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 you'd end up turning to government agencies for a bit of help.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13I think the social welfare system is a real blessing.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16It shouldn't be taken for granted. It shouldn't be abused.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21My husband is disabled. Without the benefits 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 > 0:00:28in the form of benefits, legal aid and health care.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32But there are some people who are out there to cheat the system
0:00:32 > 0:00:34out of as much as they can.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38They're cheating the people who pay into the system, the general public.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41How are these people managing to get away with this?
0:00:41 > 0:00:45But those people who are trying to get rich from the public purse
0:00:45 > 0:00:47are now being sniffed out by investigators
0:00:47 > 0:00:50who want to make sure that as much money as possible
0:00:50 > 0:00:52is available to those who need it.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56This is the world of Saints and Scroungers.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05Coming up: the scroungers that are out to beat the system.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09A jet-setting mystic who claimed benefits despite earning pennies from heaven.
0:01:09 > 0:01:16There were payments being made in foreign currency including rupees, US dollars and euros in France.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19And those who rightly deserve a helping hand.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24The man who found himself homeless after the break-up of his marriage.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26I was totally devastated
0:01:26 > 0:01:29to the point where I found it hard to cope with life.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31I just had to be on my own.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Being the sole breadwinner in any family is a huge responsibility,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43but at least you can take pride in the fact that you're putting food on the table
0:01:43 > 0:01:45and a roof over your family's head.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Imagine the feeling, then, when you know you can't provide
0:01:49 > 0:01:52because you can't work because you're just too ill.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56For most of us, it would be hugely demoralising.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59But for a benefit cheat, it's a big opportunity.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Meet married father-of-three Younus AlGohar.
0:02:03 > 0:02:09He's unfortunately been unemployed since 1999 due to suffering severe migraines.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13He's been reliant on government support to help him and his family.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16The family lived in rented accommodation in Kingswood,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20a leafy, affluent suburb 18 miles south of London
0:02:20 > 0:02:24and he was helped out by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Julian Ellacott is a local councillor there.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Reigate and Banstead Borough Council is responsibility for paying a number of benefits.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Housing benefit, council tax benefit in particular.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40And we pay those to people in need of them,
0:02:40 > 0:02:45mainly unemployed, people on low incomes.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48People just like Younus AlGohar.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Younus AlGohar was claiming housing benefit and council tax benefit
0:02:54 > 0:02:56from Reigate and Banstead Borough Council.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00He was also claiming income support from the Department for Work and Pensions.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Sounds fair enough. But when AlGohar moved,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07the landlord of his new property got in touch with the council
0:03:07 > 0:03:09and an investigation kicked off.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16The case landed on the desk of one of the council's fraud investigators
0:03:16 > 0:03:20who, due to the nature of his work, has asked to remain anonymous.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25It's common practice for the landlord of a property
0:03:25 > 0:03:28to ring up the council and inform them that a new tenant has moved in
0:03:28 > 0:03:31because the tenant then becomes liable for the council tax bill.
0:03:31 > 0:03:37Younus AlGohar's landlord phoned to inform the council of the tenancy conditions.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40It transpired through that initial phone call
0:03:40 > 0:03:45that the landlord was charging nearly double the amount Younus AlGohar was claiming.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47What was going on?
0:03:49 > 0:03:53The fraud team decided to take a look at AlGohar's original claims.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58As part of the investigation, I contacted the letting agents for the property in Kingswood
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and asked them to provide a copy of the genuine tenancy agreement.
0:04:01 > 0:04:07The agreement they provided me with showed that the rented amount was 2,700 a month.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10However, the agreement that AlGohar provided to the council
0:04:10 > 0:04:13stated that his rent was only £1,400 per month.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20So, why was AlGohar paying nearly twice the amount of rent he was claiming?
0:04:20 > 0:04:24The amount of extra money AlGohar was forking out to his landlord
0:04:24 > 0:04:30didn't sit well with someone who was supposedly reliant on income support.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33The investigators widened their search.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38It's common practice to do what's called open source intelligence searching,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41which is basically putting a name into an internet website
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and searching to see what comes up.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48On this occasion, I found that Younus AlGohar had quite a high profile,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51a public presence on the internet
0:04:51 > 0:04:53as well as his own website.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57All of which were linking him to an organisation called the Messiah Foundation International.
