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 > 0:00:12and came 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 > 0:00:17to spend on essential services.
0:00:17 > 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 > 0:00:27And throughout the country there are specially trained
0:00:27 > 0:00:30investigators making sure that justice is served.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32The system cannot be beaten.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35They will be held to account at some point.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39We meet the men and women across the UK committed to catching
0:00:39 > 0:00:43criminals who steal from you and me, the British taxpayer.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51But we also hear stories from people who genuinely
0:00:51 > 0:00:54need help from public money.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57I'd swap places tomorrow with him if it meant he could walk.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59I didn't know there was anything better out there
0:00:59 > 0:01:01until she started at the institute.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05And sometimes they don't even realise they're entitled to it.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09I just didn't know where to turn, really, or what to do.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Coming up, a trusted nursery provider steals taxpayers' money
0:01:19 > 0:01:23that's meant to help parents pay for preschool education.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27This funding is there to assist people and help children.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30I actually can't believe she thought she would get away with it.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34A woman who fraudulently claims higher rate disability allowance.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39She told us that she was virtually unable to walk.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43And a story of a four-year-old disabled boy whose devoted mum
0:01:43 > 0:01:47turned to a charity for help with his development.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52I felt just overwhelmed that he's able to do something for himself.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00A recent report put fraud against local government
0:02:00 > 0:02:04at £2.2 billion a year and some fraudsters have no scruples
0:02:04 > 0:02:07as to who they involve in their scams.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09She deserves whatever she gets because, you know,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12when you work with young children in particular,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15the one thing you look for is someone you can trust.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20One fraud uncovered by investigators was really quite unusual.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25People wouldn't normally associate a nursery with committing fraud
0:02:25 > 0:02:30but as a fraud investigator, I know that fraudsters
0:02:30 > 0:02:32come from all backgrounds
0:02:32 > 0:02:37and we can't always identify them from the jobs they do.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42In November 2011, Declan Khan,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45counter fraud manager at Barnet Council,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48was alerted to a potential fraud involving Sarah Tolner,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52the owner of a private children's nursery in the Mill Hill area.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56It's an affluent part of the borough
0:02:56 > 0:03:00so mainly businesspeople, I would suggest, live in that area.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04It's mainly large residences, mainly family residences.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Parents of three and four-year-olds across the UK
0:03:07 > 0:03:11are entitled to a set amount of free early education.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14The money is claimed directly by the childcare providers
0:03:14 > 0:03:16and Barnet had become suspicious
0:03:16 > 0:03:19about claims submitted by Sarah Tolner.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Since we started the investigation we know that she's a 56-year-old female.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27We know that she had two children who are both of adult age.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30She had a large property in Flower Lane
0:03:30 > 0:03:33and in the back of that property is where one of her nurseries was.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36The North London Montessori. It was a log cabin
0:03:36 > 0:03:40and she did have quite a number of children there.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44So it was quite a good business from that property.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Clair Green from Barnet Council wanted to know more
0:03:48 > 0:03:53about the way in which Sarah Tolner was claiming her nursery funding.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57I think the first thing that rang the alarm bells
0:03:57 > 0:04:00to the children's service at that time was that there seemed to be
0:04:00 > 0:04:04a number of children on the claim form who all had the same
0:04:04 > 0:04:08date of birth within the same year, which was quite unusual.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Normally on a claim form you would see a mixture of dates of birth
0:04:11 > 0:04:15over a number of different years for children that were three and four.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18That's what sparked further investigation at that time.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24As a nursery provider, Sarah Tolner would have to submit claim forms
0:04:24 > 0:04:28for all eligible children at the beginning of every school term,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31so the first thing the anti-fraud team did
0:04:31 > 0:04:34was to look at her latest claim form.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39All of the children's dates of birth were in the same year
0:04:39 > 0:04:42and just before the term was due to start, which would have meant
0:04:42 > 0:04:46they would have been eligible for funding for the following term.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Now, this could have been a coincidence or a genuine mistake
0:04:49 > 0:04:54so the next step was to look at paperwork for previous terms.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57We can see the same children's names were on two different claim forms
0:04:57 > 0:05:00with two different dates of birth.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02So, that sparked further investigation
0:05:02 > 0:05:06when we started to look at all the claims that she had submitted.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09In fact, the team looked at claim forms spanning five years
0:05:09 > 0:05:13and using their unrestricted access to all council data,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16they were able to crosscheck the children's dates of birth.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20When we looked back at the claim forms back in 2007,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22there were just a few dates of birth
0:05:22 > 0:05:25that we established were wrongly input.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30As the claim forms went on there was a pattern occurring
0:05:30 > 0:05:32and that indicated to us that there
0:05:32 > 0:05:35was more wrong information on each claim form.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Initially there was between one and five fraudulent entries
0:05:39 > 0:05:43on each claim form and as the investigation progressed,
0:05:43 > 0:05:48we found that the latest submissions went from five to seven.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51But it wasn't just the number of suspected false entries
0:05:51 > 0:05:53that seemed to be increasing.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57The nature of the fraud was also becoming more brazen.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01There was one instance when there was details of a child
