Nwadei/Canine Partners Saints and Scroungers

Think about it - what would you do if you had a bad run of luck?

The chances are that you'd end up turning to government agencies

for a bit of help.

I've actually needed state benefits.

At that time, if I hadn't have had them, I would have really suffered.

Benefits should go to people who really are in need

and who cannot pay their bills.

Here in the UK, millions of us need to ask for help every year

in the form of benefits, legal aid and health care.

But there are some people who are out there to cheat the system

out of as much as they can.

If you're taking money from what people what genuinely need it - not good.

People have stolen a lot of money from the system.

If they get caught it's a fair cop.

But those people how are trying to get rich from the public purse

are now being sniffed out by investigators

who want to make sure that as much money as possible

is available to those who need it.

This is the world of Saints And Scroungers.

Coming up, the scroungers who try to fiddle the system.

One man claiming benefits, despite receiving student grants,

tries to wriggle out of paying his dues.

Mr Nwadei didn't really want to answer any questions.

He was quite evasive in his answers when he was challenged.

And a butcher bites off more than he can chew.

This was a serious attack on the VAT system

and that potentially could have defrauded the department

into millions and millions of pounds.

And those people who deserve the public's help.

After 11 years of helping to give a woman her independence back,

Labrador Reagan makes way for a new dog on the block.

They clipped Fletcher onto the side of my chair and it felt just right.

It felt like he'd been there with me forever.

Good boy!

Applying for work can be a really daunting process.

Filling out an application form is just like going back to school

and even worse is the interview -

that's like standing in front of the head teacher.

No wonder some people don't bother with the process at all.

They try something a bit different.

40-year-old Chukwuka Nwadei had hit hard times

because of unemployment.

He was living in East London in the London Borough of Newham,

which has a population of nearly 244,000 people

and like many of them, Nwadei was receiving a little bit of extra help.

For eight years, he'd claimed over £40,000 worth of housing benefits

from Newham Council

and £12,000 of Jobseeker's Allowance

from the Department for Work and Pensions.

But all that changed in April 2009

when the National Fraud Initiative returned Newham Council's latest data matching results.

The National Fraud Initiative is organised by the Audit Commission

on behalf of most public sector bodies

and we basically submit all of our data biannually

and that data is matched.

The point of matching the data is to make sure that the records are consistent,

so that we know that people claiming benefits in our area

are entitled to those benefits

and they haven't got issues in other areas that should be declared to us.

So there's a gigantic database out there, designed to make sure

we're not fiddling the system.

Most of our information is held on computer,

so we have people's names, addresses, dates of birth, national insurance numbers

and we also have information relating to what their claim is

or what their benefit is.

Once all the information from the various departments has been put in the network,

the database can keep tabs on it and run searches that may highlight suspicious matches.

The computer system then compares it to other people's information and data

and then reports show where there are anomalies or issues of concern

and then they send that information back to us

so that we can look into it.

When the data matches come in, we go through them

and some of them are rated as a better match than others.

In this particular case, Nwadei was quite a high hit.

The Fraud Initiative data results linked Nwadei to student grants.

As far as Newham was concerned, he was unemployed

and struggling to find work, not a student with the finances to support himself.

In some circumstances, students can claim housing benefit

but in Nwadei's circumstances, he was not entitled to housing benefit

if he was a student.

Something didn't add up, so the team kick-started an investigation

and began by going back over Nwadei's benefit applications.

In relation to Nwadei's claim for benefit,

over the course of a number of years,

he's submitted a number of claims for housing benefit and council tax benefit.

Within those, he actually declared that he was not a student

and that he had no other income coming in at all,

other than that he was receiving from the Department of Work and Pensions.

So if Nwadei was in fact a student, he was blatantly lying on his applications.

In this claim form, the question is asked, "Are you or your partner a student?"

"By student we mean anyone who is attending a course of study at an educational establishment."

He checked the no box.

The team went through all the application forms

Nwadei had submitted to Newham over the eight-year claim period

and he denied being a student on all of them.

Now Rashid needed to find out whether it was a similar story with Nwadei's Income Support.

Given the allegation of fraud

and that he was claiming Jobseeker's Allowance

from the Department of Work and Pensions,

we approached them and asked them if they wanted to be involved in the investigation.

And the Department for Work and Pensions jumped right on board.

