Cooling/Construction Youth Trust/Scott 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.

We're very lucky to have a welfare state

and I think a lot of people don't appreciate it.

My husband is disabled. Without the benefits system, we would've found things very difficult.

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

in the form of benefits, legal aid and healthcare.

But there are some people who are out there to cheat the system out of as much as they can.

Benefit cheats are criminals and they should be treated accordingly.

How are these people managing to get away with this?

But those people who 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 out to beat the system.

'An antisocial complaint that uncovers

'more than just bad behaviour.'

What was, as far as we were aware, a fairly small fraud

actually widened out and it was one of the biggest ones we've ever come across.

'And those who need a helping hand. A young man determined to put his troubled past behind him.'

At one stage, I really didn't think he was going to survive it.

He was utterly terrified of where he was.

Antisocial behaviour can really bring an area down,

and if you're in a community that's affected by either noise,

littering or graffiti, then it can drive you round the bend.

Of course, you can complain to the council, maybe they'll sort it out.

But then it could sort out a lot more than you bargained for.

'31-year-old Vicky Cooling moved into the neighbourhood

'of Cambourne in Cambridgeshire in 2011.

'A single mother with two children, she rented a three-bedroom terraced house

'and needed help to make ends meet,

'so she filled in a claim for council tax and housing benefit,

'as well as Jobseeker's Allowance.

'The man responsible for finance at South Cambridgeshire District Council is Councillor Simon Edwards,

'so he keeps a close eye on those claiming benefits.'

We have around 63,000 properties in South Cambridgeshire

and just over 10% of those, about 7,000, are claiming benefits.

So out of those 7,000 benefit claimants, we get about 50 cases a year that we have to investigate,

so that's fairly low. We rely on our residents

to tell us when their circumstances change, and that's where we find most of the cases,

where people's circumstances change and they carry on claiming benefits when they shouldn't do.

And it's those instances that we tend to investigate more than most.

'And when they do become suspicious about a claim,

'it's the job of Chris Freeman and the fraud unit to investigate.'

Vicky Cooling was receiving £178.30 per week

in housing and council tax benefit

and £67.50 per week in Jobseeker's Allowance,

which was a total of £245.80 per week.

'That's over £1,000 a month,

'benefits Vicky would be entitled to as a single mum on low income.

'I went along to meet Chris to find out how Vicky popped up on the council's radar.'

Tell me about Vicky Cooling. When was the first time you heard that name in any kind of connection?

I picked up on it in July 2011.

It came up as a result of a complaint of antisocial behaviour at her address.

When we cross-checked the records, we found that

while there was a male mentioned in the antisocial behaviour report,

no male was included on the benefit claim, so that's when we picked up on it.

'When the police arrived at the property to investigate the allegation,

'the door was answered by a man in a dressing gown.'

Why would that be a problem, if there was somebody in the household?

Well, when the person claims benefits as a single person,

it's assessed on their income. But if they have a partner living with them,

then it may be they're not entitled to money they've received as a single person,

and so we have to look into those cases.

But then it's not going to be enough just to say,

"OK, we've got a suspicion." You've got to get hard proof,

-and that's not straightforward, is it?

-No.

We've got very good investigators here who work very hard

to look into these types of cases

and it involves going into financial records, making enquiries with companies

and anyone else that might hold information that we need to see.

And we'll look back through those records to see if there's any links to the address.

'Could it be that Vicky's mystery male guest

'only just moved in and she'd forgotten to let the council know?

'Chris and his team started to investigate

'and the first thing they did was contact the other government bodies who'd been paying out to Vicky.'

As a matter of course, we contact the Department for Work and Pensions

to see if they're interested in investigating a case jointly,

because if one benefit is involved, chances are they'll have an interest in the case.

So we contact them as a matter of course and explain the circumstances of the investigation,

and where possible, we do joint interviews and joint enquiries

to keep costs down and to make sure we cover all the benefits within the scope of the investigation.