0:06:01 > 0:06:04where in fact they haven't even attended the nursery.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07At this point the team had to interview some of the parents.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12I know that my daughter had a fine time there
0:06:12 > 0:06:14so I don't feel bad that I sent her.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Because I was a teacher myself, I sometimes believe
0:06:17 > 0:06:19maybe I should have noticed something.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22When you're a first-time parent it's confusing
0:06:22 > 0:06:26so you turn to the school to give you that advice and, you know,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30I would assume that the school knew what they were doing. Definitely.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32We had to be careful that Tolner didn't find out
0:06:32 > 0:06:35we were carrying out an investigation because there was a risk
0:06:35 > 0:06:39that she may destroy evidence that she was holding at her house.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42We did afford to interview some of the parents
0:06:42 > 0:06:44and take statements from them,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47just to confirm the correct dates of birth of the children
0:06:47 > 0:06:50and the number of sessions they attended the nursery.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52And from this they found out she had been manipulating
0:06:52 > 0:06:55other information, too.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58She was claiming four or five sessions for children who were
0:06:58 > 0:07:01actually only attending the nursery for one, two or three sessions.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04The money from the government scheme is paid directly
0:07:04 > 0:07:06to the nursery provider
0:07:06 > 0:07:09and it seems Sarah Tolner was claiming for the full 15 hours
0:07:09 > 0:07:12for children who were only attending her nursery
0:07:12 > 0:07:14for a few hours each week.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18It's possible that as she received the funding, she was getting more
0:07:18 > 0:07:20and more confident in putting in more wrong dates of birth
0:07:20 > 0:07:24so that's why the numbers were increasing over the years.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29In total, the team looked at 17 claim forms Sarah Tolner had filed
0:07:29 > 0:07:33for children eligible for the government funded nursery care.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37She'd claimed for 148 places of funding,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40of which 74, we established at the end of our investigation,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44were for children that weren't eligible for the funding.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48And that's double the number of places she should have claimed for.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52In total, we're talking about just over £37,000
0:07:52 > 0:07:54that she received due to this fraud
0:07:54 > 0:07:58that she wouldn't have been entitled to.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00This is quite a serious investigation.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04This funding is there to assist people and help children,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07so this was quite a big case for the council
0:08:07 > 0:08:09and for the council's fraud team.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13The next step was to speak to Sarah Tolner herself.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17They arrested her and searched her home for more evidence of the fraud.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21When we attended the home address, she wasn't actually in.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Her son was there and said that she was at the hairdresser's.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Because we didn't want the son to warn her that we were coming
0:08:28 > 0:08:31and there was evidence that we wanted to secure, we actually went
0:08:31 > 0:08:35with the police officers and she was arrested at the hairdresser's.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41She did ask if we could wait until her hair was finished,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44but unfortunately, the situation didn't allow that.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49She had wet hair but obviously we needed to speak to her
0:08:49 > 0:08:52quite urgently about the serious fraud that was taking place.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56She was taken from the hairdresser's
0:08:56 > 0:09:00and went back to her home address, where the premises was then searched.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05At the home address, paperwork was found which seemed to add weight
0:09:05 > 0:09:07to the evidence the team already had.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Sarah Tolner was interviewed at the police station...
0:09:13 > 0:09:16..and asked to explain all the inaccurate dates of birth
0:09:16 > 0:09:18which led to the excessive claims.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23With some dates of birth, the month had been altered.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26We believe that you changed her date of birth by one month
0:09:26 > 0:09:28in order to receive this funding.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31No, I wouldn't have done that.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34In others, it was also the year that was changed.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I haven't got my glasses on.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38It looks very similar to me.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Sarah Tolner always had an answer.
0:09:42 > 0:09:49I've had some staff also that come from Romania and Poland,
0:09:49 > 0:09:53and their handwriting is slightly different, and more cursive.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Perhaps when it was written, the three looked like an eight.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01I had a parent once who was filling in a form
0:10:01 > 0:10:07and they had made a mistake about the date of birth of their child.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12She denied any wrongdoing and said that it had all been a big mistake.
0:10:15 > 0:10:21Probably just an error of not writing the numbers properly.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Clearly having received over £35,000,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26it's a little bit more than a mistake,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29or as I put to her, it was extremely lucrative mistakes.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30There was no truth in what she said.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34We'd looked at all the claim forms that she had submitted to 2007,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and the only mistakes that had been made on the forms
0:10:37 > 0:10:39would have been in her favour.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41There were no mistakes the other way round
0:10:41 > 0:10:45which meant she wouldn't have got funding, so from our perspective,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47they were all deliberate and construed mistakes.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Later, will the antifraud team
0:10:50 > 0:10:54have enough evidence to secure a conviction?
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I'm not really very good with the computer side of that,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01so it's quite a complex process.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06In my years of investigating for the council here,
0:11:06 > 0:11:10it ranks among the more devious of cases that we have looked at.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15I make quite a lot of errors sometimes in typing.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Now, while some people are intent on fiddling the system to
0:11:23 > 0:11:25finance a very comfortable life,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29others turn to charities for extra help with day-to-day living.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36I love talking to Ethan. We talk all the time, don't we, Ethan?
