0:00:02 > 0:00:06In the UK, most of us work hard and pay our taxes.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Most people basically, intrinsically, won't fiddle.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14I'm happy I live in a society that has a safety net for the poor.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16And we generally agree that it's right
0:00:16 > 0:00:19that a proportion of what you earn
0:00:19 > 0:00:22should go into a pot that's there to help you should you need it.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26But that money doesn't always find its way to the right people.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29I think lying to gain the benefit is so wrong.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31It's awful!
0:00:31 > 0:00:34If you believe in karma it's going to come back round and get you.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39There are big changes taking place in the welfare system here in the UK.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42And now it's more important than ever
0:00:42 > 0:00:45that the right help gets to the right people.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49This is a world of saints and scroungers.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55'Coming up, the scroungers that are out to beat the system.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00A fraudster claiming benefits as a depressed single mum in one London borough
0:01:00 > 0:01:03turns out to be a successful landlady in another.'
0:01:03 > 0:01:09This was something that told us that there was something more to this lady's character.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12And those who rightly deserve a helping hand.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16We meet a man whose life falls apart when he loses his sight completely.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20At first I didn't really feel like I wanted to go out.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23I guess I felt a bit vulnerable and a bit intimidated.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Most of us aspire to own our own home at one point or another.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34But the reality is that when you're struggling to make ends meet,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37that dream will remain just a dream.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39There is Government support available
0:01:39 > 0:01:43to make sure there's a roof over you and your family.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47However there's a tiny percentage of people, chancers,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51who are prepared to exploit that for their own personal gain.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Melissa Urquhart from Croydon in South London
0:01:54 > 0:01:57is a young woman trying to make her way in life.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02But in 2001 her world came crashing down following the death of her father.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07She became depressed and too ill to work, but thankfully she could rely on the Government
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and Croydon Council for support.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15Melissa Urquhart started claiming housing and council tax benefits in early 2002.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20Her claim was based on her being in receipt of job seekers' allowance.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24What we noticed on the application form when viewing it was that
0:02:24 > 0:02:27she had named her landlord as R's Investment.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31She also made it clear to us
0:02:31 > 0:02:37that she was grieving and so any delays with her benefit claim being processed
0:02:37 > 0:02:40was not helping her stress factor.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43It was clearly a difficult time and by 2008
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Mellissa Urquhart was in need of even more help.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49As the years went by she had a child.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54And then she received support as a lone parent.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Over seven years Urquhart received income support,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00child support and housing benefit.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04She even applied for more money to help with rental increases for her Croydon home.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07And despite the various applications throughout the years,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09one thing stayed the same.
0:03:09 > 0:03:15Throughout the claim period, Melissa Urquhart never declared having any other income
0:03:15 > 0:03:17other than state benefit.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22So on paper Melissa Urquhart sounded like a depressed single mum
0:03:22 > 0:03:24in desperate need of state help.
0:03:24 > 0:03:30But in 2009 she sent a letter to the council which raised suspicions among its staff.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36'I've come to Croydon fraud HQ to learn more from investigations manager David Hogan.'
0:03:36 > 0:03:39OK, so what was it about Urquhart's case
0:03:39 > 0:03:42that made you think, "Hold on, maybe here there's something to investigate?"
0:03:42 > 0:03:45It was one of the benefit assessment teams here in the council
0:03:45 > 0:03:48had received notification from Miss Urquhart
0:03:48 > 0:03:51that her landlord's address was changing.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Some basic checks at that point
0:03:53 > 0:03:55were made to look at the company,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57the address we'd been given,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59which was the new address the company had moved to,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03and lo and behold, what we found was we found a benefit claim at that address.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Straightaway you've got something that doesn't quite match up
0:04:06 > 0:04:08to the paperwork you've been given.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Yeah, we can see we've probably got a problem here.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14At that point it was referred through to my team, to the fraud team.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19And Urquhart's case landed on the desk of investigator Andrea Cordery.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Her first job was to dig a bit deeper into the landlord,
0:04:22 > 0:04:23R's Investments.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Why were they moving to a residential property
0:04:26 > 0:04:29where someone was already claiming housing benefit?
