0:00:02 > 0:00:07Theft of public money costs the UK taxpayer over £20 billion a year.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09This case was one of the biggest cases we've ever had.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Came into the region of about half a million pounds.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15It's money which should be going into the public pot,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18to spend on essential services.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20The victims in this case are the public,
0:00:20 > 0:00:25and the money could have been used to build schools, or fund hospitals.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28And throughout the country there are specially trained investigators
0:00:28 > 0:00:31making sure that justice is served.
0:00:31 > 0:00:32The system cannot be beaten.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35They will be held to account at some point.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40In this series, we meet the men and women across the UK
0:00:40 > 0:00:44who are committed to catching criminals stealing from you and me,
0:00:44 > 0:00:45the British taxpayer.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50But we also hear stories from people
0:00:50 > 0:00:53who genuinely need help from public money.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55I didn't know there was anything better out there,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57until she started at the institute.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I would swap places tomorrow with him. Then he could walk.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04And sometimes they don't even realise they're entitled to it.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08When you're in the situation we were in, it's our only hope.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Coming up, a complex case of fraud
0:01:15 > 0:01:18reveals a family who are not all they seem.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22It just looks almost derelict, looked like a shed, you know,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25and it didn't look like a place where a man would be living with his child.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27They were pretending to live apart for profit,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30purely to make money out of the housing benefit system.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35A hospital worker feigns disability to steal money from the state.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40The NHS knew absolutely nothing about her being disabled in any way.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43And an undiagnosed condition
0:01:43 > 0:01:46leaves a young woman ill-prepared for her future.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48I was told that I'd be a failure for my whole life,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50so, I think they gave up on me.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52And I gave up on myself.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Benefits are there for people who need and deserve them,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07but there are also people who don't need OR deserve them,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and the ways they devise to get their hands on them
0:02:10 > 0:02:13can be very complex and difficult to unravel.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20And that's why 365 days a year across the UK,
0:02:20 > 0:02:25the Department For Work And Pensions, local councils and the police are working together.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Fraud is a national problem.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33We have access to information which is national.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37But even their combined efforts to crack the toughest of cases of theft
0:02:37 > 0:02:40can sometimes put the investigators to the test.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44The bigger picture started to emerge, even though it was still complicated.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51In 2010, a standard computer check on benefits claimants' records
0:02:51 > 0:02:54threw up a query surrounding a Barnet resident,
0:02:54 > 0:02:59bringing him to the attention of the Department for Work and Pensions investigator, Phil.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02'Well, we have something called a data matching service,'
0:03:02 > 0:03:07which matches data from different computer systems
0:03:07 > 0:03:10that might show up discrepancies in people's claims,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12such as whether people are....
0:03:12 > 0:03:16..received a certain amount of interest, in the past year,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19or whether they're getting another benefit, or paying tax.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22In this case then, what was it you were looking for?
0:03:22 > 0:03:25So, this case, it was a match that showed
0:03:25 > 0:03:27people that had received a lot of interest,
0:03:27 > 0:03:32which might indicate that they have got excessive savings, which they're not allowed to have.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36What, you can't have any savings at all, if you're claiming benefits?
0:03:36 > 0:03:41You can, but the limit, the ceiling is £16,000.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45If you have any more over than that, then you're not allowed benefit.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49The 16K limit applies to means-tested benefits,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53such as housing and council tax benefits, and income support.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58The computer check was throwing a question mark over one Manzoor Qader,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02a single dad who'd been claiming benefit since 2002
0:04:02 > 0:04:04to help care for his son.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06He was claiming income support,
0:04:06 > 0:04:11because he declared that he was a single parent with one child.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13And that was in addition to his housing benefit
0:04:13 > 0:04:15and council tax benefit.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18With records showing that Mr Qader had been paid
0:04:18 > 0:04:20a substantial amount of interest,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Phil's team contacted the bank to find out more.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26The law allows us to go to the banks to find out
0:04:26 > 0:04:29precisely how much they have had in the life of the claim.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31So, with Mr Qader, what did you find?