0:11:36 > 0:11:38ETHAN GURGLES
0:11:38 > 0:11:42Yeovil-based Naomi Grosvenor has had to organise charitable fundraising
0:11:42 > 0:11:44to give her disabled four-year-old son Ethan
0:11:44 > 0:11:47the best life he can possibly have.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51I would just love it if he could chat back to me,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53tell me how silly I sound.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Wouldn't I? That would be lovely, wouldn't it?
0:11:57 > 0:12:00The biggest one would be to say, "I love you."
0:12:00 > 0:12:03I think that would be the nicest one you could say to me, wouldn't it?
0:12:03 > 0:12:04Yes.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Naomi was 24 when she had Ethan
0:12:09 > 0:12:12and she and her partner brought him home from hospital
0:12:12 > 0:12:16when he was just four days old, to start their new life as a family.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Everything was fine.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23It wasn't until the evening when we got home from the hospital
0:12:23 > 0:12:26on day four, that was when everything changed.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33That night, Ethan had some kind of seizure.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36We didn't know what it was and so I shouted for Ashley.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40He came upstairs and held him and it stopped,
0:12:40 > 0:12:45so we thought, "Well, it's happened, what was that? I don't know."
0:12:45 > 0:12:48You know, "Scary, but he's stopped now,"
0:12:48 > 0:12:53so didn't do anything about it until the next morning,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55when he had another one.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59They took him to the doctor, who immediately sent them to hospital.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Once we were on Ward 10, Ethan's seizures became more seizure-like,
0:13:04 > 0:13:08and that was when I started to think, you know, "What's going on?
0:13:08 > 0:13:11"My tiny baby shouldn't be back in hospital,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15"shouldn't be having all these bloods taken,"
0:13:15 > 0:13:19and I think that was really hard for me, and at one point, I thought,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22"Am I actually going to take my baby boy home?
0:13:22 > 0:13:27"Is he going to stop having these seizures? Is he going to be OK?"
0:13:27 > 0:13:32And that was so upsetting to see him going through everything.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36He was just so tiny. It was horrible.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39And Ethan's fits continued in the hospital.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46From day four, when his seizures started,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Ethan would have up to 15 seizures a day,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52and these lasted one to two minutes,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55not overly long, but when you're watching your child go through that,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57it feels like an absolute lifetime.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00Ethan had a barrage of tests
0:14:00 > 0:14:04and was put on medication to help control the seizures.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07He was discharged but no diagnosis was given.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12So you're kind of left thinking,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15you know, "What's going on? Why is it happening?"
0:14:15 > 0:14:18And as a parent, you want to know why, you know,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21it's just your instinct to know
0:14:21 > 0:14:25what's causing your baby to go through all of this,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29so for me, I just wanted to know what it was, anything.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33The stress took its toll on Naomi and her partner,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36and when he was three months old, they split up.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Raising a child as a single parent is never easy,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45but if you add to that an extremely limiting condition
0:14:45 > 0:14:50that no-one seems able to diagnose, parenting goes beyond challenging.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53- Hello.- Hey.- You must be Naomi.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55- Nice to meet you.- How are you doing? - Come on in.- Thank you.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Three months in, you've got no answers.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02You're on your own, effectively.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05You've got your family around you
0:15:05 > 0:15:09but it feels like you're on duty 24 hours a day.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13That's a huge, huge burden.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15It's not what I expected.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19It wasn't what I'd planned and it was really hard on my own,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21and it's the hardest thing I've ever done,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24but it's the most rewarding thing I've ever done
0:15:24 > 0:15:28because, you know, I got through those sleepless nights.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30My family and friends were there.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33They picked me up when I needed picking up,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36taking Ethan out for walks so I could have an hour's sleep,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39and without them, I wouldn't have got through it,
0:15:39 > 0:15:40not on my own at all.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47Naomi researched Ethan's symptoms to try to find a diagnosis herself.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Then, when Ethan was around one,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53she read an article about a young girl who had a genetic disorder
0:15:53 > 0:15:56which affected development and caused seizures.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00I thought, "Yeah, that's what my son's got."
0:16:00 > 0:16:04I just felt kind of relieved that I might have done something.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06All the searching might be over.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Naomi mentioned the case to her paediatrician
0:16:09 > 0:16:11and Ethan was sent for tests.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14They came back clear for that genetic disorder
0:16:14 > 0:16:18but it was found that Ethan had a mutation in just one gene
0:16:18 > 0:16:20and that was causing his seizures.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24I was so, so happy that we'd finally found something,
0:16:24 > 0:16:28my search was over, I didn't have to look for answers any more.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29They were all there.
0:16:29 > 0:16:35'Then came the worry of not knowing any more about this disorder.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41'It's so rare, we don't know a lot about it.'
0:16:41 > 0:16:43In fact, Naomi could only find
0:16:43 > 0:16:46a handful of people who had the condition.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50Have you got any further information about the condition
0:16:50 > 0:16:51and what it means for Ethan?