0:04:29 > 0:04:32OK, so you've immediately got a discrepancy there.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Sometimes these things are just mistakes.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Yes, what the benefit team then did was look into it.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43We were able to speak to the person who was at the address
0:04:43 > 0:04:45and they'd never heard of the landlord before.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48And they showed no connection to that address.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Why she picked this particular address is something we will never know.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56In fact the investigators looked for evidence
0:04:56 > 0:04:59that Urquhart's landlord, R's Investments,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01was actually trading as a company.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04But they couldn't find anything on Companies House.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08What they did find was some unsettling information.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Urquhart was listed as a director of a dissolved company
0:05:11 > 0:05:14which she'd failed to declare to the council.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18This was a dramatic change of circumstances.
0:05:18 > 0:05:25Over a nine year period the council had spent £74,734.79
0:05:25 > 0:05:30supporting a depressed woman who couldn't afford her rent or council tax.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Now there was the chance, potentially, she'd been earning.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37A credit search was carried out in her name
0:05:37 > 0:05:41which showed us she had connections to other properties.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46One of these properties was in Stratford in the borough of Newham.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49And that's not all that Andrea uncovered.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52The credit reference also highlighted the fact
0:05:52 > 0:05:57that she had a number of undeclared bank accounts
0:05:57 > 0:05:59and also had a mortgage.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Undeclared bank accounts, a home loan, it's unbelievable!
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Here's a single parent who has stated on benefit application forms
0:06:07 > 0:06:10that she has no financial assets.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12So that's not great.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16It turns out she's actually got a live mortgage in her name.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Yeah, that's correct, this obviously raised serious concerns
0:06:20 > 0:06:22about the validity of her claim.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25OK, so what happens next in a situation like this?
0:06:25 > 0:06:28The claim gets passed to the fraud team.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32The investigators will then start to look at that claim and go into it in fine detail,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35looking for every discrepancy.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40We'll find out later whether the investigators get to the bottom of the fraudulent claims.
0:06:40 > 0:06:46When we'd done the sums of how much benefit Melissa Urquhart had received,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49fraudulently, it was quite startling.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57It's now time to turn our backs on the swindling con artists
0:06:57 > 0:06:59out to pinch every penny they possibly can.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02We're welcoming back our saints,
0:07:02 > 0:07:06those people in society who endeavour to help others who desperately need it
0:07:06 > 0:07:08but might not know how to get it.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16If you've never had any problems with your sight,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20it can be all too easy to take it for granted,
0:07:20 > 0:07:21so imagine what it's like
0:07:21 > 0:07:25to realise that not only is your vision drastically impaired,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28but that it's only going to get worse.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31That was the daily reality for Steve McCarthy,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33who was born with glaucoma,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36a condition that left him partially sighted at birth
0:07:36 > 0:07:39and could potentially lead to complete blindness.
0:07:39 > 0:07:45Fluid that fills into the eye doesn't drain as well as a normal eye
0:07:45 > 0:07:49which gives you blurryish vision.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54I had pretty good sight until 1984 when I lost the sight in my right eye,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58through someone throwing a bit of metal that hit me in the eye.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02I had a detached retina. They couldn't save it so I lost vision in that eye.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06The accident was a devastating blow for Steve,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10who was learning to live with his glaucoma as a child.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15I did go to school in Exeter which catered for people with vision impairment.
0:08:15 > 0:08:22And Steve's mum Val was always on hand to give her son the love and support he needed.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Steve's always been very good really.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26He would get on with most things.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29He was full of beans and a happy little boy.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35But when Steve turned 39 years old his condition deteriorated rapidly
0:08:35 > 0:08:39and his fear for his other eye became a reality.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43For many years I thought there could be a possibility of me losing my sight
0:08:43 > 0:08:46and that really did sort of scare me.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50A detached retina is one of the results of glaucoma
0:08:50 > 0:08:54and in 2006 and I had a detached retina in my left eye.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58And so my present vision is I don't really have any.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02It was clear to Steve's family that he was really struggling.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06You can never prepare yourself for it
0:09:06 > 0:09:08but he knew it was coming.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10And it made him quite depressed.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14When I could see I was confident and I wasn't intimidated
0:09:14 > 0:09:16but then when I lost my sight
0:09:16 > 0:09:20I felt vulnerable because I couldn't see what was going on around me.