0:04:31 > 0:04:36What we found was that he had in the region of £50,000 in the bank.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39That sort of savings means you're counted out of benefits completely.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Definitely, completely out of being able to apply for benefits,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46because you've got that money that you can live on instead.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49A seemingly clear case of claiming benefits
0:04:49 > 0:04:51when he had significant savings,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Phil's team called Mr Qader in for questioning,
0:04:54 > 0:04:59but despite sending numerous letters, he didn't show up.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06In an attempt to make headway,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08the case was referred to Barnet Council,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10the borough in which Mr Qader lived.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Tony Nash, an investigator, went to Qader's home.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19We came here to deliver an interview under caution letter
0:05:19 > 0:05:22to Mr Qader but there was no reply
0:05:22 > 0:05:24so the letter was put through the letter box.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30It did not appear as if the property was lived in, at the time.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33It looked almost derelict. It looked like a shed.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35It didn't look like a place where a man would be living
0:05:35 > 0:05:37with his child.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39These things, in themselves,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42it's no smoking gun.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44It's another little thing that makes you
0:05:44 > 0:05:47think wider afield, think let's look at previous addresses.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Sometimes you do go round houses that don't look lived in
0:05:50 > 0:05:53and they are but in this case,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56it does...give you some suspicion as to the fact there might be
0:05:56 > 0:05:57something else going on.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00With a hunch that there might be hidden depths to this case,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04the team started to delve into Mr Qader's background.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07We looked at his previous addresses.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10That's when we started uncovering a can of worms.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14In order to check where Mr Qader had been living
0:06:14 > 0:06:16when he made his initial claim,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Tony Nash dug out a rental contract.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22This is the tenancy agreement between
0:06:22 > 0:06:25the landlord and Manzoor Qader
0:06:25 > 0:06:28on 29th February 2008
0:06:28 > 0:06:33for a monthly rental fee of £1,000.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35He supplied that document
0:06:35 > 0:06:39when he completed his initial claim for housing benefit
0:06:39 > 0:06:41and council tax benefit.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45On his claim form, he states he has no savings whatsoever,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48which is totally false
0:06:48 > 0:06:51from subsequent information gathered.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54He's submitted a false claim for
0:06:54 > 0:06:57housing benefit from the outset.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02The team now had their first concrete evidence
0:07:02 > 0:07:04that Qader's benefit claim was false.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08They now needed to find the property's owner
0:07:08 > 0:07:10to verify the details on the paperwork.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13They contacted the Land Registry.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16This is the Land Registry document.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20It shows that Hannah Teresa Grigson
0:07:20 > 0:07:25paid £237,500
0:07:25 > 0:07:30on 19th February 2008 for the property.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33So she is the registered owner.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36In order to establish who Hannah Grigson was,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39the team looked for links between her and Mr Qader.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Record checks on Qader's child
0:07:42 > 0:07:46revealed that the mother was none other than Hannah Grigson.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51We linked them together because they had records for the child
0:07:51 > 0:07:54at different addresses under both the parents.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Hold on. He was supposed to be a single parent
0:07:56 > 0:07:59and suddenly
0:07:59 > 0:08:05his child has now got a mother who he seems to be living with
0:08:05 > 0:08:08or is his landlord or something similar?
0:08:08 > 0:08:11She owned the property and he was living there.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14He certainly doesn't look like a single parent any more.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18- Definitely not.- He's got the savings, which we know about.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23But now he's also got a strange kind of, "to be defined"
0:08:23 > 0:08:27relationship with the woman whose house he's living in.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32In fact, Hannah Grigson turned out to be Mr Qader's wife.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36And she was known to another London borough,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38where she too was claiming benefits.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43We discovered that it was quite a complicated fraud.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Kirsten Quinn, counter fraud manager,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49led the team at Enfield Council,
0:08:49 > 0:08:53who were invited to get involved in the case by the DWP.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Hannah Grigson presented herself at Enfield Council
0:08:56 > 0:08:58as a lone parent, recently separated with
0:08:58 > 0:09:00two small children.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03She told us she'd rented a property in our area
0:09:03 > 0:09:05and she had a rental liability for that.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08She gave a lease agreement and an amount for the rent.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11But as with her husband's claims,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Hannah's story wasn't in order.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Checks on the property she was claiming for
0:09:15 > 0:09:18revealed an interesting fact
0:09:18 > 0:09:20about who HER landlord was.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23The lease agreement was made up.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25The landlord was actually her husband
0:09:25 > 0:09:26and the father of the children.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28He owned the property.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31As a consequence, there was no rental liability at that property
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and we should never have paid benefit there.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Furthermore, when the Enfield team delved deeper
0:09:37 > 0:09:38into Hannah Grigson's background,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41an interesting arrangement came to light.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44We also discovered she owned a property
0:09:44 > 0:09:47and that property was being rented out in the Barnet area
0:09:47 > 0:09:50to somebody, which turned out to be her husband.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Effectively, he was renting property from her
0:09:53 > 0:09:55and she was renting property from him.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57They'd split the children between them
0:09:57 > 0:09:59so they were both claiming as lone parents.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02All of those claims were fraudulent.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06With what appeared to be all of the lies out in the open,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08the Department for Work and Pensions
0:10:08 > 0:10:10coordinated the two councils
0:10:10 > 0:10:11to pull the case together.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14It's been quite a complex case compared to most
0:10:14 > 0:10:19because we had to coordinate the different local authorities
0:10:19 > 0:10:21that got involved across different areas,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23involving different properties,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25either for things like arrests or interviews
0:10:25 > 0:10:26or even gathering evidence
0:10:26 > 0:10:29and getting statements ready for court.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30With the net closing in,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32there was still one outstanding question
0:10:32 > 0:10:35that the authorities needed answering.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Were the couple actually living together?
0:10:38 > 0:10:42In the end, where were they when you found them?
0:10:42 > 0:10:44They were living together
0:10:44 > 0:10:45as a couple.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Not only were the deceiving us because of the amount
0:10:48 > 0:10:51of savings, they were deceiving DWP
0:10:51 > 0:10:54and the local authorities because they were living together
0:10:54 > 0:10:56as a family when they said they were both single parents.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01The lengthy inquiry had revealed the truth.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Two and a half years of investigation
0:11:05 > 0:11:08and it all ended up at this property here?