0:04:57 > 0:05:03From the website, there were lots of pictures of Younus AlGohar in various situations.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07I compared these pictures to what we already held on the benefit claim form from his passport
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and from that I realised that they were the same person.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Referred to online as "His Holiness",
0:05:14 > 0:05:17and claiming to be a mystic, writer and poet,
0:05:17 > 0:05:21AlGohar is, in fact, the chief executive of The Messiah Foundation,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25whose website claims to "promote divine love"
0:05:25 > 0:05:30and "the reduction of hatred", all of which sounds marvellous.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32The investigator carried on searching
0:05:32 > 0:05:35and discovered AlGohar had previously claimed housing benefit
0:05:35 > 0:05:39for a house just five miles away in Coulsdon.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44From looking at the claim paperwork for Coulsdon, I discovered a pattern with what happened in Kingswood.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47There were discrepancies in the rental amounts in the tenancy conditions
0:05:47 > 0:05:50and the agreement that had been provided to the council.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55So, another claim. This time the landlord charged AlGohar £2,800 per month
0:05:55 > 0:05:59and again he was only claiming just over half the amount.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02So where was all the extra cash coming from?
0:06:02 > 0:06:04It appeared from the information we'd got so far
0:06:04 > 0:06:08that Younus AlGohar was renting quite expensive properties,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10quite luxurious properties,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13and then declaring to the council that the rent was significantly lower
0:06:13 > 0:06:15than what he was actually paying.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19So that's two properties claimed for in the same way.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22A pattern was definitely emerging,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25but so far, it made no sense.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33Investigators kept digging and found that another property had been claimed for in much the same way
0:06:33 > 0:06:36in the nearby borough of Bromley.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41The property was in the town of Keston, 15 miles away.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44The investigation was getting even wider.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46It is important for councils to work together,
0:06:46 > 0:06:51mainly because people can obviously move around from one area to another
0:06:51 > 0:06:54and therefore they will claim benefits from different councils
0:06:54 > 0:06:56over a period of time.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59So the next stage was to contact them
0:06:59 > 0:07:02to verify that their claim was genuine as well.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08When I got in touch with my counterpart at the London Borough of Bromley,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12they established that the same pattern had been followed with that claim as well.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Yet another property rented in the same way.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Younus AlGohar was claiming £1,600 per calendar month
0:07:19 > 0:07:25but was actually paying £2,850. The sums just weren't adding up.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29It looked like there were three fraudulent claims in two boroughs.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33With one objective - to get the council to pay half your rent
0:07:33 > 0:07:37so you can live in a house you would never normally be able to afford.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41Something had to be done to find out where all this cash was coming from.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45He'd told the council and the DWP he wasn't working.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47If there was something dodgy going on,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50the council weren't going to let it slide.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54We'll find out later if they get the proof they need.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59The police undertook a search of the property, seizing numerous bits of documents,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01taking photos as they went.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Now it's farewell to the scroungers that are trying to fleece the system
0:08:14 > 0:08:17and let's say hello to those who we call our saints.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21The people who do everything to make sure that those in need of help
0:08:21 > 0:08:25who are too proud or simply don't know how to help themselves,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27can get what they deserve.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32In England alone, it's estimated
0:08:32 > 0:08:35that there are around 2,000 people sleeping rough.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38There are any number of reasons why people become homeless.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43But I don't know about you, I'd always assumed that the process of becoming homeless
0:08:43 > 0:08:45would take weeks or months.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Is it possible that you could wake up in the morning
0:08:49 > 0:08:53without any idea that you'd be homeless the same night?
0:08:55 > 0:09:02Meet Simon Griffin. In 2011, he left his home and found himself with nowhere to live.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Simon had been happily married for five years.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09He had a young daughter, a nice home and a rewarding job as a technical engineer.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13He was a man who had everything he'd always wanted,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16but one night, Simon's world was turned upside-down
0:09:16 > 0:09:19when he and his wife split.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24I was shocked at the time, and I didn't think it was going to be for ever.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26I thought it would be short term.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31Even though it was tough, Simon took the decision to leave the family home.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36I didn't want my daughter to see us arguing, falling out.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38I don't believe that's right.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40So I left the family house
0:09:40 > 0:09:45to let the heat die down, which I thought it would.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Initially, Simon stayed with family and friends,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52but when it became clear that the break-up was permanent,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54things went from bad to worse.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59When it really had sunk in that there was no relationship there no longer,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02I was totally devastated,
0:10:02 > 0:10:07to the point where I found it hard to cope with life,
0:10:07 > 0:10:13to cope with people. I just had to be on my own in my own little world.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17It was... It was the start of a breakdown for me.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20With his mental and emotional state deteriorating,
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Simon began spending more and more time alone in his car.