'They had the Department for Work and Pensions on board

'and now they needed to establish the identity of the unknown man.

'All they had to go on was that they believed he was living with Vicky.'

We received information that Miss Cooling's partner had a car

and the investigator spotted the car outside the address during the inquiry

and we were able to find out who the keeper of that car was.

It gave us a name for the partner

and we were able to then do further checks, including credit checks,

which we found linked the partner to the address.

As part of the investigation, we were able to establish that Miss Cooling's partner had a job

and we were able to contact the employer and find out what address they held for him,

and indeed, they held Miss Cooling's address as his home address.

'So they had a name and proof that, as far as his work was concerned,

'he lived with Vicky.

'Chris knew via her original benefits claim

'that Vicky previously lived in the Broxbourne area

'and was interested to know what her status had been there.'

Broxbourne was able to tell us that Vicky Cooling had also claimed as a single person in that area,

that no partner had been declared, and so they were also interested in pursuing the investigation further.

'Chris and his team had discovered that Vicky's children had both her

'and her partner's surnames.

'The oldest was 13, so this led them to speculate

'that the relationship had been going on for some time.

'As the net widened, so did the scale of the potential fraud.'

At that stage in the investigation, we thought that it may be up to about £80,000

that had been overpaid in benefits to Miss Cooling as a result of this fraud.

What was, as far as we were aware, a fairly small fraud,

because it was actually spreading to Broxbourne, as well,

actually widened out and it was one of the biggest ones we've ever come across.

'Suspected fraudulent claims at two councils,

'not to mention her income support at the Department for Work and Pensions,

'added up to over 80 grand.

'Vicky Cooling had some explaining to do

'and it was high time the investigators called her in for a chat.'

So, what was the situation when Vicky Cooling sat down?

Well, much like any interview under caution,

it was a calm and measured affair. We went through the evidence with her

and asked questions about whether her partner was living with her

cos we need to understand exactly what's happened and why.

So you're not trying to nail a conviction here, you're actually trying to establish fact.

-That's what it comes down to.

-This is a fact-finding job, interviewing is fact-finding.

It's not an interrogation, it's an opportunity for them to tell us exactly what's happened.

'Vicky wasn't giving much away.

'As we'll see later, the investigators had to delve deeper.

'But would she finally crack?'

'For now, though, it's goodbye to the scroungers fiddling the system

'and hello to those who we call our saints,

'people who do everything to make sure that those in need of help

'who simply don't know how to help themselves get what they deserve.'

Trying to find a job in the current climate is enough of a challenge,

even if you've got the right skills and experience.

So imagine you haven't. And on top, you spent time in prison.

That's what you call a tall order.

'19-year-old Jordan Collins was born in East London

'and he didn't have the best start in life.'

'Jordan's dad was jailed when he was just four years old.

'As his mother was unable to cope alone with five children,

'they were moved into care. Jordan and his older brother

'were placed in a new home together.'

They were brought as an emergency placement

at half past nine on a Friday night

at the age of four and the age of eight,

not knowing where you're going, who you're going to,

when you're going to see your mum again, and they were terrified.

Jordan couldn't relate to people because he couldn't speak.

He was covered in scabies and burns.

I lived with Lynne for a good 12 years, which was a brilliant time in my life.

I thought of her as a mum.

It was a family home. It was really nice.

I grew up in the right place, I think.

'But for many children living in care,

'issues from the past are never far away.'

They've been let down by their family,

they have been let down by everybody that they've trusted,

so of course they're angry,

and some kids find it a lot easier to deal with that than others.

An awful lot of kids bury that anger.

'Lynne did everything she could to help Jordan, but he rejected her

'and instead started to go off the rails.'

I was mid-teens and I didn't go home,

stayed out all the time, I'd go camping with mates without telling anyone.

It got to the point where, er, no-one could really take it any more

so... I messed it up.