They informed us that Nwadei had claimed for Jobseeker's Allowance

from August 2003

and for a number of years had submitted claim forms

stating that he had no other income

and that he was actively seeking work for that whole period.

The DWP had the same picture as Newham Council of Nwadei -

an unemployed man in need of benefits.

Nwadei was receiving £70 in housing benefit weekly

and £60 in Jobseeker's Allowance weekly.

That meant he was receiving £130 a week in benefits.

Having been over all the claim histories,

the Newham fraud investigators decided to speak to the Student Loans Company

who appeared on the data matching.

I've got here the Student Loans Company form that we requested from them

and it shows that in the academic year beginning 2004,

he was at the University of East London, doing civil engineering.

It also shows us the grants that he received for that course.

Civil engineering at the East London University -

well, that sounds like somebody who is attending a course of study at an educational establishment to me.

In fact, the Student Loans Company paperwork suggested

Nwadei only spent a year at the uni

before dropping out and going elsewhere.

The following academic year, he moved to London Metropolitan University

and moved to computing

and again, there's a breakdown each year

of how much money he got from them.

The record suggests that Nwadei had been at the London Met for four years

but the fraud team needed confirmation from the university.

They confirmed that he had been attending for several years

but eventually they'd thrown him off the course because he hadn't paid his tuition fees.

Thanks to the investigators' ability to access and trawl through

key information relating to Nwadei,

they were able to gather enough evidence to bring him in

to answer some rather awkward questions.

The first interview under caution was on 19th August 2009

and that was based on the information we received from the Student Loans Company.

INVESTIGATOR SPEAKING

NWADEI SPEAKING

Yes, Nwadei was staying tight-lipped.

Investigators also challenged Nwadei about his various benefit forms.

All the declaration sections,

which accept responsibility for providing correct information,

had been signed.

Nwadei wasn't prepared to play the game.

He wanted to know what evidence the investigators had on him

and they were willing to share it.

It was Nwadei's right to cancel the interview

but the evidence was still suggesting he'd failed to tell the truth

on his benefit forms.

Later on, we'll find out the scale of this potential crime.

There could be a huge overpayment as a result of this.

For now, though, it's time to say farewell to the scroungers

that are pinching from the public pot

and say hello to those we call saints,

who do all they can to make sure others in need of support

and struggling to manage their lives get all the help they need.

This is my dog, Ozzie,

and although I love him, he is completely useless.

He only does a few things.

Ozzie! Ozzie!

Come here. Come here.

Come here. Sit.

He is a family pet

but there are some dogs who provide real independence for people.

They do everything from fetching and carrying

to checking if they're still breathing.

The good news is, he's not one of them.

Come on, Oz.

42-year-old Christine Mildenhall lives

with her 82-year-old mother Joyce.

She was born with cerebral palsy

and experienced both mobility and learning difficulties growing up.

But as a teenager, she was active and independent.

Her great passion was horses and she had a job at a local riding school.

I could ride. I was leading horses round.

I could do dressage.

Slowly, year by year, a bit more of my condition came out

until I was in pain every day, so I ended up in the wheelchair.

As Christine grew older she began to suffer from a disorder called dystonia,

which is linked to cerebral palsy

and which causes her severe cramping and spasms.

On top of this she also developed brittle asthma

and started having chronic attacks.

Christine was in and out of hospital and became reliant on benefits.

She received severe disablement allowance

and disability living allowance, as well as income support.

I've come to find out how Christine coped during these tough times.

Presumably, your mum's been there for you throughout your life.

I couldn't even go up the road on my own without my mum.

I couldn't even go to the shops.

If I dropped anything at home,

I had to wait until my mum came indoors to pick things up.

At night, my mum even had to have a baby monitor in my bedroom

and in her bedroom so that she knew that I was all right

and not ill in the night.

But as Joyce was getting older and suffering ill health herself,

she was finding it harder to look after Christine.

With my condition, I could go unconscious very easily

because I lose oxygen if I'm spasming.

If I was to lie down in bed when I'm spasming, I can't get myself up

and I start choking.

For Christine and Joyce, the monitor was a temporary solution

so they could sleep in separate rooms and have some space

but it was far from perfect.

My mum didn't have a good night's sleep.

She sort of slept and woke up to listen,

then slept and woke up all through the night.