0:09:20 > 0:09:27It also became clear to Steve's family the council block he was living in was dangerous.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31As time went on, I became quite worried about it.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36Downstairs there was drugs being dealt there. And prostitutes.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39If anything kicked off, Steve not being able to see
0:09:39 > 0:09:41made it quite frightening.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Desperate to move out to somewhere more suitable,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Steve tried to get the ball rolling but found it a complex challenge,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52especially for someone who'd just become blind.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55I didn't really know
0:09:55 > 0:09:59how to go about getting help with benefits or anything like that.
0:10:00 > 0:10:07Steve was frightened, a long way from the support of his family and he felt socially isolated.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10But the optimistic fighting spirit he'd had since childhood
0:10:10 > 0:10:13prompted him to reach out to a local charity.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17I'd heard about Dorset Blind Association, DBA,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21but I'd never thought about looking into it.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26But now that Steve had made contact with the charity he was able to discuss his housing situation
0:10:26 > 0:10:30with Carol Jenkins, the home visiting coordinator.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33They set up a meeting for Carol to visit Steve at his flat
0:10:33 > 0:10:37and assess his situation to see if they could help in any way.
0:10:37 > 0:10:43Thankfully for Steve, Carol had experience of helping blind people move home.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Obviously there's lots of help that's required.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Looking at the paperwork, how do you apply?
0:10:48 > 0:10:53It's not an easy process but it is a process that is very doable.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57For someone with a visual impairment, moving, the challenges there are enormous.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00When you're moving you have lots of forms to fill in.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05That's something that someone with very limited sight needs support and help with.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08The way he presented himself to me was quite depressed.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13And I just felt that someone like Steve had loads to offer and do.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Moving perhaps nearer to his family and certainly on a bus route
0:11:17 > 0:11:21would mean that Steve would start getting out and about.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25But the process of getting Steve into a suitable home was far from simple
0:11:25 > 0:11:29and Carol worked tirelessly, applying to the local authorities
0:11:29 > 0:11:33and liaising with them about finding Steve a new flat.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37There's lots of problems in the fact that he is a single man.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39So to find a property that is suitable
0:11:39 > 0:11:41but it doesn't need to be over big.
0:11:41 > 0:11:47Equally we had to look at how the local authority would assist us with a transfer.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52Carol had done everything she could to get Steve into a suitable flat
0:11:52 > 0:11:55that would allow him to begin rebuilding his life.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59All they could do was sit tight and wait for a decision.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03I got a letter through the door to say
0:12:03 > 0:12:10'a place had become available so would I like to go and see it?
0:12:10 > 0:12:13'I looked around it, I was feeling quite positive about it'
0:12:13 > 0:12:17because although it was a lot smaller than what I had,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21I thought it would be easier to cope with.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25I was excited and just waiting for the day I could move in.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28When Steve told me he'd got the flat,
0:12:28 > 0:12:33well, yeah, I just was really chuffed to bits.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38Cos, I mean, nothing's been easy. Just a one-bedroom flat.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39Just perfect for him.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42It's easier to me to get to places from here.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45I have family quite close.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49I have a bus stop right outside. And it's just a nicer area.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52After 18 months trapped in his flat,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Steve now wanted to move on with his life.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Try to get back into paid work and make new friends.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04It was a relief. I felt really good about the whole thing.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07And Chris Ford, one of the charity's community support workers,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10was perfectly placed to understand Steve's predicament.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Chris is able to give an enormous amount of help and support
0:13:15 > 0:13:19and I think a lot of that comes from the fact that he has sight loss.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Without him it'd be a real loss to us.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Through working with Chris, Steve realised they had a lot in common
0:13:27 > 0:13:30and it wasn't long before a friendship blossomed.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Steve was in a very similar situation
0:13:33 > 0:13:35where he had some sight
0:13:35 > 0:13:38but once it actually got to the point where he couldn't see anything,
0:13:38 > 0:13:43we were both in the same boat, we both had problems to overcome.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48As a mentor, Chris helps Steve feel confident about his financial situation
0:13:48 > 0:13:53and supports him through any changes in Government legislation.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58The Welfare Reform Act of 2012 meant that the Government only had a bit of money
0:13:58 > 0:14:03in the pot to cater for people with disabilities.