0:11:08 > 0:11:09It did. This is where we came to arrest them
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and we took Mr Qader
0:11:12 > 0:11:15to the police station to be interviewed.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18After all the chasing around at different addresses,
0:11:18 > 0:11:20this is where we came to and this is where nabbed them
0:11:20 > 0:11:24and got them to give us their version of events.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29He was finally in front of the fraud team.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31But Mr Qader refused to cooperate,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33despite the overwhelming evidence.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37We start by putting the evidence to him
0:11:37 > 0:11:39and firstly checking that he knows
0:11:39 > 0:11:41the rules for claiming benefit
0:11:41 > 0:11:46and showing him the declarations that he's signed over the years
0:11:46 > 0:11:47of claiming benefit
0:11:47 > 0:11:49and then putting the evidence to him that we'd amassed
0:11:49 > 0:11:52to see what he'd say about it.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Unfortunately, he just said no comment to everything.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59In the days that followed, Mr Qader's silence
0:11:59 > 0:12:02would turn to lies in the court room.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Every penny wrongly taken form the public purse
0:12:12 > 0:12:15is money that would otherwise help countless people
0:12:15 > 0:12:16who need support.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18People like Sarah Chapman,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20a young mum from the Midlands.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26I am Isla. I used to feel like the loneliest girl in the world.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30When reading, I could read about five words and then
0:12:30 > 0:12:33they get all...go all blurry.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35These children are giving a talk about their struggles
0:12:35 > 0:12:37with dyslexia,
0:12:37 > 0:12:39something that, with the right support, they are managing.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41But if that condition isn't diagnosed,
0:12:41 > 0:12:45your school days can be some of the most difficult times of your life.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51I had a really awful time...
0:12:51 > 0:12:54I had no confidence and self esteem.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59My teacher wasn't very helpful with anything.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02I just... I just really struggled.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Back in the early '90s, young Sarah Chapman
0:13:07 > 0:13:09was finding primary school challenging.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12When it came to learn to read,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14I felt like I was hitting a brick wall
0:13:14 > 0:13:17and I didn't understand why I wasn't learning.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18I used to sit by the window.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22When it comes to bright light, my eyes are really sensitive
0:13:22 > 0:13:23to sunlight.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I used to get sleepy so I was lazy!
0:13:28 > 0:13:31But a problem with Sarah's eyes wasn't the only issue.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35My long-term memory is great but my short-term memory...
0:13:35 > 0:13:37I need to be taught in a certain way.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40If someone's firing information at me, it won't go in.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43School began to be a real battle with no-one getting to
0:13:43 > 0:13:46the bottom of why Sarah was struggling.
0:13:48 > 0:13:49They said I didn't try hard enough.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51I needed to try harder.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54I remember my dad was called in...
0:13:54 > 0:13:58weekly, almost, to talk about the standard of my work.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I know I was the only one still writing in pencil
0:14:01 > 0:14:04when everyone else was writing in pens.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06As Sarah's problems mounted,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08so did her frustration.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11I'd go out of my way to avoid
0:14:11 > 0:14:14being put in a situation where I could be humiliated.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16If it meant answering back and getting thrown out
0:14:16 > 0:14:18of the class, that is what I would do.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21I spent most of my school time in the corridor.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24I didn't get any help.
0:14:25 > 0:14:30In 1995, the time came to move on to secondary school.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32I was looking forward to having another chance.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35But as soon as I got there
0:14:35 > 0:14:38and started in lessons, I realised that it wasn't going to be
0:14:38 > 0:14:39a new start at all.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43It was just the same old trouble, different place.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Just as in primary school,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48no-one looked for underlying causes to her behaviour.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54I don't think anyone approached me.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58I never even heard the term dyslexia until I was an adult.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01I didn't know...what it was.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Faced with a lack of understanding,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Sarah's behaviour became unmanageable.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12I have a pile an inch thick of suspension letters, expulsion,
0:15:12 > 0:15:17and actually, in year eight, I was removed from all lessons
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and when I ate my dinner I'd have to
0:15:19 > 0:15:24go sit in the middle of the stage in front of everybody and eat my food.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26The first time they tried to make me do it,
0:15:26 > 0:15:27I literally picked up my tray
0:15:27 > 0:15:30and threw it across the room and ran out of school.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Labelled a bad child, it only made her sense of isolation worse.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37I used to look at people, especially the girls,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40cos I couldn't understand, "How come they have a group of friends?
0:15:40 > 0:15:43"Why aren't I able to have that?"
0:15:43 > 0:15:45I alienated people, because of my behaviour,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47so I knew it was my own fault.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49By the time her exams loomed,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Sarah had been all but written off by her school.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58I was told that it was a waste of paper me sitting my exams.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02I wasn't expecting to pass any of my exams.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05I was told I would be a failure for my whole life, so...
0:16:05 > 0:16:07I think they gave up on me.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09And I gave up on myself.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12By law, Sarah still had to sit her GCSEs
0:16:12 > 0:16:14but it was a pitiless experience.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17I sat there and literally...