Living in each other's pockets and a lack of sleep

was taking its toll on the mother and daughter relationship.

We both got on each other's nerves.

With my age, people don't have their mothers go round shops with them

and I couldn't go out on my own.

I couldn't go into shops on my own in case I spasmed.

So you haven't got your independence. You're nothing, really.

You're just someone in a wheelchair.

Let's go.

Christine needed some independence

and a local cerebral palsy organisation

recommended she get in touch with a charity called Canine Partners.

I've come along to a centre near Christine's home

to find out what their dogs can offer someone with cerebral palsy.

-He's so calm!

-Yeah, he is.

-Shall we take him through his paces?

-Yeah, he'd love to show you what he can do.

-Brilliant.

We're just going to ask him to empty the washing machine for us.

Do the washing. Good boy.

Good boy. Get it. Good boy. Get it. Bring it here!

Put it in.

-Yes! Good boy!

-Wow!

-Can you shut it? Shut it.

He's doing all the tasks himself - opening it with his nose

and then shutting it so it's not blocking wheelchair access.

Then he can help drag the laundry basket outside,

limiting the bending over a partner might be doing.

Because there's no point in learning one part of the process.

He has to be able to do all of it if he's going to be really useful.

-Yeah.

-OK. So what else?

Let's go and do some shopping. Let's go. Good boy.

Tin. Get it.

Yes, good boy. Get it. Bring it here.

Get it. Good boy. Bring it here. Thank you. Good boy.

-How could you tell him to pick up other things?

-To be specific?

When he's going towards the right item - "Yes, yes, yes."

If it's something I don't want - "Uh, uh."

People get into routines and the dogs will learn after a certain time

that if we always go to this shelf and you ask me to pick up that packet,

that's what you're likely to ask and they'll get into the habit.

-They know our shopping list.

-Brilliant.

-That's the washing done and the shopping done.

-Yeah.

-What's left to do?

-We can get him to pay for it.

-I'll be the cashier, shall I?

-Yeah. Good boy.

So he's just going to hand over the tin for you first.

OK, tin, take it.

So these clever canines are trained to become a lifeline

to their disabled partners,

giving them an independence which is often lacking.

And over ten years ago, when Christine was at her very lowest ebb,

she applied to the charity for a canine partner.

She was invited to the centre

and introduced to someone very special.

When I first met Reagan I was a little bit nervous

because I'd never been round big dogs before.

Good man! Shall we go for a walk?

'I didn't know what he was going to be like.'

There's a good boy.

But then about the second time I went training, I was falling in love with him

and the big brown eyes of his looking up at me

and I thought, "Yeah, he's the one."

There's a good boy. Behind.

Good boy!

After two weeks of training, Christine took Reagan home

and her disability benefits and income support helped to pay for his upkeep.

Reagan had been trained to get help if Christine became ill.

It meant she could do everyday things without her mum,

like shopping, posting a letter or going to church

and it wasn't just Christine who loved having Reagan around.

It's given my mum freedom. She can go out when she wants.

And having Reagan in the house had a positive impact on their home life,

particularly the sleepless nights.

If I'm not well now, Reagan goes into my mum's bedroom,

nudges her bed and comes out and keeps on going there,

so my mum knows there's something wrong.

So it's given my mum a bit more sleep

so she doesn't have to listen out all night,

so she knows I'm safe.

Reagan was making a dramatic difference

and even Christine's health was improving.

I was in and out of hospital

but now I haven't been in hospital for ten years.

Even the doctor said having the dog has given me fresh air,

which helps with breathing.

I can go to the park and meet other dog-owners

and Reagan can have a play with other dogs.

And it's sort of like I'm part of the community now.

I'm a person now.

But after a decade of companionship, it was time for Reagan to retire.

The reason the dogs have to retire is from a welfare point of view.

Dogs, naturally, as they start to age, their health will change,

joints will get a bit more achy, they'll want to sleep more

and they will naturally want to slow down.

So it's from their point of view that we start to look ahead

and think about another dog coming in.

He's getting an old boy now and he's got arthritis.

He's coming up for eleven and it's quite upsetting.

Reagan's made such a huge difference to Christine's life

and he's a proper friend.

If you've ever had a dog, you'd understand.

-Obviously, Reagan's not getting any younger either...