0:10:24 > 0:10:31When I was in my car, I used to just start processing things in my head.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36And that used to get me more and more depressed.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41Simon struggled to keep up with the 12-hour shifts he was working as an engineer,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44and took a part-time job as a cleaner instead.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Even this, though, proved too much for him
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and his attendance at work was low.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Simon was suffering from depression.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55He stopped taking care of himself.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56And with no plan for the future,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59the days spent in his car drifted into weeks
0:10:59 > 0:11:03as he withdrew further and further away from the outside world.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06I've come down to the place where Simon ended up
0:11:06 > 0:11:10to find out more about this very difficult time in his life.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12- Hi, Simon.- Hi, Matt.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17- So this is a spot of particular significance for you?- Yes.- Why?
0:11:17 > 0:11:22I spent a lot of time over there, sleeping in my car, when times were bad.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Was that for the day or for the night, or..?
0:11:25 > 0:11:27- About two months. - For the whole two months.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29- Yeah.- What's that like?
0:11:30 > 0:11:32It's awful.
0:11:32 > 0:11:33Really low.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Bad as things can get.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39What was it that brought you to that situation?
0:11:39 > 0:11:41I was poorly, depressed.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Life wasn't worth living.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46I was just at an all-time low.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48What time of year was it?
0:11:48 > 0:11:51It was March into April time.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54It was a bad winter. It was cold, windy.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55Not nice at all.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Did you feel like, at least inside the car,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00you could control everything?
0:12:00 > 0:12:02- Is that part of it?- Yeah.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07It's cos I didn't have to see anyone. I didn't have to answer to anyone.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11What was happening to work during this time?
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Presumably you were still employed. You hadn't left work.
0:12:13 > 0:12:19I was employed, but I was taking a lot of sick days
0:12:19 > 0:12:23because I was just not up to it.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Simon was suffering from clinical depression,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28but he just didn't realise it.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32I kept churning through past memories.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37My wife, my daughter.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41How things are not going to be the same no more.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43The car had now broken down,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45and his depression meant he only left it
0:12:45 > 0:12:47when he was desperate for food.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49He couldn't even bring himself to visit his daughter.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54The police regularly patrolled the area where Simon was parked
0:12:54 > 0:12:57and would briefly check to see he was OK.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01One night, though, the officer on duty took more time than usual
0:13:01 > 0:13:04and asked Simon how he'd ended up there.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06As Simon began to open up,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08it became clear he had nowhere else to go
0:13:08 > 0:13:10and really needed help.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12When did you become homeless?
0:13:12 > 0:13:15I didn't really see it as homeless.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19I'd got my own car and a sort of roof over my head.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23But I needed a lot of help.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26- A lot of help.- So what did he do for you in the first instance?
0:13:26 > 0:13:31He was ringing different authorities, trying to get me accommodation.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33They were coming back negative.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36He didn't give up! He kept going, he did!
0:13:36 > 0:13:39The very next day, the police officer who'd found Simon,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41together with the local council,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44arranged an appointment for him at the Canaan Trust,
0:13:44 > 0:13:49a charity that aims to give homeless people they help they need to get back on their feet.
0:13:49 > 0:13:55It seemed like just the place Simon needed. But would they be able to take him in?
0:13:55 > 0:13:57It was very clear that he was extremely depressed.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01He'd withdrawn from all the support that was around him.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03So it was clear that, you know,
0:14:03 > 0:14:08somebody had to offer him some help and support to bring him forwards.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Having been at rock bottom for so long,
0:14:11 > 0:14:16could this be the route to recovery that Simon really needed?
0:14:16 > 0:14:20I was really nervous. Really, I was shaking at the time
0:14:20 > 0:14:23I went in for my interview. Two guys interviewed me.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Seeing the state that Simon was in,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30the support workers at the trust had to make a very quick decision.