0:16:51 > 0:16:54There's nothing, I don't have a list of symptoms,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56I don't have a list of signs.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59They couldn't tell me what was going to happen in the future.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03The only thing they could say was that he wouldn't get worse,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06so, you know, that's kind of a hope for us,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09but it doesn't give you, you know,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11"Will he ever walk? Will he ever talk?"
0:17:11 > 0:17:15So you've still got that huge uncertainty,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19but we had stopped searching, I had my answer,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23and whether I got any more answers from that, you know,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27from the diagnosis, I had it and I had to stop looking.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32The only thing Naomi could do was to encourage Ethan's development.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Her local health authority provided physiotherapy sessions
0:17:35 > 0:17:39to help stretch his tight muscles, but seeing little improvement,
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Naomi was desperate to find something more to help her son.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51Friends suggested to us about going to BIBIC, which is
0:17:51 > 0:17:55an assessment place for physio, where they would give us exercises
0:17:55 > 0:17:59and assess Ethan's individual needs and create a programme for Ethan.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03I read stories where they'd helped children walk,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06they'd helped children sit up,
0:18:06 > 0:18:12and for me, as a parent, that was so exciting and I wanted that for Ethan.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15I wanted to be able to give him that chance.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18This national charity offers practical help to families
0:18:18 > 0:18:20with disabled children.
0:18:23 > 0:18:24Tell me about BIBIC.
0:18:24 > 0:18:30They have basically taken Ethan on and worked with Ethan one-to-one,
0:18:30 > 0:18:36encouraged his development and built a real strong bond with him.
0:18:36 > 0:18:42That means we can help him live day-to-day life sort of comfortably
0:18:42 > 0:18:44and try and help him in his development.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50The charity created a special programme of massage and stretches
0:18:50 > 0:18:54for Ethan, which Naomi was able to do with him at home.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Shall we go and do some physio now?
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Yeah? Is it physio time?
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Is it? Yeah?
0:19:02 > 0:19:03Come on, then.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Are you coming with Mummy?
0:19:07 > 0:19:08MASSAGER BUZZES
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Good boy. Ready?
0:19:10 > 0:19:11Up your feet.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14There we go. Up the front.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17So this is a massage for Ethan
0:19:17 > 0:19:22and this is really good to get all his muscles sort of awake.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24ETHAN LAUGHS
0:19:24 > 0:19:27He loves massage, just loves being touched, don't you, Ethan?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Very tactile person.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Massaging is funny, isn't it?
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Is it funny? Yeah.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Now, massage Ethan's hands.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41The first thing the programme focused on was helping Ethan
0:19:41 > 0:19:43to open up his clenched fists.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47When we first went, they told us that they would get his hands open
0:19:47 > 0:19:51and they were absolutely right. They got his hands open within six months.
0:19:51 > 0:19:57I just felt overwhelmed that he is able to do something for himself.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01With Ethan's condition, you know, we are missing milestones
0:20:01 > 0:20:06and so every tiny little thing that he can do is just incredible.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10You just feel so proud that he has achieved something.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13I remember the first time being able to put gloves on Ethan,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17just mitten ones, that's one silly thing, but for Ethan,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20that was huge. That was massive.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Naomi was determined to help her son
0:20:24 > 0:20:27achieve what most of us take for granted.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30The charity could teach her more exercises for Ethan,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33but they were expensive and out of reach for Naomi,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36who is unable to work and look after Ethan.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41But she didn't let that stop her, and along with her family,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43she raised funds to pay for the training.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Good boy. Good stretching!
0:20:47 > 0:20:48Good boy.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52When Ethan first started this, Ethan wouldn't lift his head up at all,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56and now the more we've done it and the stronger his neck's got,
0:20:56 > 0:20:57the more he can lift his head up
0:20:57 > 0:20:59and actually be able to do it for himself.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03The head control is just the biggest thing for Ethan and is the most
0:21:03 > 0:21:07amazing thing for him because he will be able to eventually,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09hopefully, sit up on his own
0:21:09 > 0:21:11and the more we can encourage his head control,
0:21:11 > 0:21:16the more chance he has to be able to sit up and do things independently.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20When he's on his tummy now, he can lift his head up and look around.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Good boy! Well done!
0:21:26 > 0:21:29You can really feel him pushing into the ball,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32so he's really working hard to get his head up.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Good boy!
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Look how strong you are.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Naomi had to become not only Ethan's full-time carer
0:21:41 > 0:21:43but his nurse and physiotherapist as well.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Once we've worked on the head control and opening his hands,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51our next aim is for Ethan to be able to sit up on his own.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55'For him to sit up is'
0:21:55 > 0:21:57going to be a massive achievement,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01but with the help of this programme, I think we'll get there.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04As Ethan's unable to move by himself,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Naomi's home has been fitted with special equipment to help out.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10So we're just going to hoist Ethan,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12lift him up from the floor into his chair,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15and so we put the sling on him,
0:22:15 > 0:22:17but you have to make sure he's in secure.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Ethan loves being hoisted. He thinks it's really fun.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22It's to save my back a bit.