0:14:03 > 0:14:09'People with sight loss are going to be experiencing changes with earning support allowance.'
0:14:09 > 0:14:11And it affects every single one of us.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16It's not just his financial situation that Steve has control of.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20His social life is thriving too since immersing himself in
0:14:20 > 0:14:23the various events and activities that the charity organises.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28As a result Steve's now living a far more fulfilling and exciting life.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31We are the Dorset Acoustic Shooting Club.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35And the concept is being able to provide a shooting facility
0:14:35 > 0:14:37for the blind and visually impaired.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42We use specially modified 177 air rifles
0:14:42 > 0:14:45together with an acoustic sighting system.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48We have to convert a picture to sound.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53And we do this by means of bouncing a light off of the target,
0:14:53 > 0:14:57convert it to a high-pitched sound which is heard through the headphones,
0:14:57 > 0:15:02and, assuming the shooter is getting a good tone and a high pitch,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06he will hit the target and hopefully score quite well.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10When a visually impaired person does things like acoustic shooting,
0:15:10 > 0:15:11it gives you a bit of a buzz.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15It means your disability doesn't exist. You can forget it for a while.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21With the help of Carol and Chris,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Steve's learnt to cope with being blind
0:15:23 > 0:15:25and has moved on with his life.
0:15:25 > 0:15:31In fact, he began feeling so positive about things that he even gave dating a go.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Pearl is my fiancee now.
0:15:34 > 0:15:40We met a couple of years ago in Dorchester when I was a bit lost
0:15:40 > 0:15:45and she came and met me and helped me to get where I needed to.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48And we found we had a lot in common.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Pearl and I have been going out for two years now.
0:15:51 > 0:15:58This year Pearl announced to me that we were going to be having a baby.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03So I was... Bit of a shock to start with but I was really excited.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05And also it so happened
0:16:05 > 0:16:09that I was planning on asking her to marry me anyway.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11I'm over the moon.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16Not just personally but for Steve, whenever I talk to someone,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20I say, "Look, I've got this guy called Steve, look what he's done."
0:16:20 > 0:16:23So excited and so is the rest of the family.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26It's brilliant. Couldn't be better.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30Couldn't be happier. I'd better start knitting I think!
0:16:30 > 0:16:36And now a more self-confident Steve is itching to become more financially independent.
0:16:36 > 0:16:42My hopes for the future firstly is to get some paid work,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44'support my family.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47'I've made the first steps into that
0:16:47 > 0:16:52'by starting a Pathway course back into work.'
0:16:52 > 0:16:56My life has just changed, it's changed tenfold.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00And is so much better. I'm feeling so positive about everything.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02'I'm determined to make the most of it.'
0:17:02 > 0:17:07Try and do all I can to make my family as happy as I can.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11It is funny how life works.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13If Steve hadn't lost his sight
0:17:13 > 0:17:16then the chances are he wouldn't have found his Pearl
0:17:16 > 0:17:20and now be facing a wedding and the birth of his first child.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23But he'd be the first to admit it's made him who he is.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30From the heart warming to the mind boggling.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Yes, it's scrounger time.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Croydon fraud investigators are looking into the case of Melissa Urquhart.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42On paper this depressed lone parent
0:17:42 > 0:17:46is a deserving recipient of support from the taxpayer.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50But it appeared she was withholding information about her assets.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52In the case of Melissa Urquhart,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54the credit search showed
0:17:54 > 0:17:58that she had connections to a number of properties
0:17:58 > 0:18:02and also a number of bank accounts that had not been declared.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06It also showed that she had a mortgage.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11The investigation suggested that this depressed single mum
0:18:11 > 0:18:13did indeed have assets,
0:18:13 > 0:18:18even though she'd claimed over £70,000 in housing benefits over a nine-year period.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22The kind of benefits that Urquhart was claiming. Are they fairly typical?