0:16:17 > 0:16:18Sorry.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23I literally sat there and sobbed through most of my exams,
0:16:23 > 0:16:28like, I couldn't work and especially in English,
0:16:28 > 0:16:33I mean... There was two questions that you had to answer
0:16:33 > 0:16:35but they were both essays and I was really, really struggling
0:16:35 > 0:16:37and by the time that everyone else was finishing,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41I was still...sat there on the first paragraph.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49Aged 16, she left school with barely any qualifications.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53They should have noticed that something wasn't right and
0:16:53 > 0:16:55I have spent my whole life
0:16:55 > 0:16:58feeling like I was a failure because of how...
0:16:58 > 0:17:01SHE CHOKES UP Sorry.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09For almost a decade, Sarah travelled and then, in 2008,
0:17:09 > 0:17:14aged 26 and pregnant, she headed to her then boyfriend's hometown,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Calverton in Nottinghamshire.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19I didn't know anybody.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22And I just walked past this place,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25I'd never even really noticed it before
0:17:25 > 0:17:28and I saw a sign advertising for IT courses,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30so I went in because I knew that I was pregnant
0:17:30 > 0:17:33and I had no skills, I had no chance of getting a decent job
0:17:33 > 0:17:35and I didn't want to be sat on benefit.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Sarah's meeting with Sue Stone,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43learning manager at the Core Centre in Calverton town centre,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46which runs educational courses for adults,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49would mark a turning point in her life.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53It's the first time Sarah's been back in years.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55- Hello.- Sarah!
0:17:55 > 0:18:01- Lovely to see you. - Hello, how are you?- I'm fine.
0:18:04 > 0:18:11Sarah came to us in her 20s. She'd not got any stability in her life.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15She'd got very low self esteem, she'd got no self belief
0:18:15 > 0:18:18and her confidence was very low.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22I think she realised herself she'd got to be
0:18:22 > 0:18:26a more responsible adult as she'd got a child coming.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29And she wanted to be a good parent.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34Sarah began taking courses in everything from IT to first aid.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39I literally worked my way through every single course that they did.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41I worked full-time, I never missed a day
0:18:41 > 0:18:44and I really, really enjoyed every moment of being there.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46But it wasn't just the courses on offer
0:18:46 > 0:18:49that made such a difference to Sarah.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51The teaching at the Core Centre
0:18:51 > 0:18:54was a world away from what she'd had at school.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56They treated me like an adult.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59They explained things to me and even though at that point
0:18:59 > 0:19:02I still didn't know I was dyslexic, I just work really hard
0:19:02 > 0:19:05and I had that support around me and they encouraged to keep going.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10As she succeeded in all these courses, she gained self-respect,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12she realised she could do them.
0:19:12 > 0:19:18So that just bolstered her self-confidence and she bloomed.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Proud of Sarah's achievement,
0:19:20 > 0:19:25Sue even nominated her for an adult learners award, which she won.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28What they wrote about me was just absolutely amazing,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30that I'd made that much of an impression on somebody.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34I tell them very, very, very often how much they did for me.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37- OK, Sarah. - Take care of yourself.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Lovely to see you. Keep in touch.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44- Let us know what is happening. - Stay out of trouble!
0:19:44 > 0:19:47After eight months under the Core Centre's wing,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51now mum to a baby girl, Sarah's newfound confidence saw her
0:19:51 > 0:19:54continue with her studies at college.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57I went from the Core Centre
0:19:57 > 0:19:58and actually applied to college
0:19:58 > 0:20:01to do an Access To Higher Education teaching diploma
0:20:01 > 0:20:05and it was knowing that actually, "I'm not stupid,
0:20:05 > 0:20:06"I can do this and I can do it well,"
0:20:06 > 0:20:09that's what spurred me on even further and I actually,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12surprisingly, applied to go to university.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17With the college's support and backing, in 2010, Sarah received
0:20:17 > 0:20:21a letter from Derby University that she never thought she'd see.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26When it actually came through I was accepted, I couldn't move.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28I cried, I was so, so happy.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32I never, ever thought that I was intelligent enough to go to
0:20:32 > 0:20:34university and get a degree.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37But despite being offered a place, Sarah was still plagued
0:20:37 > 0:20:40with the difficulties she'd experienced all her life.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Having no idea what was the cause.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Again, I was struggling to retain the information.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49I researched it, basically, and looked it up and dyslexia, this word,
0:20:49 > 0:20:50kept popping up at me.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Although I wasn't formally assessed,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57that's when I actually started to click that I was dyslexic.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02Sarah asked for a formal dyslexia assessment from the university
0:21:02 > 0:21:06and finally, later that year, received some news that made
0:21:06 > 0:21:08everything about her childhood clear.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14I was 27 when I found out I was dyslexic.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19So, it was quite a shock and I went through all mixed, a mix of emotions,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22I was relieved, because I'd finally learned there was a reason,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25it wasn't because I was stupid, there was a reason.
0:21:25 > 0:21:26And then I went through a stage
0:21:26 > 0:21:28of feeling quite angry, towards my teacher
0:21:28 > 0:21:31and towards my parents especially for not picking it up.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Dee Caunt, chief executive of The Dyslexia Association,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38knows that Sarah's story is quite typical.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44The research tells us that at least 10% of the population
0:21:44 > 0:21:46are thought to be dyslexic.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48So, we're talking about 6 million people in the UK.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53Dee's helped many of those diagnosed learn how to manage their condition.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57There is no cure for dyslexia.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59If you're born dyslexic, you will die dyslexic.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03But it's about developing strategies to help you overcome the things
0:22:03 > 0:22:04that you might have difficulty with.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06So it doesn't have to be a problem in your life
0:22:06 > 0:22:09if you're helped to develop those strategies.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Today, Sarah's getting the help she needs.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19Happily married with another child, she's still studying at university.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22And she receives a disabled students allowance
0:22:22 > 0:22:23to help her with her learning.