0:14:30 > 0:14:36If they rejected him, he was in danger of slipping even further into the grip of his depression.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40And with no alternative, he'd have to go back to sleeping in his car.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44They popped out for about five minutes or so.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48And they came back in and said they'd got a room for me.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50It was great news for Simon.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54That very same day, he was welcomed into one of the three hostels
0:14:54 > 0:14:55that Canaan Trust runs.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Russell Olding remembers their very first meeting.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01When Simon walked through the door, physically how did he look?
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Um, well, not well.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05He was obviously very distressed.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09And I don't think it was a pleasant experience for him to come through that door.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11I think it took a lot of courage for him to get there.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13What were Simon's immediate needs?
0:15:13 > 0:15:16The immediate need was to get him a roof over his head.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20Which we did quite quickly. Then beyond that,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24it was just trying to get him to focus on
0:15:24 > 0:15:29what he had to look forward to rather than what he'd lost.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32What other problems were associated? He was clearly ill.
0:15:32 > 0:15:40Yes. We got him registered with a GP and we looked to getting him assessed for his depression.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42And getting medication.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45The doctor confirmed that Simon was clinically depressed
0:15:45 > 0:15:49and prescribed him a course of medication to help him get better.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Russell was then able to help Simon tackle the more practical issues
0:15:53 > 0:15:55like his financial situation.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Simon had taken on a part-time job,
0:15:57 > 0:16:02but unfortunately, because he was so depressed, he wasn't really turning up to that.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04He'd been off more than he'd been in.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07The next stage was to talk to his employer
0:16:07 > 0:16:08and sort things out there.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Unfortunately, he wasn't in a fit state to work.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Unable to work because of his depression,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Simon was entitled to employment and support allowance
0:16:17 > 0:16:20which helped with his immediate financial needs.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23The next step was to get Simon integrating with others
0:16:23 > 0:16:28and dealing with the issues that had led to him becoming depressed in the first place.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31We started to chat to him about what he liked doing
0:16:31 > 0:16:34and about the circumstances that had led him to us.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38We found that Simon was quite quick to open up about
0:16:38 > 0:16:40what he felt had caused the problems
0:16:40 > 0:16:43and how he was dealing with that.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44It was kind of a relief.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46It's like sharing your problem.
0:16:46 > 0:16:52And somebody who's there to say, "That problem ain't really that big.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55"And if we did this, and if we looked at it from that way,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57"your problem ain't so big."
0:16:57 > 0:17:02Simon's issues were now being dealt with in a much more controlled environment.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05And with his benefits relieving the immediate financial burden,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07he was now ready to take the next step
0:17:07 > 0:17:09to get him to a stage where he could feel ready
0:17:09 > 0:17:12to return to the workplace once again.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17He asked if he could study Maths and English at the Trust's college.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20And Russell set it up for him.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Simon also threw himself into other more practical courses
0:17:23 > 0:17:29like cookery and DIY, so he was ready for living in the outside world all by himself.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35How many months after he was first brought in here
0:17:35 > 0:17:38did you feel he was ready to move on?
0:17:38 > 0:17:43It was coming up to the six-month mark when we felt he was ready to get a place of his own.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48The obvious next step for him was to be able to have his daughter stay with him.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52We couldn't see him progressing any further without that access.
0:17:52 > 0:17:58And it's not possible in a place like this. This isn't where you'd want to bring a young child.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01So he had to move out really so that that could form
0:18:01 > 0:18:05- part of his progress and his healing, if you like.- Yeah.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10So we got in touch with the council and said, "We feel this guy is ready to move on
0:18:10 > 0:18:12"and get his own tenancy."
0:18:14 > 0:18:18With the help of the Trust and the right benefits in place,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Simon was able to move into a property of his own
0:18:21 > 0:18:24and live independently in a flat provided by the council.
0:18:26 > 0:18:34Russell and the other staff at the hostel, they played a massive part in getting me where I am today.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37In me getting my flat, to me building my future.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Simon now lives independently.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43He volunteers part-time for a local charity
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and he hopes to be off employment and support allowance
0:18:46 > 0:18:49and earning a wage again very soon.