0:18:22 > 0:18:25They are. There has always been fraud
0:18:25 > 0:18:30in the area of housing benefit and council tax benefit.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35But these are a really important catch net for many of the people in our community.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39It's not just people in receipt of income support get housing benefit.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42A lot of people on low income receive that as well.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46The evidence against Urquhart suggested she was stealing from the council.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49So the Croydon investigation team stayed on her tail
0:18:49 > 0:18:52in tireless pursuit of more information.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55We began to make further enquiries
0:18:55 > 0:19:00to find out how she obtained this house in Stratford.
0:19:00 > 0:19:06We realised that the property previously was owned by her father.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09By the time probate was sorted out,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11the property became Melissa's
0:19:11 > 0:19:14in February 2003.
0:19:14 > 0:19:20Unbelievable! All the time Melissa had been claiming benefits from Croydon Council,
0:19:20 > 0:19:25she'd also inherited a Stratford property in the borough of Newham from her father.
0:19:25 > 0:19:32The information showed that the property in Stratford was worth over £300,000.
0:19:34 > 0:19:40In order for Melissa to have the mortgage transferred into her name after probate,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44she needed to secure a mortgage of £90,000.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47The image that we have of Melissa Urquhart
0:19:47 > 0:19:50on the benefit application forms
0:19:50 > 0:19:56is clearly different from the image she was portraying to the banks.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00This was something that told us there was something more
0:20:00 > 0:20:02to this lady's character.
0:20:02 > 0:20:08Indeed. A few miles across London, Newham Council had Urquhart down as a landlady,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10not someone in need of benefits.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14Andrea decided to contact her colleagues in East London.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Newham Council were able to give me a list
0:20:17 > 0:20:22of all the persons registered in the property
0:20:22 > 0:20:25and all information pertaining to the address.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30And what I could establish from that was that she had a number of tenants
0:20:30 > 0:20:32over the years.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Some to whom had claimed housing benefit.
0:20:36 > 0:20:42There were a number of letters she had written in support of her tenants' claims.
0:20:42 > 0:20:48After months of hard work, the simple realisation of just what Urquhart had been up to
0:20:48 > 0:20:50fell into place.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53So in a sense what Melissa has done
0:20:53 > 0:20:57is one, she has got a property, inherited a property,
0:20:57 > 0:21:01and failed to declare this to Croydon Council.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Two, she's had an income from the property
0:21:04 > 0:21:07from a number of tenants over the years.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12And before too long it appeared that one tenant who'd put in a claim for housing benefit there
0:21:12 > 0:21:17wouldn't have been entitled if the authorities knew the house belonged to Urquhart.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19But it didn't stop there with her?
0:21:19 > 0:21:22No, it turned out there was a tenant in there
0:21:22 > 0:21:27and the tenant at the time was none other than Melissa Urquhart's partner,
0:21:27 > 0:21:28or the father of her child.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31In fact he didn't do anything wrong
0:21:31 > 0:21:35because he never received any of the benefits he was claiming.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40The father of Urquhart's child ended up being just another one of her various tenants.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43One that Newham Council weren't going to pay for.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48OK, so in a very short time we've gone from a desperate single mum
0:21:48 > 0:21:51to a very successful landlady.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52It is interesting, isn't it?
0:21:52 > 0:21:57From a Croydon perspective, we have somebody who was vulnerable,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01suffered depression, but our colleagues in Newham knew the same person
0:22:01 > 0:22:04as someone who was a reasonably successful landlady.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08As if the London borough double life wasn't enough,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Andrea continued to uncover more information
0:22:10 > 0:22:14that demonstrated Urquhart's barefaced cheek.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18With any fraud that's been reported to us from one section of the council,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21we normally check with other departments
0:22:21 > 0:22:24to see if the name of this person has cropped up.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26In the case of Melissa Urquhart,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28I checked with the housing section
0:22:28 > 0:22:33and found that she had made a claim to the housing department
0:22:33 > 0:22:34to be rehoused.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39She informed us that the property she was living in was damp
0:22:39 > 0:22:43and it was causing her son to be quite sick as well as herself.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48She also complained about not being able to walk upstairs.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50She needed somewhere on the ground floor.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53She talked about being agoraphobic.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Also not being able to go long distances.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Basically in need of quite a lot of care
0:22:59 > 0:23:01from the council.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Wow! That's a substantial and demanding list.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07And when it came to making claims to Croydon Council,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Urquhart always prepared a thorough case.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13When viewing the housing file,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16you can see how much effort
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Melissa Urquhart had made
0:23:18 > 0:23:22to demonstrate to the council the property she was living in
0:23:22 > 0:23:23was not fit for purpose.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25A visit was conducted to the property
0:23:25 > 0:23:29and an assessment was done and photographs were taken.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33And you can see from the photographs that there's a lot of damp
0:23:33 > 0:23:36in the property that she lived in.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37My question would be,
0:23:37 > 0:23:43based on these pictures and seeing the state that the property was in,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45why would you subject yourself
0:23:45 > 0:23:51and your child's health by remaining in a property that is so run down
0:23:51 > 0:23:55when you clearly have somewhere else to live?