-No.

This is the thing - dogs don't live as long as us.

They're companions in the real sense, aren't they?

Yeah, you can talk to the dog

and you can tell the dog secrets which you know the dog won't repeat.

The dogs don't take depression. They don't understand it,

so just the stroke of a dog cheers yourself up.

So when you knew that Reagan was going to have to retire,

it must have been, you know, quite a concern?

Yeah, it was heartbreaking.

I must admit, when I got told he had to retire,

me and my mum had a few tears

and I was thinking, "Oh, my God, I'm going to lose him," and all that

and we'd be back to square one again

and my mum won't have her life again -

she'll have to do everything for me.

But Canine Partners were there.

They set about searching for a new dog

that would suit Christine's needs so she could live more independently.

It's a big decision to take on another dog

and think about retiring Reagan.

She's had a fabulous, fantastic partnership with Reagan

and a new dog, she has to get used to -

how will they work?

And the different character and different personality of a new dog,

which can be a little bit scary for someone new.

Later on, we'll find out how Christine is getting on.

Now from those people who really need the help of the state

to those who just abuse the system.

Paying tax on your earnings is something that nearly everybody has to do

and it's what keeps the country ticking over.

But there are some people that think they can get away

without paying into the pot.

HMRC's tax fraud investigators make it their top priority

to stamp out the tax cheats.

Meet Gary Turner, a successful butcher from Leeds,

who had a reputation for making delicious meat pies.

By the mid 1990s he had two businesses,

a butcher's that sold meat products and pies

and a meat wholesaler's.

Both the companies were VAT registered

and Turner was completing quarterly VAT returns.

It's a fairly simple document.

It contains the tax that you have charged to your customers

and the tax that you have been charged by your suppliers

and the difference you either pay to HMRC or is repaid to you.

Food products don't have any VAT on them

but if you sell them,

you can reclaim VAT on your purchases relating to their sales.

So Turner was actually receiving payments back from HMRC.

Most butchers who are selling zero-rated goods, such as meat,

will actually incur expenses in running the business

and they'll be able to reclaim that back from HMRC

by completing a VAT return.

But in 1995, the British meat industry was shaken

by the BSE crisis and it hit Turner hard.

Because they received VAT returns from him,

HMRC believed Turner had survived the crisis.

All that changed in April 2011,

when a VAT officer decided to do a routine inspection on Turner.

The officer went to look at his February 2011 VAT return,

which was a repayment for somewhere in the region of £43,000.

He asked Gary for his business records

and Gary said that they were with his accountant.

But the officer managed to get two invoices and copies of some of Turner's bank statements.

The bank statements didn't really show his true income and expenditure

and some of the VAT repayments that had been paid to Gary Turner

had been omitted from the bank statements,

so this aroused his suspicion.

The case was referred up to HMRC's fraud investigators,

who checked out the invoices.

I contacted the distribution company

and after a telephone call and a visit,

it became apparent that Gary Turner had never traded with the distribution company.

All the invoices Turner had from the distributor were bogus

and there was a discrepancy with the other invoice as well.

It became apparent that the company that he purported to trade with

actually sold chicken.

Within the business, chicken would be classed as poultry

and red meat such as beef would be considered meat.

The invoices that Gary Turner had in his possession

were for the supplies of meat.

Again, it became evident after going to see them that they were false

and that the whole thing had been made up.

The invoices suggested that Turner was faking business

in order to claim repayments.

The next step was to check out Turner's bank records.

These were then compared to the bank statements that Gary Turner had provided to the visiting officer

and it soon became apparent that Gary Turner had falsified the bank statements.

There was a chance that Turner could have been providing HMRC with fake business records

for over a decade.

So the investigators scheduled a dawn raid in June 2011

to find more evidence.

Once we got into the house,

it became apparent that Gary Turner's lifestyle was lavish.

Among the luxury items the investigators found

were three cars on the drive with private number plates

and a collection of designer watches worth tens of thousands of pounds.

But it wasn't long before the investigators found

what they were really looking for.

During the search, it became apparent that Gary Turner had kept

all his business records from 1995.

This included all the purchase invoices,

all the sales invoices and all copies of the VAT returns

in relation to the repayments that he had submitted

to Revenue and Customs.