0:22:25 > 0:22:31As a student, you have a DSA loan, so I get assistive technology
0:22:31 > 0:22:34and I have a one-to-one support tutor who helps me,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38because I struggle with indexes in libraries,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40if you need help to find journals, they will help you.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45Her grant also pays for her glasses, which have special purple lenses.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47They help her to read on white paper,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50increasing her reading ability by up to 40%.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56With her dyslexia now well under control,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Sarah's a lot happier.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01There are so many opportunities
0:23:01 > 0:23:04for you to be able to follow your passion.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I organised a huge conference in January,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11which was attended by 400 people from all over the UK.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13And it was about promoting best practice
0:23:13 > 0:23:15and actually all of the amazing creative strength
0:23:15 > 0:23:18that people with dyslexia can bring to the workforce.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22And, three years on from her diagnosis, alongside studying,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Sarah works to help others with the condition
0:23:25 > 0:23:27to get the most from their lives.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32I spend most of my time raising awareness of dyslexia
0:23:32 > 0:23:34and helping other people,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37because I don't want people suffer how I suffered as a child.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Sarah mentors children and adults
0:23:41 > 0:23:44to make sure they don't suffer the way she did.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Today, she's watching a school assembly
0:23:47 > 0:23:50given by a group of pupils with dyslexia.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Welcome to our presentation.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55I used to struggle so much and I used to wish
0:23:55 > 0:23:58I was better at English and I used to dread doing spelling tests.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01I always forget how to spell tricky words.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03I feel better now because I'm improving
0:24:03 > 0:24:06and that is because I understand why I struggle.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11We want you to know what life is like in our shoes.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16We don't have a disability, we just do things differently.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18ALL: Thank you for listening.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Thank you very much, everybody.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32I can't actually speak cos that's really,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34really lovely and it'll make me cry.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38What the children just did to stand up there like that
0:24:38 > 0:24:41was absolutely incredible, and they should be so proud.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43I'm proud of them for doing it.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45- How did that feel?- Good. - Did you enjoy it?
0:24:47 > 0:24:49I think you did a really good job.
0:24:50 > 0:24:51Oh, well.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57- Work hard. Don't give up.- We won't.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01And for anyone who's struggling with education,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Sarah's got a very simple message.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08I'd say to anyone that's had a similar experience to me
0:25:08 > 0:25:13to don't give up just yet. It may not have been great the first time,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15but it doesn't mean that you can't...
0:25:15 > 0:25:16I'm sorry.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21You can't go back and do it again and be where you should have been.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23You know, you're not stupid, you can do it,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25you just need to go about it a different way.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37While some people struggle with a condition,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40unaware of the state help available,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44there are a few who just invent one to take everything they can.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49Her only defence was that she was in was in constant pain throughout.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Claiming disability living allowance is spot on
0:25:54 > 0:25:56if you're actually in need of it.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59But if not, you should know better.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Especially if you also work for the NHS.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It was a blatantly fraudulent claim...from outset.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Back in 2012, investigator for the Department for Work and Pensions,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Graham O'Neill, became involved in a case of fraud
0:26:19 > 0:26:22concerning a young NHS worker in Staffordshire.
0:26:24 > 0:26:25The case was referred to me following
0:26:25 > 0:26:26an anonymous allegation that
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Rachel Yapp was in receipt of Disability Living Allowance
0:26:29 > 0:26:31from January 2010
0:26:31 > 0:26:35at the highest rate, and checked with her employer who confirmed that,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37yes, she was working for the NHS.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Ms Yapp's job as a phlebotomist for a local health centre
0:26:42 > 0:26:46involved her taking blood samples from people in their homes.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49A quick check with her employers
0:26:49 > 0:26:52revealed her job was quite an active one,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55although she claimed that due to a musculoskeletal disease
0:26:55 > 0:26:59and back pain she was unable to walk without a walking stick.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04First thing we did was to set up surveillance
0:27:04 > 0:27:07to see her coming and going to and from the health centre.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12We had a team out one morning of four officers who followed
0:27:12 > 0:27:15her around cos we knew where her visits were going to be.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Surveillance footage was taken of her in and out of the car,
0:27:18 > 0:27:22in and out of properties, and returning to the health centre.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29Ms Yapp used her disability benefits to pay for a motability car,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31but the surveillance revealed that she was using this to
0:27:31 > 0:27:34make between 8 and 12 home visits a day,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38for which she claimed 50p a mile from the NHS.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42When Graham watched back the footage,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44his suspicions were confirmed.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48This is the surveillance of Rachel Yapp
0:27:48 > 0:27:51arriving at the health centre in Rugeley for work,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54and as she's going in to get her visiting list for the day,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57it shows her walking across the car park, and as you can see,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01she's walking, carrying bags, with no impediment whatsoever.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07In order to build up evidence, a surveillance sting
0:28:07 > 0:28:10had to be carried out on a number of occasions.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15We did surveillance for four separate days in the car park here
0:28:15 > 0:28:17and then a further day
0:28:17 > 0:28:19we actually followed her here from the car park
0:28:19 > 0:28:22while she was doing her visits so we could see her getting in
0:28:22 > 0:28:24and out of the car and going into the different houses
0:28:24 > 0:28:27she was collecting the blood from the patients from.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31The team even followed her route back in to the health centre,
0:28:31 > 0:28:34where she had to walk up a flight of stairs
0:28:34 > 0:28:36to her place of work every day.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41As with any surveillance, this always proves it for the court
0:28:41 > 0:28:43and to the defence...