0:23:55 > 0:23:56A property that you own.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59This was an option that was open to Melissa Urquhart,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01one that she chose not to take.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06But moving into her house would have stopped Urquhart's scam in its tracks.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10This latest act of greed was the final straw for Andrea.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Having built a solid case against Urquhart,
0:24:12 > 0:24:18the fraud team invited her in for an interview under caution on 15th December 2010.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23We had asked her to come to the interview under caution,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25for her to give us her version of events,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27to give us an explanation.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31The evidence that we had was quite overwhelming.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34And if there was anything that we had missed
0:24:34 > 0:24:38that could have confirmed that it wasn't as it seemed,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40that was her opportunity to do so.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45The big question was, would she be prepared to talk?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48When Melissa attended the interview under caution,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50she was very quiet.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54She had her head down, she came with an appropriate adult.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59She acted the part right down to the letter of someone being quite vulnerable.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03She confirmed that she understood the criteria
0:25:03 > 0:25:04for claiming benefit.
0:25:04 > 0:25:10She also confirmed that all the information she had provided over the years was true
0:25:10 > 0:25:12to the best of her knowledge.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15She confirmed there were no changes in her circumstances.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20So despite all the evidence against her, Melissa was sticking to her guns.
0:25:20 > 0:25:26It wasn't until we showed her the credit search
0:25:26 > 0:25:30that had been done that indicated that there was
0:25:30 > 0:25:32a property in Stratford
0:25:32 > 0:25:35that her demure changed.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38At that point she became quite agitated
0:25:38 > 0:25:43and she requested the interview be suspended
0:25:43 > 0:25:46so that she could get legal advice.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49A new interview was scheduled in January.
0:25:49 > 0:25:55She attended with an appropriate adult and also with a solicitor.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00Melissa gave no comment answers to all our questions.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04The only thing she confirmed was her name and her date of birth.
0:26:04 > 0:26:10The team tried one more time to get Urquhart to come in and answer the questions they had
0:26:10 > 0:26:13regarding the rental income from the inherited property.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Instead they got a letter from her legal representatives
0:26:16 > 0:26:20saying their client would not be attending any more interviews.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25The next step for us was to make our recommendation
0:26:25 > 0:26:29to our managers as to what we thought should happen to this case.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34Based on the evidence and the amount of loss to the public purse,
0:26:34 > 0:26:40I felt there was no alternative other than recommend that she was prosecuted.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44For the investigators it was time to prepare for court and do their sums.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48So how much had scammed over a nine-year claim period?
0:26:48 > 0:26:52She had received housing benefit of over £66,000.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59She received over £8,000 in council tax benefits.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05And she received £34,000 worth of income support.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11The total loss was over £108,000.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24In October 2012, the benefits cheat arrived at Croydon Crown Court
0:27:24 > 0:27:25to find out her fate.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Melissa Urquhart pleaded guilty to...
0:27:39 > 0:27:43And it's a case lead investigator Andrea will remember for a long time.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48This was a very sophisticated fraud, committed over a long period of time.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51The judge sentenced Melissa to 12 months' imprisonment.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54She was quite lucky to get that sentence.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58It could have been harsher but the judge took into account
0:27:58 > 0:28:02the fact that she had suffered from depression for a number of years
0:28:02 > 0:28:04and also that she was a mother.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08So the moral of the story - if you're inheriting a property,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11don't expect the Government to pay your mortgage.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13And for Miss Urquhart,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17well, she's got another piece of real estate to add to her portfolio.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20But this one has got very heavy doors and bars.