0:22:24 > 0:22:25It's coming!
0:22:26 > 0:22:27Is it coming?
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Some of the equipment that Ethan needs is funded by the NHS,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32but the rest has been bought
0:22:32 > 0:22:37as a result of fundraising events by Naomi and her family and friends.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41I love doing things to be able to help Ethan,
0:22:41 > 0:22:46so in my current position, I'm not able to fund all of these things
0:22:46 > 0:22:51for Ethan, so the fundraising is the bit that I can do my bit to help.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55As he gets bigger, that will be our only way to lift him, really.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59And Ethan's seizures are now controlled with medication
0:22:59 > 0:23:02which means he only has one every two to three weeks.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07You're kind of working it out day by day, aren't you?
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Each day could bring a very good thing or a very bad thing.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14As a parent you want to think about the future, you want to plan,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18you want to dream for your child and I can't do that.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21I don't allow myself to do that
0:23:21 > 0:23:25because I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30One seizure could take him and that could be the end of it.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33So just live every day as it is,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35and hope for the best, really.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Naomi constantly talks to Ethan, to give him
0:23:39 > 0:23:42the very best opportunity to develop.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45When you're feeding him he makes an "mmm" sound,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47- that means more.- Mmmm.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Ohhh! And row row your boat.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52He's starting to say the "Rrr" sounds.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56So he's starting to pick up the beginnings of sounds and words?
0:23:56 > 0:24:01- Again that's a little bit of hope for development...- Definitely.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02He eye points as well.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05So if you give him a choice between two things,
0:24:05 > 0:24:09he can move his eyes to point and then fixate on one thing.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13And then choose between two things, don't you?
0:24:13 > 0:24:16The future for Ethan is very uncertain,
0:24:16 > 0:24:21but Naomi is taking every day and every milestone as it comes.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25My main dream for Ethan is for him to be independent.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28I want for him to be able to crawl to where
0:24:28 > 0:24:32he wants to or walk to where he wants to.
0:24:33 > 0:24:39To see him, you know, take his first step to find a toy or to
0:24:39 > 0:24:42pull something out of my cupboard.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47That would just be amazing so that's our long-term focus,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50is to have him become independent.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Most of us wouldn't dream of claiming more than we're
0:25:01 > 0:25:05entitled to but not everyone works with the same moral compass.
0:25:06 > 0:25:12Fraudulent benefit claims cost the UK taxpayer £1.2 billion a year.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15But thanks to those determined to protect the public purse,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18investigators are cracking down on anyone thought to be abusing
0:25:18 > 0:25:20the system.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26Manchester mum of three, Sonia Mellor, was one such person.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32The Sonia Mellor case came to attention in July 2011 when we
0:25:32 > 0:25:36received an anonymous hotline tip-off about her activities.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41The report suggested she was claiming benefits as a single person
0:25:41 > 0:25:45while living with a partner who was working full-time.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Sonia Mellor at the time had three dependent children
0:25:48 > 0:25:54and was receiving income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit
0:25:54 > 0:25:59and disability living allowance at the higher rate for mobility reasons.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03On paper there seemed to be no problem so the first action was to
0:26:03 > 0:26:06go through her past claims with a fine tooth comb.
0:26:10 > 0:26:16Sonia Mellor was in receipt of those benefits from 1999 for herself
0:26:16 > 0:26:18and three children.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23Her three children were all born and given the surname of the man
0:26:23 > 0:26:26named on the allegation as her partner.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28This wasn't evidence that the children's father was still
0:26:28 > 0:26:31living with Sonia Mellor, but gave Roy and his team at
0:26:31 > 0:26:36the Department for Work and Pensions reason to open an investigation.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40All the investigations we do, we do background intelligence
0:26:40 > 0:26:45checks using all the legal powers at our disposal.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50The team used their powers to gain access to Sonia Mellor's bank
0:26:50 > 0:26:52accounts and those of her alleged partner.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56We came to understand that she was receiving payments into her
0:26:56 > 0:26:59bank account from her alleged partner so we had reason to
0:26:59 > 0:27:05believe that the allegation that we had received was in fact correct.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09The bank statements showed that Sonia Mellor
0:27:09 > 0:27:12and her partner appear to have done some of their shopping at
0:27:12 > 0:27:14a large out-of-town shopping centre so Roy
0:27:14 > 0:27:18and his team asked to view the CCTV footage.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25We were able to identify her coming to the centre on four
0:27:25 > 0:27:30separate occasions as a family unit and doing some shopping.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33That's Sonia Mellor on the left with the handbag.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36She's there with a child in a buggy
0:27:36 > 0:27:40and her two other children and her partner.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43This was the evidence that Roy needed to show that
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Sonia Mellor and her partner were behaving as a couple.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50But the footage from the shopping trip showed something that the
0:27:50 > 0:27:52team weren't expecting to find.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58They were followed by CCTV cameras throughout their stay
0:27:58 > 0:28:00in the Trafford Centre.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06You can see here from watching Sonia Mellor's activities that she's
0:28:06 > 0:28:11having no problems walking long distances throughout the centre.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14And indeed, no problem carrying the pushchair with
0:28:14 > 0:28:19the baby in down a flight of stairs with her partner.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22This brought Sonia Mellor's claim for Disability Living
0:28:22 > 0:28:25Allowance into question but Roy and his team needed more proof
0:28:25 > 0:28:29so they conducted surveillance over a period of three months.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39You can see here that Miss Mellor is
0:28:39 > 0:28:42walking from her children's
0:28:42 > 0:28:49school back home. This is a distance of about 1.5 miles.