Having found the stash of Turner's dodgy paperwork,

they arrested him and took him off for questioning.

Turner quickly confessed that when his business was affected by the BSE crisis,

he began faking records in order to receive repayments.

And since HMRC didn't come after him, he decided to carry on with the scam,

that ran for over 15 years.

In Gary Turner's case, he was paying out zero

but reclaiming hundreds of thousands of pounds every year

and that money was going straight into his bank account

and funding his lavish lifestyle.

Among the evidence at Turner's home was paperwork for five-star family holidays

worth thousands of pounds

and a bungalow he'd bought his son, all paid for by the tax payer.

HMRC calculated that he'd scammed the Exchequer for a mammoth...

Following Gary Turner being charged,

he was then sent up to Leeds Crown Court.

He advised the judge that he was going to plead guilty.

On 15th March 2012,

Gary Turner was sentenced to five years' imprisonment

for cheating the public revenue.

But the HMRC didn't stop there.

We were aware that Gary Turner had significant assets

and we believed that those assets had been obtained

through his illegal activity

and that was proved to be the case.

So we were very keen as a department to try and recover that money back for the benefit of the public purse.

The department obtained restraint orders

from the High Court in London

to freeze Turner's assets and then began to take them back.

The confiscation is restricted to the amount of the realisable assets that somebody actually has.

All he had left was net assets of £241,000

and that is what the confiscation order was made in respect of.

So although HMRC couldn't claim back the £3.3 million,

well, it was a result.

The message it sends out to anybody is

if you commit crime, these are the sort of things that you may end up facing,

as well as losing your family home,

as well as losing all of the assets that you actually have.

It's time to say goodbye to the fraudsters

and welcome back those people who really need the public's help.

42-year-old Christine Mildenhall has cerebral palsy

and for the last ten years has relied on her dog, Reagan,

to help her to be independent.

Because of Reagan, she's self-sufficient.

She can go shopping, visit friends and enjoy her surroundings.

It means she doesn't have to rely on her elderly mother Joyce

as her sole carer.

Christine got Reagan from a charity who trained him to help disabled people

and she uses the benefits she's entitled to to look after him.

But the 11-year-old black Labrador has now reached the age of retirement

and the charity's trying to find her a new dog.

It's a not clear science when you match a person with a dog.

We have to consider that.

And the impact of having a young dog again is going to be quite different for Christine

as she has got used to having an older dog

that has got an established routine with her already.

Good boy!

I thought his age would never come. I thought he'd always be a young pup.

But that's in my dreams.

But it's quite upsetting to know that it's going to be his time to retire

but he's worked nearly ten years now and he's coming up for eleven

and he's got health problems,

so it's got to be his time to be a dog

and do whatever he wants to do -

sleep and eat and sleep again.

The charity's worked closely with Christine for two months,

gradually weaning Reagan off his duties.

What will happen to him, though, once he fully retires?

So, with Christine, because she lives with her mother,

her mum could take on the responsibility for looking after Reagan,

who wants to be in the home a lot more and sleep a lot more,

which will suit her mother, Joyce.

So Reagan gets to stay at home and in the meantime,

one of the charity's trainers, Claire Cannon,

has been training a potential match

to help Christine with the tasks that Reagan used to do.

Fletcher's a very lovable boy.

He's a big golden retriever who loves cuddles.

He's very enthusiastic in all of his work

but also very laid back

and he's quite happy to take a back seat when he needs to.

He generally sort of loves life and is quite eager to please.

Fletcher was raised by a puppy parent

and then just before he turned two years old,

he joined the charity for his 15-week initial training.

He was learning all the more advanced tasks,

so unloading the washing machine, picking items off shelves in the shops and things like that.

But you know, dogs are territorial animals.

How will Reagan feel if there's a new kid on the block?

Reagan will naturally be quite inquisitive of the new guy in the new home

but Joyce will be there to take him out

to allow Christine time to focus on Fletcher,

so it's not putting Reagan or Fletcher's neck out of joint.

However, the success of the new partnership all depended

on whether or not Christine could form a strong bond with Fletcher,

like the one that she had with Reagan.

I've had a day to go up there just for a day

and they bought Fletcher out

and I took Reagan up with me as well.

And they clipped Fletcher onto the side of my chair

and it felt just right.

It felt like he'd been there with me forever.