0:28:43 > 0:28:45"This is how they were walking," and obviously Rachel Yapp,
0:28:45 > 0:28:47at that point, couldn't deny that it was her
0:28:47 > 0:28:49and she appeared to be not disabled in any way.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55Not only did Ms Yapp appear to be fit and healthy, but also,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58when the team approached her previous employer for further
0:28:58 > 0:29:01information, the response was pretty damning.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06The NHS knew absolutely nothing about her being disabled in any way,
0:29:06 > 0:29:10as far as they were concerned she was as able bodied as anybody else.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14And therefore able to carry out the duties in the community on her own.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19Not only were her employers unaware of any disability
0:29:19 > 0:29:21but following further investigation,
0:29:21 > 0:29:25it appeared she'd intended to make a false claim from the very outset.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30It looked like the claim was actually false from the day it was made,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32because she'd been working for two months
0:29:32 > 0:29:35and then was suddenly claiming that her capabilities were so poor
0:29:35 > 0:29:38that she required the highest elements
0:29:38 > 0:29:40of both DLA mobility and care.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44In the face of mounting evidence against her,
0:29:44 > 0:29:46Ms Yapp was brought in for questioning.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52She basically said, throughout the interview, that she
0:29:52 > 0:29:54didn't deny that it was her on the footage and that although
0:29:54 > 0:29:58she was capable of doing the job, she was in constant pain throughout.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02It was pointed out to her that this didn't seem to be
0:30:02 > 0:30:05the case from the footage that we'd got,
0:30:05 > 0:30:07but that was her argument all the way through
0:30:07 > 0:30:11and she thought that entitled her to the disability benefit.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16A year after the surveillance was carried out,
0:30:16 > 0:30:20in February 2014, there was enough evidence to bring Ms Yapp to court.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25She pleaded guilty in court
0:30:25 > 0:30:26and it was sent to Crown Court
0:30:26 > 0:30:29for sentencing from the Magistrates Court,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32and she was sentenced to six months custodial sentence
0:30:32 > 0:30:34in February of this year.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41A case of this kind doesn't always result in a custodial penalty,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44but given the premeditated nature of the fraud,
0:30:44 > 0:30:46the judge deemed it appropriate.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50As far as they were concerned it was
0:30:50 > 0:30:53a blatantly fraudulent claim... from outset.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Ms Yapp received a stiff punishment,
0:30:55 > 0:31:00and Graham is quite clear about the message it sends out.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02If you do intend to fraudulently claim these benefits,
0:31:02 > 0:31:06then if you are caught, we will take you to court and we will prosecute.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13While surveillance stings are an effective tool in catching out some
0:31:13 > 0:31:14benefit cheats, there is
0:31:14 > 0:31:18another type of sting which is also helping to protect public money.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22Because I've caught you misusing the badge,
0:31:22 > 0:31:24I need you to come in and see me.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Every year over £46 million of public money goes
0:31:27 > 0:31:30uncollected as a result of blue badge fraud.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34We'll try and resolve this as quickly as possible.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36And Justin Phillips,
0:31:36 > 0:31:39Anti-Fraud Manager at Harrow Council, knows only too well
0:31:39 > 0:31:41the problem it can cause.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46There is a severe impact upon the vulnerable people that cannot
0:31:46 > 0:31:48park in the places where they need to park.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51So, it's a huge inconvenience to those.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56Secondly, it impacts upon council coffers which means that the
0:31:56 > 0:31:59shortfall is then passed on to all other residents.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04Out in Harrow Town Centre, Sonia, an investigator on Justin's team,
0:32:04 > 0:32:08is on a sting to catch blue badge offenders red-handed.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12You either get people who are very compliant with you,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15they'll be very nice to you - very pleasant conversation -
0:32:15 > 0:32:17or you'll get the other half,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20where they will get very angry, very quickly.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23These two gentlemen are police officers who are conducting
0:32:23 > 0:32:25the operation with us.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27It's a joint operation.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30So, they're here in case anyone decides
0:32:30 > 0:32:32to get a little lairy, or vocal.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37And today her police escorts have ditched their uniforms.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41People tend not to park up, or tend not to return to their cars,
0:32:41 > 0:32:45if they see police hanging around.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Police in uniform.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50So, it's just an easier to try and remain inconspicuous.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54Almost immediately Sonia spots a blue badge.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58We are going to check who it's registered to,
0:32:58 > 0:32:59might give us a sort of idea.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03So, she phones up the office for a bit more information.