0:28:49 > 0:28:55You can see that although she's got a pushchair to lean against,
0:28:55 > 0:29:00she doesn't appear to be having any physical disabilities whatsoever.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03No problems in walking.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07Sonia Mellor had been claiming the higher rate of Disability
0:29:07 > 0:29:09Living Allowance.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11She told us she couldn't walk any distance,
0:29:11 > 0:29:14she had trouble getting herself ready in the morning,
0:29:14 > 0:29:19and also that she suffered from an array of different medical
0:29:19 > 0:29:24conditions which meant she was virtually unable to walk.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Sonia Mellor's benefit claims went back to 1999.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31So that meant the potential overpayment in her case was
0:29:31 > 0:29:35going to easily exceed £100,000.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39The Department for Work and Pensions now had their case
0:29:39 > 0:29:44and in January 2012 Sonia Mellor was arrested and her house was searched.
0:29:45 > 0:29:51Among the items we seized that day were a series of video
0:29:51 > 0:29:53clips of her in her house.
0:29:53 > 0:29:58Here you can see one such clip of Miss Mellor on her pole
0:29:58 > 0:30:03in the living room showing no signs of physical disability
0:30:03 > 0:30:07and different to what was portrayed on her claim form.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15In this family video clip you can see
0:30:15 > 0:30:18Sonia Mellor on the trampoline in the back garden of the address,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21again showing no signs of physical discomfort
0:30:21 > 0:30:26and able to use the trampoline without any difficulty whatsoever.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28Sonia Mellor's mobile phone was analysed
0:30:28 > 0:30:32and it showed texts sent to her partner on days she was attending
0:30:32 > 0:30:35medical appointments arranged by the Department for Work
0:30:35 > 0:30:39and Pensions to verify her need for Disability Living Allowance.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Those text messages clearly gave us the impression
0:30:45 > 0:30:49and belief that she knew exactly what she was doing.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53She knew she was deliberately defrauding the department.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56Her partner knew also.
0:30:56 > 0:31:02It was clear that she wanted to buy a wheelchair to support her
0:31:02 > 0:31:06claim and to hoodwink the medical profession.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10The wheelchair was found during the search of Sonia Mellor's
0:31:10 > 0:31:12four-bedroom detached home.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15It was under some rubbish in the garage
0:31:15 > 0:31:18and it was in pristine condition.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22So clearly she had just used it on the one occasion to attend
0:31:22 > 0:31:24for a medical.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27The text traffic between the two of them
0:31:27 > 0:31:32clearly showed that they knew they were living together as a couple
0:31:32 > 0:31:36and that they should have declared that they were doing so, and
0:31:36 > 0:31:39it was very damning, the evidence.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44Sonia Mellor was charged with fraudulently claiming
0:31:44 > 0:31:48Disability Living Allowance, income support, housing benefit
0:31:48 > 0:31:50and council tax benefit.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Her partner hadn't claimed any benefits
0:31:52 > 0:31:56and wasn't charged with any wrongdoing.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00Living together fraud is one of the most prevalent frauds that the
0:32:00 > 0:32:02department has to deal with.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06Lone parents who fail to tell us when their partner
0:32:06 > 0:32:11comes in to live with them and can support the family, basically.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16In Sonia Mellor's case, she had her partner living with her
0:32:16 > 0:32:21and his earnings varied between £50-£100,000 a year.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24So he could clearly support his partner and three children.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29In February 2014,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32Sonia Mellor appeared in the dock at Manchester Crown Court.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36She pleaded guilty to taking around half the amount
0:32:36 > 0:32:39she was known to owe, which was accepted by the court.
0:32:39 > 0:32:45The overpayment before the courts was £115,000.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48But the Department for Work and Pensions
0:32:48 > 0:32:51is chasing her for the full amount she owes.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54In addition to that, there's a further overpayment that
0:32:54 > 0:32:59wasn't brought before sentencing today which takes the total
0:32:59 > 0:33:01overpayment to over £222,000.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04She'll be subject to civil proceedings to
0:33:04 > 0:33:07recover as much of that money as we can.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Sonia Mellor was sentenced to 12 months in prison,
0:33:11 > 0:33:13suspended for 18 months.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15She has a supervision order for one year
0:33:15 > 0:33:19and must obey a curfew order for four months.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24This was a deliberate fraud, perpetrated over many years
0:33:24 > 0:33:27and she knew exactly what she was doing.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32Her only reason for doing so, in our opinion, was greed.
0:33:32 > 0:33:37Her partner had a successful job in the media
0:33:37 > 0:33:39and was earning a good salary.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Some people help themselves to benefits
0:33:49 > 0:33:52they're not entitled to while others are determined not to
0:33:52 > 0:33:55ask for any help at all, despite really needing it.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59Sometimes that help can provide a lifeline
0:33:59 > 0:34:02to ensure that they can continue to remain independent.
0:34:04 > 0:34:0981-year-old Maxine Turkington is fiercely self-sufficient -
0:34:09 > 0:34:11even when she started to lose her sight.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15I've always had trouble seeing at night,
0:34:15 > 0:34:19but I didn't realise that I could see less than most people.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22And it gradually got worse, so by the time I was 50,
0:34:22 > 0:34:25I could no longer drive.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Diagnosed 30 years ago with an inherited condition
0:34:28 > 0:34:32called Stargardt, Maxine was left with no central vision.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36And I'm, in fact, registered blind.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38I can't read, I can't recognise people,
0:34:38 > 0:34:42I can't distinguish colours that are close to each other.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45But I do have peripheral vision.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47After Maxine's husband Syd died,
0:34:47 > 0:34:49she was in danger of becoming isolated -
0:34:49 > 0:34:52until she found some invaluable help.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57So, what is it you want to look at today?
0:34:57 > 0:35:03Well, one thing I'd like to know is how to generate e-mails.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06Paul Cutmore, a volunteer for a charity called IT Can Help,
0:35:06 > 0:35:10which teaches visually impaired people to use computers,
0:35:10 > 0:35:13visits Maxine whenever she needs assistance.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17If someone needs help, they just call up the helpline
0:35:17 > 0:35:21and the problem is allocated to a local volunteer like me,
0:35:21 > 0:35:25and hopefully gets that problem sorted.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27When Paul first began working with Maxine,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30she'd never really used a computer.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33But, with his help, she quickly grasped the basics.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37When I started, you know, it took a while to get used to it -
0:35:37 > 0:35:41and now I more or less know where the letters are.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45As you see, it's a large keyboard, and it's white on black,
0:35:45 > 0:35:46which is very important.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48She really is a remarkable person.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52She has a special programme on her computer called Guide,
0:35:52 > 0:35:57which helps people who are partially sighted, like Maxine,
0:35:57 > 0:36:01with doing things like e-mail and web access.
0:36:06 > 0:36:07And, before too long,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10Maxine's new-found skills were opening up her world.
0:36:10 > 0:36:15I communicate with friends in America by e-mail -
0:36:15 > 0:36:19so I don't have to pay expensive phone bills.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22I keep in e-mail communication with my daughter,
0:36:22 > 0:36:25who hates to use the phone and is studying,
0:36:25 > 0:36:27so the phone would interrupt her -
0:36:27 > 0:36:30but she'll see an e-mail and immediately respond to that.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34You know, being able to e-mail, for someone like her,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37is really quite life-changing, I think.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Maxine wanted to do something in turn
0:36:42 > 0:36:44to help other visually impaired people,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47and came up with an idea that involved hundreds of recipes
0:36:47 > 0:36:49she'd collected over the years.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54Is this a recipe you made up?
0:36:54 > 0:36:56- This is from my book.- Right.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00Maxine wanted to create a cookery book for visually impaired people,
0:37:00 > 0:37:04and daughter Karen gave her mum plenty of encouragement.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07You've always been a good cook - I mean, I remember.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10When I was young, your food was always delicious.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Everybody knew that I was visually impaired -
0:37:13 > 0:37:16they all assumed that Syd cooked the meals,
0:37:16 > 0:37:19so they would compliment him on his cooking!
0:37:19 > 0:37:22I'd say, "Hey, wait a minute!"
0:37:23 > 0:37:27With Paul's help, Maxine scanned all her old recipes onto the computer,
0:37:27 > 0:37:29and put together her very own book.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36What I have been able to do as a volunteer with IT Can Help
0:37:36 > 0:37:39is to just encourage her, and say that, you know,
0:37:39 > 0:37:40all of these things are possible.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42If you want to use the computer,
0:37:42 > 0:37:44there are ways and means of doing it.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48And it's not just Maxine's literary life that's profited -
0:37:48 > 0:37:52her new-found skills have their use all around the home.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56If I miss a programme, I want to be able to regenerate the programme
0:37:56 > 0:37:57so I can watch something I've missed -
0:37:57 > 0:38:01I fall asleep in murder mysteries, so this way I'll be able to find
0:38:01 > 0:38:04out who the murderer was, that would always help.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07Aided by the latest technology,
0:38:07 > 0:38:11Maxine's confidence has bloomed, and she's even gone on to volunteer
0:38:11 > 0:38:14for two charities, often giving motivational speeches.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20I do that sort of off the cuff - I don't have to read, I just do it.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22"How many minutes do you want me to talk?"
0:38:22 > 0:38:26You might have noticed I don't have trouble talking!