During that one-day meeting,

the charity saw the chemistry between Christine and Fletcher

and decided to put them on a two-week intensive training course.

If they worked well together, Fletcher would go home with Christine

and become her new canine partner.

It's an important time for everyone

and the two weeks of training are nearly up,

so I've popped along to see how they're doing.

Fletcher, you're gorgeous.

-How has it been, Christine?

-It's been fantastic.

Training is very tiring

but meeting Fletcher and training with Fletcher has been fantastic.

Claire, you've got to be sure of your stuff

-because there's a big responsibility here.

-Yeah.

You're sending a dog out that really, is not just a big part of Christine's life

-but could save her life.

-Yeah. No, definitely.

You know, it's really important that, already with Christine having a dog,

that we make sure that her second dog is just as successful

as the partnership she's already had.

-Reagan's set the bar very high...

-Yeah.

..and in two weeks you can't teach him everything he knew.

How do you know when to stop and not be too ambitious?

Well, obviously the training time that we have here with the dogs is quite restricted.

When Christine came down for matching,

we discussed what tasks, what things she would like Fletcher to be able to help her with

and so I've tried to cover them as a ground basic

and start them to a good level, to a good standard,

and now it's up to Chris to continue the good work and keep it up.

It's official - Christine and Fletcher are a great pair

and Claire Anthony understands just how important this new partnership is.

Reagan completely changed the person that came to us over ten years ago

and it'll now be Fletcher's job to take over that role

and completely change it again

and boost her and get her out and about and doing things

that she wants to do in the future.

Reagan was in charge for the last ten years.

Now it's Fletcher's turn.

When I bring Fletcher home, Reagan will still be number one.

Reagan won't have anything moved that belongs to him.

His bed will still be in the same place.

Reagan will just step back

and let Fletcher work.

Once again, the charity's come to Christine's rescue,

allowing her to keep her freedom.

A lot of people come here and they're quite self-conscious

and maybe a bit withdrawn

but even within a couple of weeks, they often come out of themselves.

They're less withdrawn and more confident

and, you know, realise that they're able to have a lot more independence

because of their dog.

So it's time for Fletcher to move in

and give Christine the support she needs

in her everyday life.

I'm very sorry to see Fletcher go.

He's probably one of my favourite dogs that I've trained

but I know he's going to such a lovely lady

and he's going to provide her with so much help and support

that no-one else could really do.

It's been nearly two months since the training course

and now Fletcher is living with her full time

and settling into his new job.

I forgot what it's like, having a two-year-old

and it's absolutely fantastic.

We've bonded brilliantly.

He's so laid back, he's horizontal, nearly.

But he's a really, really good worker.

Fletcher's age means Christine also benefits from advances in training,

because he can do certain tasks that Reagan can't,

like taking cash and bank cards from the cash point.

The future is bright.

You know, my independence that... I've got more independence now.

Bring it on! I'm looking forward to doing a lot more with him

and letting people meet him.

And as for Reagan, well, look at him.

He can just take it easy - he's earned it.

Christine seems happy and relieved

that she may well have found the right dog

to help her through the next ten years of her life -

a dog that can change her life but also possibly save it, as well.

Not every dog can become a canine partner...

as I think we've just seen.

Ozzie!

It's now time, though, to return to the slightly murky world

of those we call scroungers -

the fraudsters out to turn over the tax payer.

Struggling 40-year-old Chukwuka Nwadei lived in the London Borough of Newham

and because of unemployment, he'd been claiming house benefit and Jobseeker's allowance

for eight years.

But in 2009, Newham Council were given information by the National Fraud Initiative

which suggested Nwadei was a student.

Newham started investigating

and received evidence from the Student Loans Company and two universities

that Nwadei had been a student.

They brought him in for an interview under caution

but it was short-lived.

The first interview was quite a short interview.

Mr Nwadei didn't want to answer any questions.

He was quite evasive in his answers when he was challenged

and at the end of the interview, he then decided to stop

because he wanted to seek legal advice.

Nwadei hadn't given anything away or confessed to doing anything wrong,

so the investigators had to continue building the case

and they decided to look deeper into his finances.

In his claim forms, he'd only ever declared one account to us.

We'd received information that he'd been receiving his grant

into a Northern Rock building society account.

