Episode 3 Britain on the Fiddle

He's carrying fishing rods on his back.

Yeah, I've got him, Deb.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with him,

-is there?

-No.

He's fit and well, but claiming disability.

Benefit fraud costs the British taxpayer £1.6 billion a year.

My name is Richard Bilton and I've spent the last five years following

benefit fraud investigators...

Ooh!

..and the people they're after.

All I envisaged was prison and the door being slammed.

In this episode...

She's wearing a blue puffer jacket with a brown handbag.

Her level of deception, it's beyond my comprehension.

..investigators struggle to bring a sophisticated fraudster to book...

Cannabis factory upstairs.

..a woman fights for her home and reputation...

I'm not a wrong 'un, I'm not a cannabis grower,

I'm not all this drug person they think I'm made out to be.

..and investigating suspects so disabled,

they're getting benefits for life.

His nickname's Sick Note.

It's a well-known fact that he's been fiddling.

Action.

This is Tania Amisi.

She's stylish...

..has expensive tastes...

..and travels the world.

She is also thought to be funding it

with benefits totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds.

'I've come to meet the investigators who are trying to catch her - '

-Hi, Richard.

-How you doing?

'Mo Stanislas and undercover officer Helen.'

LIFT: Doors opening.

Mo and Helen specialise in investigating high-value

fraud cases, but the woman they're after is brazen and smart.

This is her company - fake company - Le Chateau D'or.

-That's her.

-That's her there?

-Yeah.

Tania Amisi is a single mum who works on a minimum wage

in a betting shop.

At least that's what she claimed.

And according to this website, she's got a fashion house.

Which is selling exclusive designer wear.

Very expensive prices, so it shows that she's not being genuine

with the information she's given.

Tania's life, which they found played out over the internet,

suggests glamour and wealth, but it's a lie.

She's a crook.

They started investigating her after she was arrested for

trying to cash false cheques.

The police found fake IDs and bank statements in her flat that showed

large amounts of money being paid into them by councils across London.

So within a few days of each other we've got Westminster Council paying

housing benefit, London Borough of Brent, Hackney starts paying her.

They're big sums, aren't they?

They're massive amounts. That's over £3,500 within a couple of days of

-each other.

-We tend to do multiple ID frauds,

but hers is off the scale in the fact that she's manipulated

so many different local authorities and they're unaware of it.

How much do you think she's taken, just from looking at the file?

20,000, 30,000.

And that's only a snapshot.

A snapshot of a couple of months here in 2010.

When we started to look further into it, we realised that they were live,

we've got live benefit claims running at this moment in time.

They found three housing benefit claims she's currently making

in boroughs across London. It's evidence of a crime,

but they need to link her to the bank accounts.

RADIO CRACKLES

The plan now is to launch an undercover surveillance operation.

Housing is a national problem.

1.2 million people are on the waiting list for council houses.

On the outskirts of London, Havering Council has launched a crackdown.

Investigators already have a woman in their sights.

Hello. Come in.

Meet Julie Smith.

-Shut the door.

-She earns a living as a gardener.

-This is my dad.

-Hello there.

I'm living with Mum and Dad.

She's living with us.

Shall I put it the proper way? She's poncing.

HE LAUGHS

My mum's always cooked for everyone.

Whoever comes round, she's always got a spare dinner,

-haven't you, Mum?

-Yeah. Even if they want it or not.

THEY LAUGH

Julie moved in with her parents

after she came under investigation for fraud.

I think I just needed to show you my side of the story to show you

that I'm not a wrong 'un, I'm just a normal person.

The allegations are serious.

She could end up doing time.

I don't want to get put in prison,

you know. I don't really feel like I've done anything wrong.

I really don't feel like I've done anything wrong.

You haven't. She hasn't.

Well, benefit fraud should never enter her mind.

Cos if Julie wants anything,

she comes to us like the rest of the kids do.

It's just the way they've said it's happened,

and OK, I can see from their side,

but it's not how it happened.

None of it's happened like that.

She's been shit on from a great height by numpties.

Morning, everybody. We're a little bit restrained for time.

The warrant is in relation to benefit and housing fraud.

It all started a year ago when Havering Council organised a raid on

Julie's boyfriend's house.

And then if they're not there, I've got her telephone number,

so we could call her to come back instead of putting the door in.

Is that all right?

Ruth Kirby and Leigh Stevens

are fraud investigators from Havering.

They're in charge of the case.

Tell me what your suspicions are, then.

My suspicions are that we're paying housing benefit for a property

that Miss Smith's not living in.

This is where Julie Smith is supposed to live -

a council flat in Romford. But investigators think

she really lives 60 miles away with her boyfriend.

They're going to raid both properties.

Is there any defendable reason why you could have two properties?

No. She's made a claim for housing benefit in Romford

and that's where she should be living.

First stop, it's her boyfriend's, where they think she's now living.

It's a lot of cops, isn't it?

It's a lot of cops.

We're hoping to find her there and then, you know,

see that she actually lives in the house by looking at, you know,

the set-up of the house. If all her clothes are there

and her correspondence, that they're living together as a couple.

Well, it looks like there's someone in.

(Do we go in there?)

Thank you.

OK, thanks very much.

Hello. Are you Julie Smith?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, hello. I'm Ruth

and I work for the housing benefit investigations team.

We're here today because you're not residing at the property

that you're claiming benefit for.

This is the moment Julie Smith first realises she's in trouble.

What we just want you to give us is any of your correspondence,

like your driving licence, your passport,

your bank statements.

I also understand that you put in a Right to Buy application

-to buy that property?

-Yeah, I am at the moment.

OK. Well, you're obviously not residing there.

-I do reside there, yeah.

-Do you?

-Yeah, I stay here as well.

All right, OK.

Well, could you just get your correspondence for us now then?

I don't know if I've got anything like that.

Where's all your bank statements? Where are they kept?

DOG BARKS

Erm, Santander...

They came early in the morning. It was just a shock.

I couldn't make out what they were talking about and where they were

getting their information from. What are you looking for?

Well, just stuff that's addressed to you, really, because you're not

residing at the property that housing benefit's being paid on.

This is your home, isn't it?

-No.

-OK.

-This is Neil's home.

-All right, then.

It was a shock, yes, especially at Neil's house because Neil's,

you know, he's not, he's so straight, isn't he?

-He's not like that.

-HER FATHER:

-Soft jelly, isn't he?

-Yeah.

-Frightened the life out of you, didn't it?

Neil had a little bit of weed there.

-Sergeant.

-Sarge.

They've found a cannabis, cannabis plants upstairs.

Cannabis factory upstairs.

Julie's boyfriend has a bit more than housing benefit to explain.

Nearly one in 20 of the British population

claim disability benefits.

Most are genuine,

but finding the fraudsters requires specialist investigators.

In Staffordshire, Lisa Prince is the lead investigator

tackling those suspected of exaggerating their disabilities.

The public have seen these types of cases on TV,

particularly with the surveillance.

This is our equipment cupboard where we keep all the covert cameras.

Bit like James Bond, 007.

It's the old cliche, isn't it? The camera never lies.

She's looking at some extreme cases of people who are supposed to be

so disabled, they've been awarded benefits for life.

It's where there is no review of the benefit.

Those are the people that the Department view

would never get better.

Like this man, Steven "Buster" Fitzpatrick.

He says he's got arthritis so bad that he can't grip a pen

and needs 24-7 care.

They've had a report on the fraud hotline

that he's a local fishing champion.

A tip-off is one thing, but proving it, quite another.

It'll need an undercover sting.

Do you know what, I'm going to get underneath.

I'm not suited and booted, I'm afraid.

Hello.

Lisa's got wind that Buster will be

taking part in a fishing competition here this weekend.

What we'll do, we'll pick him up from the car park,

hopefully get some footage

carrying his fishing equipment along this path.

Now, Buster claims he's wheelchair-bound.

They want to see how he'll navigate this path.

It's useful having that building opposite.

We can use that as cover.

Nobody will know that we're here on the day.

We'll be completely covert.

Just need for him to make sure he turns up, so fingers crossed.

It's the day of the fishing competition.

Lisa's sent investigators Donna and Mark

to stake out Buster's home address.

-BLEEP

-hell!

-Speed bumps.

That wasn't a bump, that was like a person!

PHONE RINGS

-LISA:

-You all right?

Hiya. Lise, he's just opening his curtains, love.

Oh, is he?

Seven in the morning and it looks like their target is getting ready

-to go fishing.

-He's standing holding his back,

talking to his mate who's come over

with all his fishing gear on a trolley.

The fact that he's actually coming out to fish...

-What a start.

-Just hope they don't decide to go to another venue.

It's going to be interesting today to see

what he's actually capable of doing himself.

The team meet up at the fishing pond and get into position.

That's the pond where they'll be fishing, so he's got to walk down,

or get his wheelchair down this path here.

This is perfect, though, isn't it?

I didn't realise we were going to be as close as this.

Ooh, you make a lovely window cleaner!

Donna's going to film hopefully from inside her car of him arriving.

Just wait for him to turn up now.

They're here.

And they are out, out, out.

He's wearing a green and white plaid shirt.

Maybe a beige baseball cap.

He's carrying fishing rods on his back.

Yeah, I've got him, Deb. And his trolley.

Yeah, I've got him.

Unaided.

Oh, he's getting his rod out.

Sorry?!

THEY SNIGGER

What's he doing with that? He's got no grip.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with him, is there?

They've seen him fishing, but to get a conviction,

they need to prove how long he's been at it.

Back with the Havering investigators,

the search for evidence of Julie Smith's suspected

housing benefit fraud has uncovered another crime.

There's probably about 12 plants there,

but to me they look like they are in full bloom

and probably ready for harvest. It's a bonus for us.

Judging from what he's telling me,

and I've got no reason to disbelieve him at the moment,

but he says it's for his personal use.

Oh, right, because he's got arthritis, hasn't he? Yeah.

All I'm trying to do is save myself a bit of bloody money.

I thought I'd have a go myself. What a div I am.

HE LAUGHS

-You'll come across then, mate?

-Yeah, ready to go, yeah.

Julie and her boyfriend are arrested for suspected drug offences,

but the search for evidence to prove she's living here continues.

Why would all this correspondence

going back to 2003 be in this address?

She was adamant that she just stays here, it's her boyfriend's place,

but it looks like it's her home.

We've just got to wait for our colleagues to find out what they see

at the claim address, so...

In Romford, another team is arriving at Julie's council flat.

This is where she's suppose to be living and where she's getting

housing benefit, but investigators think she's been renting it out.

That's another criminal offence.

KNOCKING

It's the police. Open the door.

Hi, mate. You all right?

This is the man they think she's renting it to.

He's a painter and decorator, and, coincidentally,

he's wanted by the police for a separate offence.

You've had a good party here last night by the look of it.

-Yeah, I know.

-How long have you been living here for?

I don't...

On and off, a while.

Whose flat is it? Do you know?

Julie Smith's.

What's the arrangement with you being here and not her?

She, erm, she is here, but she stays with her boyfriend,

or round her mum's and that.

The investigators are looking for evidence

that Julie spends time here.

Well, there's nothing of hers in here.

This is all male stuff in here.

No indication that a female is living here.

No clothes, no personal belongings,

nothing at all. No toothbrush, no deodorant.

But they find something that rings alarm bells.

Building stuff, is it?

-There.

-You'll see here.

-All these lights.

And a transformer.

It's a nice link between the two addresses for us.

As well as housing benefit fraud,

they suspect the council flat is also being used as a cannabis farm.

We've found...

the light holders they use when they're growing cannabis.

-Oh, right.

-They may well have been going to do the same thing here.

I'll let the sergeant know, then.

I'm serving a formal notice to quit.

OK, so she's got a month to vacate the property,

and anybody else that's living here, which will include yourself. OK?

Anyway, job well done, though, mate, weren't it?

The man arrested at the flat is never charged,

but Julie is left with a lot of explaining to do.

The council tried to sew it up to make you look bad and they done it.

It did, though, it did look bad.

-Well, of course it did.

-'Course it looked horrible because

when I went up there I thought, "Oh, my God, how embarrassing," you know?

I didn't go to Neil's and leave it like that.

Julie says there's an explanation for everything the council saw.

The thing is the flat,

to me, that was her little castle.

-She loved it.

-It was a lovely flat.

It's always been my home, always been my home.

This was my flat before I started

having the wardrobe ripped out in the bedroom

and everything was taken out of there and the state it was in,

what the fraud investigators saw,

is because it was being decorated.

Julie says the man found at the flat was decorating it for her.

This is Paul decorating the bedroom for me in June.

This was before the council even came to my flat.

You know, I didn't have to pay him.

He's my son's ex-girlfriend's uncle and he's just been

a long-term friend for ages. We didn't have pay him.

I didn't have to pay him nothing.

He just, if he wanted to stay there..

-He was a dosser, really, wasn't he?

-He had no fixed abode.

He plastered every room, he put new skirtings, he knocked wardrobes out,

he just did everything. New covings.

Yeah, he was there quite a while,

but then there was a lot of work to do.

But Julie admits she wasn't living

at her flat when the council raided it.

I moved out in May 2014...

..because my ex-partner had escaped from prison

and he knew where I lived and I knew he would come looking for me.

He's beaten me up, he's stabbed my dog,

he's had my son around the throat, stole off of us.

He's just a bad one and, you know, I've had a lot of run-ins with him.

That's why nothing of mine was in the flat, because he's a burglar.

He would've broke in, he would probably have known

I was still there and waited about for me.

So I got everything out the flat

that I thought he would notice was mine.

All my paperwork, most of my clothes,

and it worked out fine for me anyway because the men

were in doing the kitchen, so I was out of the way.

It is a defence Julie hopes will persuade the council

that she hasn't done anything wrong.

Well, I'm looking forward to what the explanation is, basically.

I don't know what she's going to say. It's not being used properly,

so you're not allowed to grow drugs in council properties.

And we'd like to get the money back that she's had

in housing benefit for all the time that she's not lived there.

With the evidence they have,

Havering is determined to prosecute Julie.

Yeah, could all units just take up the original plot position?

RADIO CHATTER

In London, Mo and Helen have started

a major surveillance operation.

Their target, a sophisticated fraudster Tania Amisi,

has amassed 13 fraudulent housing benefit claims

using false identities.

They want to see what else she's been up to.

Tania's doing pretty well for herself.

She lives in Chelsea, one of the most expensive areas in the country.

Yes, yes, back to you, visual.

The team has cancelled most of her housing benefit claims

and this morning one of the few councils she's still

getting money from has called her in for a meeting.

So we have a feeling that she may turn up in order to get paid.

Erm, and if she doesn't,

my feeling is that she's got other claims

that we haven't located as yet.

-MAN ON RADIO:

-Stand by, stand by, stand by.

Female, possibly subject one.

She came out of the address

with a young child.

She's wearing a blue puffer jacket with a brown handbag.

Heading towards Lots Road.

Away, away from the stand.

And through lights on green.

Yeah, just to confirm that Lima Two is now in the vicinity.

Yes, yes.

Perfect view.

She drops her child off at school,

but instead of going to the council for her meeting,

she goes back home and stays there.

She must have something else up her sleeve.

The local authority investigator benefit assessor has called her

and when she asked to speak to Tanya Westwood,

the person on the phone line has turned round and said, "Who?"

And then she said, "Oh, yes."

And then the phone has gone off, so the assessor's called,

made an attempt to call her again and it's gone to answering machine.

So we'll just sit tight and wait to see what happens.

Yes, yes. 01 has the visual.

Over the next three days they're going to try to find out if she has

any accomplices and see what bank cards she uses

in an attempt to link her to the fraudulent claims.

Yeah, she's crossing the road towards...to go shopping.

The loss of her housing benefits

doesn't seem to have affected her much.

-WOMAN ON RADIO:

-She is on the upper level in Nando's.

She's at a bus stand across the road from Harrods.

Please don't tell me she's going to Harrods.

She's going to Harrods.

She's shopping in Harrods.

SHE CHUCKLES

She's got a few bags, her son's got a bag.

They've been, erm... having a great time.

In, in, in to the cinema.

The surveillance links Tanya

to the bank accounts being used for fraud.

The investigation also throws up another bank account

they weren't aware of.

This is a fraction of Tanya Westwood,

Tania Amisi's claims that we've got from some of

the local authorities in London.

It's three months on and they've now built up a fuller picture of

how Tania operates.

Whilst we were out on surveillance she had actually had a live claim in

the borough of Newham.

It transpired that she took out a tenancy agreement

with a private housing association.

She then further sublet flats to three other individuals,

took deposits from them and they were also paying her

just over £500 a month rent. Each of them.

On top of that, she went back to Newham Council

and claimed housing benefit.

By stealing the housing benefit and then subletting the flat,

she was making up to £3,000 a month on a single property.

It's a scam she repeats over and over and always ends the same way.

The tenants get thrown out.

It's become obvious that this is her thing,

this is her MO, and this is what she does because it's easy money.

She obviously don't care about people's lives.

She wrecks people's lives, as long as her life is OK.

She uses it to buy designer clothes

and she uses it to show off on the internet. You know what?

I'm looking forward to getting her arrested.

It will be just nice to say that we've shut you down

and you can't do this any more, and you know,

we're not going to allow you to get away with it.

With a mountain of evidence against her,

the plan is to arrest Tania Amisi in the next few days.

In Staffordshire, the investigation

into fisherman Steven "Buster" Fitzpatrick continues.

It's a well-known fact

that he's been fiddling.

Trips to local fishing ponds

have given her an insight into the man she's following.

His nickname's Sick Note,

so I think they all know that he's claiming some sort of benefits.

I think it is common knowledge, to be honest.

And Buster is such a skilled fisherman,

he's even made the local paper.

Ooh, that was interesting.

The fishing competition that was on Sunday, he actually won it, again,

our man. There we go.

"Last weekend where first place went to Buster Fitzpatrick.

"His next match is this Sunday."

The question is how long he's been committing fraud,

and the newspaper report has given her an idea.

-Can you smell the history?

-Yeah, it's lovely.

So what years are you looking for?

Probably from 2005 onwards.

Lisa's come to the local paper to see if she can find

more old fishing reports.

Go on, then, that'll do. Ooh!

So...

-Found one.

-Have you?

-Yeah. First place went to Buster Fitzpatrick.

Got a Buster Fitzpatrick winning.

Yeah, and another one.

September. So you've got July, August and September now.

Oh, all right.

Every past report is further proof

of how long he's been committing fraud.

It's a good job that he is quite good because

he wouldn't feature in the reports otherwise.

I've got competition results from

a month after he actually put his claim into disability benefits.

It just defies belief why they choose to do something like this.

And at the end of the day, we're basically funding his hobby.

They now think Buster has been lying since day one

and they've got the hard evidence to prove it.

It's time to bring him in for questioning.

He may hold his hands up.

-Not too high, though.

-No, of course.

-His manual dexterity's quite poor, isn't it?

-His shoulders as well.

Donna tends to be the good cop and I tend to be the bad cop.

I just get frustrated when people just aren't being honest with us

when we've got, you know,

especially with the surveillance footage, which is so damning.

Buster's arrived at the Job Centre for an interview under caution.

He's replaced his fishing rod with a crutch.

All right, lovely. We'll be down shortly. Cheers, bye. Bye.

Ah.

-Guess where he's parked?

-Disabled space?

The nearest one.

Judging by his appearance,

Buster doesn't look like a man ready to come clean.

It'll just be interesting to see what he's got to say,

and if he has got excuses, what excuses he's going to throw at me.

-RECORDING:

-The time is 12.28.

Would you state your full name.

You've described the way that you walk as extremely poor.

You've explained to me that you do need physical support.

Is that every time that you're outdoors?

-Yes.

-It is?

-Yes, it is, yes.