'Jordan ruined his relationship with Lynne

'to the point where he was moved into a new foster home.

'And he continued to make the wrong choices.

'He left school with just two E grades in maths and English GCSEs.

'But rather than try to get a job, he started to hang around with the wrong crowd,

'and before too long, he became a regular drug-user.'

I met the wrong people. I got into cannabis.

And that's where it slowly went wrong.

They thought it'd be a good idea to rob people to get some money

to get more weed, basically. It was to feed the habit.

SIREN WAILS

It was a bit like being a sheep. I just wanted to be with the crowd.

SIREN WAILS

After I'd done it, I felt like dirt underneath someone's fingernail, pretty much.

'Jordan was arrested a couple of days later for the robberies

'and burglaries. He admitted his involvement

'and pleaded guilty at court. Jordan was just 16

'and sentenced to two years in a young offenders institution.'

There's no doubt that Jordan knew what he'd done was wrong.

And he found himself in a situation that meant, at the age of 16,

his life could've been over even before it had really begun,

unless he could turn things around dramatically.

Jordan called on the only person in his life he knew he could truly depend on.

I was incredibly upset for him, because I knew how difficult this was going to be.

And I felt really quiet angry with him

for getting himself in that situation.

And there was one stage I really didn't think he was going to survive it.

He went through a phase in prison of self-harm,

he was utterly terrified of where he was.

When I first went in, it was...

there wasn't much positivity about it.

It was just, "Right, I'm going to sit in my cell, sleep, and get through it that way."

And then I made decision that I was going to better myself

and I was going to improve my skills in whatever area it was going to be.

And I decided that it was going to be a trade.

So I got my maths and English GCSE level two, which was A to C grade,

which in school I didn't get, and I tried to do my best whilst I was in there.

'Jordan spent 12 months inside

'and then was released for a 14-month probationary period

'under Kent Youth Offending Team.

'He was back living in care and wanted to get a job, but it wasn't that easy.'

OK. OK.

It was just the matter of trying to get a job with a criminal record.

It was a very difficult process,

and in some ways, I can completely understand why some people end up going back to prison,

because of how difficult it is. You have to have really strong willpower to get through it.

If you go back to the same people you hang around with,

then there's pretty much a good chance that you're going back inside anyway.

'As part of his rehabilitation, Jordan took courses run by the Youth Offending Team.

'They would help him gain the skills he needed to enter the world of work.

'But despite this, he still wasn't able to get a job

'and had no choice but to sign on for Jobseeker's Allowance when he turned 18.'

I was brought up to know that you have to work to earn your own money,

you can't live on benefits.

'John Graham, a business development manager from the Construction Youth Trust,

'knows just how hard it can be for ex-offenders.'

The trust works with young people, many of whom are on benefits,

and our approach is to give them the skills that they need,

both in terms of construction industry skills but also employability skills,

so that they can enter the construction industry and the job market more broadly,

so that they no longer need to rely on benefits to survive.

'As a last chance to get off benefits and into work,

'Jordan had enrolled on an apprenticeship scheme with Kent County Council.

'They put him in touch with the Construction Youth Trust.'

We recognise that young people,

particularly those from disadvantage,

need to have that support and that entry-level engagement,

that initial engagement to inspire them

to believe not only in themselves but that they have a future.

And when young people can't find opportunities, often they can find that they start to lose interest.

'Jordan had been trying to find a job for months,

'so he jumped at the chance to meet John.'

I was instantly struck by how keen and willing and able Jordan was to engage,

and thought this is a kid that we really can help.

And we were able to identify different opportunities for him.

'John helped Jordan to gain the qualifications he needed

'to work on a building site

'and worked on his CV to make it stand out.

'He now needed to find an employer that would be the right fit for Jordan.

'Jay Cross owns his own building firm

'and had recently joined the scheme as he felt he was in a position to offer someone a chance.'

Reflecting on my own background, my own youth,

I decided that the way forward

was to pass on my skills, pass on my knowledge to someone

who was willing and eager to learn.