We knew at this point that we needed to go and get that from them,

so that we could then present it to him

to prove that he was receiving the grant money into that account.

The investigators requested copies of the bank account application form

and when they arrived, the details were a perfect match to Nwadei's.

Someone had even written "student" in the occupation section of the form.

An undeclared bank account was enough

to get Nwadei into hot water with the authorities

but things were about to get a lot worse for him

when the London Metropolitan Uni sent through a crucial piece of evidence.

The university takes pictures of all students

and they were able to provide us with a photographic student identification

that they took and we had that on record as well now.

The net was closing in on Nwadei

and it was becoming more and more obvious that he had been a student.

Armed with the new evidence, the investigators scheduled another interview under caution

and Nwadei returned in September 2009

with a legal representative.

First up on the agenda was the undeclared bank account.

Yes, he's not committing to these answers, is he?

But, come on, Chukwuka! What about the university ID card?

So despite the original data match,

grants being paid into a bank account in his name

and a university ID card with his face on it,

Nwadei still wasn't confessing to being a student.

It takes quite some nerve to be able to sit through two interviews under caution,

standing your ground and protesting your innocence.

But that's exactly what Nwadei was doing.

This time it was the investigators who suspended the interview,

so they could gather even more evidence against Nwadei.

Given the fact that he was still denying that he'd ever been a student,

contradicting the evidence that we'd had to date,

we knew then that we'd have to go away and get further information

and put it back to him.

We wanted to get as much information as possible from the university

and they were able to provide us with his enrolment form.

All the personal information on the enrolment form matched that of Nwadei.

The next of kin was even his sister.

To top if off, it was all written in what appeared to be the same handwriting

as on his benefits claim forms.

The anticipation was that he would actually see the weight of evidence that we had

and it would leave him with no choice but to admit the fraud.

So in January 2010, Nwadei returned for another interview under caution.

The investigators laid out all of their evidence

and hoped it would be a simple case of third time lucky.

They started with the civil engineering degree

at the University of East London.

Another denial but what would Nwadei say about the ID photocard

from the other university?

Again, no joy there.

So the investigators moved on to the undeclared bank account.

Nwadei clearly wasn't playing ball

but the team wasn't going to give up,

so they moved their attention to the various application forms.

Feeling they were banging their heads against a brick wall,

the investigators gave Nwadei one more chance to come clean.

So despite giving Nwadei ample opportunity to confess,

he was still sticking to his guns.

He left the Department for Work and Pensions and Newham Council with no other option

but to calculate the sum of money

he may have fraudulently claimed from them.

It turned out that the overpayment was just over £52,000

in relation to both benefits

and as a result, there was no doubt in our mind

that Mr Nwadei would need to be prosecuted.

Nwadei faced 12 counts of benefit fraud at court.

His appearance - low profile.

Mr Nwadei attempted to disguise his appearance

by wearing a hat and glasses to the court,

so the jury asked that to be removed

because they were keen to see whether or not this person

was the same person as in the photo ID

that we'd got from the university.

And it was clear that, yes, it was the same person.

But what were the chances of Nwadei pleading guilty in court?

Mr Nwadei continued to deny everything

until he was confronted with the photo ID and challenged about it.

He nearly buckled at this point

but he maintained his stance of being not guilty.

You can see the similarity, right?

I mean, anybody looking at me and my ID card here could tell

that we are one and the same.

Unbelievably, Nwadei thought he could pull the wool over the eyes

of the judge and jury and so he stuck to his guns.

But all Nwadei's denials were not enough to convince the jury

and when they returned at the end of the trial,

they found him guilty of all counts.

Nwadei was convicted for ten counts of producing false statements

and two counts of failing to notify the council

of changes to entitlements.

He was sentenced at a later date to seven months in prison.

It was a very good investigation, very thorough.

We gathered lots of evidence

and regardless of what Mr Nwadei tried to throw at us,

the evidence was overwhelming and therefore he was convicted.

But will any of the money go back into the public pot?

The overpayment was just over £52,000

and that is still recoverable by both us and the Department of Work and Pensions,

either by a repayment plan or some other arrangement that we will come to with him.

So, Nwadei gets an F minus for telling the truth.

He thought he could lie his way to freedom

but the investigators at Newham had other ideas.

He has, however, earned himself a first-class degree in fraud.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd