestly making false statements and furnishing false documentation.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55But the jury didn't believe a word she said and convicted her on all eight counts.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00The judge sentenced her to a one-year custodial sentence.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03When the sentence was given,
0:25:03 > 0:25:10she reacted very badly, with disbelief, there was quite a lot of noise in the court,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14the family were all present as well and they were upset as well.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17It was...it was a very...
0:25:18 > 0:25:22..heated situation, er, at that point.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29But it wasn't just a conviction the team was after.
0:25:29 > 0:25:35They wanted to ensure that Clarissa paid all the money back and more under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Enter Zoe Neale, financial investigator at Croydon Council.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45After conviction, we inform the court we wish to proceed to confiscation.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50In certain cases, the council is within its rights to ask not just for the money that's been overpaid,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53but also to confiscate any assets that they have
0:25:53 > 0:25:57which were gained as a result of their criminal behaviour.
0:25:57 > 0:26:05What I do is I compile a list of her assets, I look for evidence of any property,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07I look for evidence of her lifestyle,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I look for evidence of anything which could show that she had something
0:26:10 > 0:26:13which she could use to satisfy a confiscation order.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15She has not just gained financially
0:26:15 > 0:26:18from the housing benefit overpayment
0:26:18 > 0:26:19or from the benefit fraud,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22she has also gained because she has had rental income.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26So I investigated about the houses, I've been through her bank accounts,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I'm looking for unexplained cash amounts,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32I'm looking for unexplained income...
0:26:32 > 0:26:37I found that she had shares, PEPs, ISAs, she has a car...
0:26:37 > 0:26:42It turns out that Clarissa had been living a lifestyle most of us would envy.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46And it was all from the proceeds of taxpayers' money.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50It turns out, in fact, she was worth a fair whack.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I believe that she's profited from her crime by about...
0:26:56 > 0:27:01However, I also have to work out how much I think she has in available assets.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05And that would include how much is in her bank accounts, how much is her property,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07how much is her car, and I believe that's about...
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Having pocketed £39,000 she shouldn't have,
0:27:14 > 0:27:20over three years her profits were almost 16 times that much.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Zoe and her team are now on their tail.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28She can't get rid of her assets because I have frozen her 15 bank accounts and the two properties,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30so she cannot dissipate her assets.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34What happens is, we don't stop, we don't give up, this does not go away.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Our solicitors will still be writing to the court to say, "We need to get this resolved."
0:27:38 > 0:27:45And then, basically, our solicitors and the courts and the defendant are trying to get a court date sorted,
0:27:45 > 0:27:49but we will eventually get a court date and we will eventually come to some agreement.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53It's looking like there's no way out for Clarissa.
0:27:56 > 0:27:57Charity begins at home, eh?
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Well, Clarissa Ihenacho certainly thought so,
0:28:00 > 0:28:05except she believed that the Government was the charity and she was the worthy cause.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08She denied it right up to the bitter end.
0:28:08 > 0:28:14But that doesn't change the fact that she'll now be making a sizeable donation back to the public purse.