'But would that stretch to taking a risk on employing someone

'with a criminal record?'

The trust were very open with us

and transparent about Jordan's past

and we spent at lot of time looking at that

and looking at the constraints that we had.

At the time, my company had been registered with Kent Trading Standards as an approved contractor.

One of the specific areas was the quality of workmanship,

the background checks, everything that we go through as a company.

So there was this sense of, "Right, OK, we're going slightly outside our comfort zone."

That was an issue for us. But we balanced all of that up with personality, willingness

and attitude to the workplace.

'John finally had the news that Jordan had been waiting for.

'It was his first proper job interview.'

He was like, "Right," and went through the interview,

asked me a few questions about the past, cos he has to.

He'd done construction work in the past

and, yeah, he seemed to engage well with intelligent questions.

It was a really good interview, actually.

You don't usually say that about interviews, do you?

'Jordan had made the right impression, but he had done enough?'

As soon as we were just about to leave, Jay said, "Well done".

"OK, you've got the job."

I went a bit mad about it and, yeah, so I was really happy for, oh, a good few weeks.

'Jordan did a two-week unpaid placement first,

'but impressed Jay enough for him to offer him a year-long apprenticeship.

'He was finally able to come off Jobseeker's Allowance

'and he's now employed as a construction technician

'learning all about structural repairs.

'Jordan's determination and spirit helped him to turn his life around,

'as well as being able to get the right help when he needed it most.'

Jordan really deserves the success because he has met us halfway

at every single stage. He's really tried hard.

And it is a hard slog. But absolutely, we're all very, very proud of him.

I'm extremely happy. I didn't think it would get to the point

where I actually had a job,

and I'm glad that someone's given me the chance to do it.

It's fair to say that some people might have considered Jordan to be a write-off.

A young kid, no qualifications, straight out of prison. Not many options.

But Jordan's shown that it doesn't have to be that way.

He's fully aware of the mistakes he's made

and he's desperate to make up for them.

He needed some help to do that, though.

And now he wants to make the one person who's always been there for him very proud.

With the help that he's been offered and the support that he's been given

and the belief that people have in him, it's turning him around.

And I'm extraordinarily proud of his achievements.

'It's time to return to the greedy world of our scurrilous scroungers.

'Vicky Cooling claimed to be living alone with her son and daughter

'and was looking for benefits to help her make ends meet.

'But after a police officer went round to investigate an antisocial behaviour allegation,

'her story started to unravel.

'She was called in to give her side of things.'

-So she was being cooperative up to a point, would you say?

-Yes, definitely.

She turned up to the interview voluntarily

and answered the questions that were put to her,

but she did deny that she was living with this particular gentleman.

She was given the opportunity to tell us if he was living elsewhere

-but she didn't give us any alternative address.

-So she denied she was living with him,

couldn't give you another address. Why was that? Did she explain why?

She said the other address was at a house of multiple occupation,

so it was a place where he couldn't have his post sent to.

So it's kind of plausible up to a point.

-Where do you take it from there?

-We have to check out what we've been told,

and not having an alternative address meant that we just had to look at the evidence

and the account that Vicky Cooling had given during the interview

and decide if there was evidence of an offence there, if there was a case to answer.

'Vicky was right. There was trouble brewing

'and it wasn't just South Cambridgeshire District Council who were on her case.

'The team found out she'd also claimed single status in the Broxbourne area

'from 2007 to 2011.

'Not only that, the Department for Work and Pensions

'had also been led to believe she was single.

'The team had given Vicky a chance to explain, but her story just didn't add up.'

After the interview under caution, we looked at everything that we had

and what had been said during the interview, as did Broxbourne, and we were satisfied that

there was enough evidence to show that Miss Cooling shouldn't have claimed benefit as a single person.

There was sufficient evidence to start criminal proceedings.