0:33:03 > 0:33:09Hello, are you all right? Can I ask a favour, can you do a check for me?
0:33:09 > 0:33:12Please. It's a new badge, yeah.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16The office checks, but as the badge is new
0:33:16 > 0:33:18the owner's details aren't on the system.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22Not only that, it appears to be from another borough.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Yeah, OK, all right. Cheers, bye.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30It's a Hounslow badge, which is a bit odd.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34You tend to find people stick within their geographical areas.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38You tend to stick in a ten-mile radius,
0:33:38 > 0:33:44and if you get badges from all over London you kind of think, "Why?".
0:33:44 > 0:33:46I'm not saying no-one travels,
0:33:46 > 0:33:48but you usually find that something's amiss.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51So, they're going to phone Hounslow and get
0:33:51 > 0:33:55the details of the badge holder and see what it comes back with.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59In 2013, security measures on blue badges were tightened
0:33:59 > 0:34:02and all the information about holders logged onto a system
0:34:02 > 0:34:04shared between the London boroughs.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10Previously, if we picked up a badge from another borough,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12we'd have to try and get through to that borough at the roadside
0:34:12 > 0:34:14and find out the details.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17Now, because there is a central database which we all have
0:34:17 > 0:34:19access to, the person back office can just login straightaway
0:34:19 > 0:34:21and give us some basic details.
0:34:21 > 0:34:26By the end of 2015, every badge holder should be on the new
0:34:26 > 0:34:29system because they only last every three years.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31So when they come up for renewal,
0:34:31 > 0:34:33they automatically go onto the new system.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37Back on the beat in Harrow, the officers confirmed that the
0:34:37 > 0:34:41new badge is not yet on the shared database but that the owner
0:34:41 > 0:34:45is legitimate, so the team continues to look for other offenders.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47I know it sounds a bit corny but you tend to get a gut
0:34:47 > 0:34:51feeling with these things as well after a while. People, you know...
0:34:51 > 0:34:54If something doesn't seem right, normally it is not right.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59I remember one we did a couple of months ago where the badge,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02it was the middle of the day and the badge holder was a 12-year-old boy.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04We were like,
0:35:04 > 0:35:06"What's a 12-year-old boy doing out of school
0:35:06 > 0:35:08"in the middle of the day?"
0:35:09 > 0:35:13The people who had the badge waited until we had gone all the way
0:35:13 > 0:35:16down the road, and came back, got in the car and drove off
0:35:16 > 0:35:19and nearly ran over the policewoman who tried to stop them on the way.
0:35:19 > 0:35:24It turned out the badge had been stolen about two years previous.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27With badge theft being such a big issue,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31the council has introduced practical measures to protect owners.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Sometimes you get people's badges are stolen from the dashboard
0:35:34 > 0:35:36in their car because people break in and they go
0:35:36 > 0:35:41for about £500 on the black market because you have got three years'
0:35:41 > 0:35:44free parking, you don't pay congestion charge.
0:35:44 > 0:35:49You can actually buy, it is like a holder for your blue badge which is
0:35:49 > 0:35:53locked onto the steering wheel so that they can't actually nick it.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59And with counterfeit badges so commonplace, in 2012 councils
0:35:59 > 0:36:03introduced other new security measures on the badges themselves.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09This is a colour copy of one of the new badges that we have got.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14As you can see, the serial number now is a lot longer,
0:36:14 > 0:36:17it contains information within the serial number.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21For example, the month and the year of someone when they were born
0:36:21 > 0:36:23so you could actually get some sort of idea
0:36:23 > 0:36:26when you're looking at the badge in someone's car
0:36:26 > 0:36:30whether it's a male or female or what year they are born in.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34So, for example, if someone who is supposed to be 80 years old,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37if someone comes back to the car who's barely 30,
0:36:37 > 0:36:40you know that is not going to be the badge holder.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44In addition, we have now got a hologram here and also,
0:36:44 > 0:36:49whereas the badge holder's picture used to be stuck on which made
0:36:49 > 0:36:52it very easy for people to try and peel them off, they are now digitally
0:36:52 > 0:36:56put onto there so they can't be taken off and replaced with another photo.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02In spite of the new features, badge fraud is still prevalent and only
0:37:02 > 0:37:06last year Sonia dealt with an interesting case of counterfeiting.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11One of our parking attendants had seen this car parked with
0:37:11 > 0:37:14a disabled badge on it and noticed that the badge had been
0:37:14 > 0:37:17altered to show an expiry date of being 2018.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20Badges don't last beyond three years so the fact that it
0:37:20 > 0:37:22was as long as five years,
0:37:22 > 0:37:26it immediately gave calls for concern that the badge was not legitimate.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30With suspicions raised, the team contacted Ealing Council
0:37:30 > 0:37:33who had issued the badge, to find out who the owner was.