0:38:26 > 0:38:28And it's only natural for someone
0:38:28 > 0:38:32so chatty that Maxine wants to use this new technology to the full.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37- But you'd like to learn how to use the internet, wouldn't you?- Mm.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42I'd sort of like to learn how to Twitter - and get online.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45Absorbed by her new challenges,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Maxine won't let her problems get in the way.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53When your life changes, change your life.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57You know? Forget about what you can't do, it's not relevant.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01Think about what you can do - start doing it.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03And as you gain confidence,
0:39:03 > 0:39:06you'll find you can do more and more and more,
0:39:06 > 0:39:10until at the end you can do almost everything that you did
0:39:10 > 0:39:13before you got old or lost your sight.
0:39:20 > 0:39:21Back in Barnet,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24the corporate counter fraud team were investigating a case
0:39:24 > 0:39:29of fraudulent claims for government funded nursery care by Sarah Tolner.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33She'd been arrested, but kept claiming that it was all a mistake.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36The team needed more evidence
0:39:36 > 0:39:39if they were to prove that Sarah Tolner had intentionally
0:39:39 > 0:39:43altered the details on the forms in order to claim more money.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47So, they diligently scoured the paperwork they'd found
0:39:47 > 0:39:48at her home address.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54We found forms that were signed by - at the time, we thought the parents,
0:39:54 > 0:39:58that were enrolment forms for the children into the nursery.
0:39:58 > 0:39:59Further investigation found
0:39:59 > 0:40:03that Sarah Tolner had actually signed those forms herself,
0:40:03 > 0:40:04in place of the parents,
0:40:04 > 0:40:07and she had entered wrong details on them,
0:40:07 > 0:40:09to make it look as though the false details
0:40:09 > 0:40:13she was putting on the claim forms was in fact correct.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18This was the evidence the team needed to prove their case.
0:40:18 > 0:40:19At that point there was no doubt in our minds
0:40:19 > 0:40:22that a serious fraud had been committed.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25The next stage was to prepare the case for court.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30When we got to court, Miss Tolner pleaded not guilty,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34which meant that we had to go out and obtain further evidence
0:40:34 > 0:40:36and further statements.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38We had to put a lot of the parents on notice
0:40:38 > 0:40:42that they may have to attend court to give evidence -
0:40:42 > 0:40:44so they were quite distressed by this.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48And, by pleading not guilty, that meant Sarah Tolner would have
0:40:48 > 0:40:52to give evidence at Crown Court in front of a jury.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54The implications of that are that there's extra
0:40:54 > 0:40:56costs for the council, the investigation is prolonged,
0:40:56 > 0:41:00there's more pressure on witnesses, because they would potentially
0:41:00 > 0:41:03have to attend court, and the cost of putting file cases together,
0:41:03 > 0:41:06the cost of further court attendances,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08would all be increased.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12The trial date was set for January 2013.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Before the beginning of that trial, Tolner entered
0:41:16 > 0:41:18the plea of guilty,
0:41:18 > 0:41:20which put a halt to the trial process.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23And she was then sentenced.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25All of the evidence that we had presented was correct -
0:41:25 > 0:41:27however, it was quite frustrating
0:41:27 > 0:41:28that we had been through a long process,
0:41:28 > 0:41:30and there'd been several opportunities
0:41:30 > 0:41:34for her to plead guilty, and we'd had to continue the investigation,
0:41:34 > 0:41:35and warn witnesses and so on.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39If she'd have pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity,
0:41:39 > 0:41:42it would have meant less money would have been lost to the public purse.
0:41:42 > 0:41:4515 counts of fraud were put before the judge.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50They called three witnesses, who were character witnesses for Tolner,
0:41:50 > 0:41:54and the judge then decided on what sentence to dish out.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57The judge sentenced Sarah Tolner to ten months in prison,
0:41:57 > 0:42:01which was suspended for 18 months.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04He also sentenced her to 200 hours of unpaid work,
0:42:04 > 0:42:09and she was also ordered to repay the full amount, £37,000,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13as well as the cost to the council, which was just over £18,000.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16She repaid this quite quickly to the council
0:42:16 > 0:42:19from her own funding and her own assets.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22She had used details of children who were in her care
0:42:22 > 0:42:24to perpetrate a fraud,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27and I think the sentence does send a message out to others
0:42:27 > 0:42:29who may be thinking of doing the same thing.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Sarah Tolner ran two nurseries in the area -
0:42:32 > 0:42:35the North London Montessori has since closed down,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38and the other nursery has been sold on.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43The parents were not aware that she had been submitting claim forms
0:42:43 > 0:42:45and receiving funding for children
0:42:45 > 0:42:47that were in attendance at the nursery.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50In fact, the parents were actually paying the full cost.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53I actually can't believe that she thought she'd get away with it.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55I'm really pleased that she's now not...
0:42:55 > 0:42:57You know, doesn't have a school any more,
0:42:57 > 0:42:59and isn't in charge of young children.
0:42:59 > 0:43:04The message from the corporate Anti Fraud Team to any would-be fraudsters
0:43:04 > 0:43:07is that we will find you, and we will prosecute you.