0:18:49 > 0:18:54But most importantly, he's been able to get back together with his daughter.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57To have my daughter back in my life is priceless.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59I can have her here whenever I want,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03we've decorated it for us
0:19:03 > 0:19:06and I'm really happy, because at one time,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10I was really doubting whether it was actually going to happen again.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15Whether I could actually have a relationship with my daughter again.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Simon thought his life as a family man was all mapped out
0:19:19 > 0:19:22and that he'd be with his daughter and his wife
0:19:22 > 0:19:24until their last days together.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27In the blink of an eye, that changed,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30and although he tried to cope with it by himself, he couldn't.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33He needed help from this place.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37They've helped him realise that although many things have changed,
0:19:37 > 0:19:38one thing hasn't.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40He's still a devoted dad.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52Time now to return to the seedy and greedy world of our money-hungry scroungers.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00Spiritualist leader Younus AlGohar had been unable to work since 1999,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03due to migraines, and living on benefits.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Suspected of living in luxurious properties in Surrey and Kent
0:20:08 > 0:20:12with you and I, the taxpayer, picking up half the tab,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15"His Holiness" was being investigated by the local council.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21Here at Reigate and Banstead, we have a zero tolerance approach to fraud.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24We investigate and pursue each case that comes up.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27And we recover fairly substantial amounts of money.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Having spotted a pattern in the fraud,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34investigators had to get to the bottom of how Younus AlGohar
0:20:34 > 0:20:37was affording such high rents and deposits.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39On paper, he was living on benefits,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42but there seemed to be much more money floating around.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44So where was it coming from?
0:20:45 > 0:20:47From looking at the claim paperwork,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49I was able to look into Younus AlGohar's finances.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I noted that he'd declared he held two bank accounts
0:20:52 > 0:20:54which hadn't been declared for benefit purposes.
0:20:55 > 0:21:02These hidden accounts suggested that AlGohar wasn't leading the modest lifestyle of a spiritual leader
0:21:02 > 0:21:04living on benefits.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08There were a lot of payments being made especially to flight companies
0:21:08 > 0:21:12and hotels abroad, as well as payments in foreign currency.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14There were also a lot of debits coming in
0:21:14 > 0:21:19which suggested there was some form of unearned income going into the account as well.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22But where was all the money coming from?
0:21:22 > 0:21:24It was coming in and going out.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28And he seemed to be a bit of an international traveller
0:21:28 > 0:21:30with a taste for the high life.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35The overseas payments on the bank statements showed payments being made in foreign currency
0:21:35 > 0:21:40including rupees, American dollars and euros over in France as well.
0:21:40 > 0:21:48As well as payments being made, there were in-flight payments for duty free and to airways.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53With undeclared bank accounts and large payments being made and received,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57the investigator got on the phone to the Department for Work and Pensions
0:21:57 > 0:22:01who'd been paying Younus AlGohar income support for over four years
0:22:01 > 0:22:07to the tune of £54,682 to which he was almost certainly not entitled.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10The two organisations combined forces.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12With the help of the investigator's digging,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Reigate and Bromley Council and the DWP
0:22:16 > 0:22:20now had some very difficult questions for AlGohar to answer.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24With the help of Surrey police, it was time for them to pay him a visit
0:22:24 > 0:22:29to gather some hard evidence on the source of his undisclosed income
0:22:29 > 0:22:33and to find out whether he genuinely was living the kind of lifestyle
0:22:33 > 0:22:37that you'd expect from someone dependent on benefits.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43At 7.00am on a morning in November 2011,
0:22:43 > 0:22:44the team struck.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47The time of the raid was early one morning.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Younus AlGohar was not actually present at the property,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54however, the operation continued regardless.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00A lot of documents were found in the property and were seized.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05They were documents relating to his current or previous tenancies that he held,
0:23:05 > 0:23:10in relation to his income and also the claims he'd made for benefits
0:23:10 > 0:23:14to put up a picture of his finances and his lifestyle.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20These documents provided the proof that AlGohar had made false claims
0:23:20 > 0:23:22relating to his rental agreements and earnings.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27Investigators were also surprised by the huge haul of technical hardware,
0:23:27 > 0:23:34including mobile phones, laptops and large-screen TVs found at the property.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39There's no strict rules as to what kind of possessions a person can have
0:23:39 > 0:23:41when they're claiming benefits.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45There's nothing to stop a claimant have large TVs and lots of equipment.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48However, it depends how those items have been funded
0:23:48 > 0:23:50which may raise alarm bells.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53AlGohar wasn't at home for the raid,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57but later on handed himself in to a local police station
0:23:57 > 0:23:59where he was interviewed under caution.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Younus AlGohar was presented with the evidence that had been obtained
0:24:05 > 0:24:10during the investigation and the subsequent search of his property.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13He was asked to comment on all the pieces of evidence that were put before him.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18In spite all the evidence of three false housing benefit claims,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20and defrauding the DWP,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22AlGohar remained tight-lipped.