We decided to pursue a prosecution

and Broxbourne and Department for Work and Pensions also wished to be included in that prosecution.

So we passed the case to the council solicitor

who started proceedings on behalf of us, Broxbourne and the Department for Work and Pensions, as well.

'The three investigation teams had got their heads together

'and were now satisfied they had enough on Vicky to take her to court.

'They suspected she'd been fraudulently claiming

'single person housing and council tax benefits,

'as well as Jobseeker's Allowance, while living with a partner.

'In total, they believed she'd been overpaid

'by £81,000.'

It's very important for us to bring these people to justice

because they believe that they are perpetuating a victimless crime.

This isn't a victimless crime, it's taxpayers' money,

and the money we don't collect in council tax benefits

and in business rates, for example,

that's money that we can't spend on our residents.

And if we haven't got the money to spend on our residents, we'll have to increase council tax.

So it's coming out of the pockets of every hardworking citizen,

law-abiding citizen in our district.

So it's very, very important that we bring these people to book.

'With South Cambridgeshire District Council leading the prosecution

'on behalf of itself, Broxbourne and the Department for Work and Pensions,

'the case went to court in November 2012.'

OK, so you've got your evidence together, you've got your court date. Are you confident?

Well, yeah, we thought we had a decent case.

But it was a matter for the jury and seeing what they thought on the day,

and that's why we put the evidence together in the best way we could.

Were you surprised that Vicky Cooling pleaded not guilty?

I was. In most of our cases, the people will plead guilty at the earliest opportunity.

By pleading guilty early, they'll get credit for an early guilty plea,

it might mean a lesser sentence. But in this case,

she was adamant that she was not guilty and that's why we had to go for a trial.

And for you, that means you've got harder work, basically.

-You've got to prove your point.

-Yeah, we have to put together the case

to a standard for any particular prosecution.

In this case, we had to put together the bundles for the jury,

which is all the evidence stacked together, and also make sure all the witnesses were available for court

-and to attend for the trial.

-So you've got your not guilty plea,

you've got your evidence stacked together, what happened then?

We got a couple of days in, and unfortunately,

Vicky Cooling got laryngitis and couldn't speak and the trial had to stop at that point.

Laryngitis? How long did you have to wait?

We had to wait another six months for the case to be put back into the calendar.

She may have been ready after another couple of weeks,

but we have to wait for the court to put the case in. It was disappointing to have to wait.

-So, completely new jury.

-Yes.

-Start again from scratch.

-Exactly.

-How frustrating.

-It was, but it did give us an opportunity

to have a look at some areas of our case and produce some further evidence

by the time the case came back to trial.

'Vicky lost her voice three days into the trial

'after she'd set out her case, so, knowing what her defence was going to be

'gave Chris and his team the advantage.

'And they now had six months to make sure their case was watertight.

'But Vicky also had time to think. Would she change her plea?

'She returned to court in May 2013.

And she knew exactly what she was doing...

At the retrial, Miss Cooling continued with her not guilty plea.

The matter was heard by the jury.

..on a regular basis over a period of years...

And they decided, by a majority verdict of ten to two,

that she was indeed guilty on all four counts.

'Vicky was found guilty of failing to report changes in her circumstances

'and dishonestly making false statements to obtain benefits.

'They found that she'd fraudulently claimed £41,000

'in housing and council tax while living in Broxbourne

'between 2007 and 2011

'and £8,000 while living in South Cambridgeshire.

'She was also found to have been overpaid £32,000

'in income support and Jobseeker's Allowance.

'A grand total of £81,000.

'She was sentenced to six months in prison.'

It's always very sad when we have somebody go to jail for this,

but I think that the case has shown that

when she was in Broxbourne and South Cambridgeshire,

there was an active willingness to perpetuate the fraud

and I think that really needs to be punished, and in this case, it was particularly punished.

It also sends out a strong message, as well.

It acts as a deterrent to other people who may be thinking

they can perpetuate a fraud on the council to make more money.