0:37:33 > 0:37:39The badge belonged to a person who had actually died in February 2012.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Ealing had not had the badge back.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46The fraud team and police tracked down the person using the badge
0:37:46 > 0:37:48and arrested her.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53She admitted that she had fraudulently altered the badge
0:37:53 > 0:37:57from 2013 to 2018
0:37:57 > 0:38:02and also that she hadn't returned the badge when her mother had died.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06The badge offender was ordered to appear before a magistrate.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08She pleaded guilty.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12She was given a two-year conditional discharge, was ordered to
0:38:12 > 0:38:18pay £750 towards our costs and pay a £15 victim surcharge.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22It is not common for us to take a misuse of a badge to court.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24It is only the most serious allegations that we actually
0:38:24 > 0:38:28take to court, when someone has maybe altered the badge or the badge
0:38:28 > 0:38:32is stolen. The general running, the day-to-day ones,
0:38:32 > 0:38:35we try to deal with by the way of a caution
0:38:35 > 0:38:39and a contribution towards the costs of the investigation.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42We were happy with the outcome, it sent out a strong
0:38:42 > 0:38:46message that this sort of misuse will not be tolerated.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50Successes like this mean Sonia's keen
0:38:50 > 0:38:52to keep up the presence on the streets.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57We have been running now for a few hours, about three hours,
0:38:57 > 0:39:01and we have had a lot of positive feedback from the community.
0:39:01 > 0:39:02So that is always a good thing.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05We would count this as a successful operation.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Back in north London,
0:39:12 > 0:39:15what started out as a routine benefits check had
0:39:15 > 0:39:18spiralled into a case involving multiple fraudulent claims,
0:39:18 > 0:39:22several properties and three investigating teams from the
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Department for Work and Pensions,
0:39:24 > 0:39:25not to mention two local authorities.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29It is one of those cases that starts off small and then,
0:39:29 > 0:39:31before you know it, all different angles start appearing
0:39:31 > 0:39:33and it becomes a massive case.
0:39:35 > 0:39:40With over £50,000 in savings, Manzoor Quader and Hannah Grigson,
0:39:40 > 0:39:43the owners of two properties had falsified official
0:39:43 > 0:39:47documents in order to claim housing, council tax
0:39:47 > 0:39:50and income benefits over almost a decade.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54They were pretending to live apart for profit.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Purely to make money out of a housing benefit system which is
0:39:56 > 0:40:00meant for people who require money to pay their rent.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07For all the authorities involved in the case, it wasn't only the crime
0:40:07 > 0:40:12but the audacity of the couple's fraud that left a bad taste.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16When you look through their claim forms, there's
0:40:16 > 0:40:20letters from him saying, "I've only got my housing benefit to live on,
0:40:20 > 0:40:23"why are you delaying processing my claim?" This sort of thing.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25Which sticks in the throat a bit, that he was writing that
0:40:25 > 0:40:31even though he was owning properties and doing quite well for himself.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33It is a lot of stuff to juggle.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36it is like any deception, any lie, when you start it you
0:40:36 > 0:40:38feel like you can control it but it gets out of hand
0:40:38 > 0:40:40and that is why you're going to get rumbled sooner or later.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45In 2014, the evidence against them complete,
0:40:45 > 0:40:49Quader and Grigson were brought to Wood Green Crown Court.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53When it came to prosecuting the case, what we had was multiple lease
0:40:53 > 0:40:57agreements which were fraudulent, they were made up for the purpose.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01We had evidence that they owned property that they hadn't declared.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03We had evidence that the children
0:41:03 > 0:41:06and they were living together at a different property.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09And we had evidence that they had received benefits
0:41:09 > 0:41:10they weren't entitled to.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13For our purposes, that proved the fraud.
0:41:14 > 0:41:15With overwhelming evidence,
0:41:15 > 0:41:19there appeared to be only one course of action for the couple.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22This is where Mr Quader and Ms Grigson pleaded guilty
0:41:22 > 0:41:26to all counts of fraudulently claiming benefits.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30The total figure was just in excess of £183,000.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34They were sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39It is a significant level of deception to create
0:41:39 > 0:41:42documents for the purposes of committing fraud.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46To purchase properties and then rent them out and lie on a weekly,
0:41:46 > 0:41:50monthly, yearly basis to the local council in order to receive
0:41:50 > 0:41:53benefits, in two separate areas, that you weren't entitled to.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57They were convicted of five counts of fraud,
0:41:57 > 0:42:01but incredibly for Quader and Grigson, the lying didn't end there.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07The judge gave a 10-month sentence
0:42:07 > 0:42:10and reduced it by two months on the basis
0:42:10 > 0:42:12that their children were in care.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15When the probation officer went down to talk to them about this,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18they discovered that actually they weren't in care, they were
0:42:18 > 0:42:21just living with a relative, which is not the same thing.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25This made the judge really angry and the judge called them back in
0:42:25 > 0:42:27and extended it back to 12 months.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31So the fact that they were manipulating still at that
0:42:31 > 0:42:33stage says all you need to know.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36Taking advantage of the judge's leniency,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39- again on a false premise, really.- Yes.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Right up to the end they were trying to make things
0:42:41 > 0:42:44better for themselves just by lying and deception.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48With the couple behind bars, both Barnet
0:42:48 > 0:42:52and Enfield Councils are determined to recover their losses.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55This is still going through the court process under the Proceeds of
0:42:55 > 0:42:59Crime Act and it is likely that they will have to pay that money back.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04We take a very zero tolerance attitude to fraud.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08We will investigate you if you commit fraud and we will recover the funds.