0:24:22 > 0:24:29At the start of the interview, Younus AlGohar confirmed his name and identity details.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32But gave a "no comment" interview when the questions and evidence were put before him.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38But there was one thing that came across very clearly from "His Holiness".
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Despite giving a "no comment" interview,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Younus AlGohar came across as polite and kind during the interview.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47With undeclared bank accounts and large sums of money
0:24:47 > 0:24:49being credited and debited,
0:24:49 > 0:24:55the investigators believed that Younus AlGohar was a man who was not entitled to benefits.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58And the case was passed on to the decision makers.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02The decision makers are trained benefit entitlement assessors
0:25:02 > 0:25:05within an authority such as the council or the Department of Work and Pensions
0:25:05 > 0:25:08who review claim paperwork and evidence
0:25:08 > 0:25:11and then use this to decide whether a claimant is entitled to benefits or not.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17DWP decision makers made the initial decision and decided AlGohar was not entitled to income support
0:25:17 > 0:25:21which created an overpayment of £54,682.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25The decision maker at Reigate Council then reviewed the evidence
0:25:25 > 0:25:30and also decided that Younus AlGohar was not entitled to his housing benefit or council tax benefit
0:25:30 > 0:25:32for the entirety of his claim.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35This created an overpayment of £3,498 housing benefit
0:25:35 > 0:25:38and £1,058 council tax benefit.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41But it didn't stop there.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45There was the property in Keston to take into account, too.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49The case then passed to the decision maker at London Borough of Bromley
0:25:49 > 0:25:54who also decided that AlGohar was not entitled to his housing benefit for the entirety of his claim.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57This created an overpayment of £16,100.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00They also removed his entitlement to council tax benefit
0:26:00 > 0:26:03creating an additional overpayment of £2,295.
0:26:03 > 0:26:11That's a staggering £77,646 fleeced from the taxpayer by "His Holiness"
0:26:11 > 0:26:15who gallivanted around the globe staying in luxurious hotels
0:26:15 > 0:26:17and treating himself to duty free.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23AlGohar was taken to court facing 12 charges of dishonesty
0:26:23 > 0:26:27under the Social Security Administration Act of 1992.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32But he pleaded not guilty, despite the overwhelming evidence against him.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Two months later, he changed his mind.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39At the Plea and Case Management hearing in June 2013,
0:26:39 > 0:26:44Younus AlGohar changed his plea and pleaded guilty to 11 of the 12 charges.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48AlGohar was found not guilty of the 12th charge against him.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52At a sentencing hearing, his QC argued against a prison sentence
0:26:52 > 0:26:56due to his work with The Messiah Foundation International
0:26:56 > 0:27:00where he was an important figure in the fight against extremism.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Younus AlGohar was not sentenced to prison.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06However, he was handed three concurrent imprisonment sentences
0:27:06 > 0:27:08which were suspended for 18 months.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10The longest of which has been 36 weeks.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Perhaps he was able to walk from the court a free man
0:27:13 > 0:27:16because in-between pleading guilty and the sentencing hearing,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19although not implicated in any way in his crime,
0:27:19 > 0:27:26The Messiah Foundation International dug deep and repaid the £75,585 overpayment in full.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29That really is divine intervention!
0:27:29 > 0:27:31And the money is now back in the public purse.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36AlGohar was ordered to do 240 hours of community service
0:27:36 > 0:27:39and pay costs of £6,000.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42To the members of The Messiah Foundation,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Younus AlGohar was someone who, for three years,
0:27:45 > 0:27:50had chosen to abstain from all but the basic necessities of life.
0:27:50 > 0:27:57Unfortunately, that didn't include housing and council tax benefits and income support.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01On the plus side, he is now once again working in the community.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05But this time, it's because the court has ordered him to!