OK. So you can never go out alone, at all, anywhere?

Right, OK.

So... Right, OK.

Yeah, OK.

Do you wish to change anything that you've told me so far?

Because I'm going to show you some surveillance footage now

that we've taken of you.

If you saw this person in the street, Steven,

would you describe them as unable or virtually unable to walk

and required constant care, 24/7?

Because that's the reason why your benefit's been awarded.

Well done! Well done, girl.

He said, "You've caught me hook, line and sinker."

-Yeah.

-So I thought that was quite appropriate.

I said, you been honest with me? He went, "Yeah, yeah!"

I thought, "Right..." That's when he got my goat.

-It gets my back up easy.

-I know.

-You get a little bit faster.

-Do I?

-Yeah.

And it's like, "Oh, you've riled her now, mate!"

I've never seen anybody that disabled - when he walked in.

I've just said that. It was like, unbelievable, wasn't it?

He wore a hearing aid, wrist splints on both, he had an elbow crutch.

Quite pitiful.

But that changed as the interview went on,

so it was quite interesting.

At court, Buster pleads guilty to more than £30,000 worth of fraud.

He's given an eight-month suspended sentence.

Hello there. I'm phoning to request a suspension

of somebody's DLA, please.

Lisa puts an end to his claim.

But her next case...

-Shall we sit outside, with it being nice?

-..could be more difficult.

There's usually some chairs around the side, isn't there?

-It's me who was keeping him back, gassing.

-Oh, it's all right.

In London, there's been a dawn raid.

Tania Amisi, the woman with multiple identities

has been arrested in her Chelsea flat.

'This interview is being recorded. Can you please state your name?'

She looked a little startled, but I think even though she was startled,

she remained confident,

because I don't think she was 100% sure what it was all about.

So far, Helen and Mo have found Tania's made 37 claims

from 22 councils and used four different identities to get them.

'You've given me your details today as Tania Amisi,

'and you aren't known by any other names?'

'Any other names apart from those two that you've been using?'

'Now, you're known by a number of aliases

'including Tania Amidi, Mbeko Amisi,

'Tanya Amisi, Tania Amisia and Tanasi Amosi.

'Why would the Home Office have those details for you

'as aliases when you told me that the only two names you use

'are Tania Amisi and Tanya Westwood?'

Initially, at the beginning of the interview,

she was very relaxed and very cocky.

'How do you support yourself to live?

'You don't know how much you pay in rent?'

'But I'm asking you a question.'

'We put you under surveillance last October and we followed you.'

'So why are you claiming money for an address where you don't live?'

So, when we brought up the fact that we actually did surveillance

on her, we followed her, she didn't say anything,

but there was a look of shock and horror in her face that we actually

followed her on numerous days to see what she was up to.

She realised she was in trouble.

With Tania under arrest, her flat is searched.

It provides an eye-opening insight into her lifestyle.

When we were searching her bedroom,

she had nearly every designer bag you can possibly think of.

She had a Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes,

-YSL...

-Givenchy.

-Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana -

every bag you could think of, high-end bag, she had them.

And they were just thrown in the bottom of the wardrobe.

These bags are estimated to cost more than £20,000.

Barclays, Visa debit card, Santander...

They've also found seven credit cards

linked to three different identities

as well as two Congolese passports.

This passport is full of visas...

For the Ivory Coast...

-Brussels.

-Brussels.

This is a visa for America.

Egypt. Morocco.

-A frequent flyer.

-A very frequent flyer.

Well, what else has she to do? She's not working.

She was getting money from various different sources. It was all free.

So what best way to spend it other than holidaying and shopping?

While she was on holidays, she went to the Prada outlet.

You can see that she spent over 2,000 euros.

I've never encountered anybody that we've ever arrested or investigated

to have amassed so much money and goods...

..that's been funded by the taxpayer.

But they don't have Tania in custody for long.

She's got a small child and her lawyer manages to

get her out on bail with a tag and a list of strict conditions.

Two weeks later, and it's time to face justice.

Tania's been summoned to Crown Court.

It was listed for hearing at ten o'clock but she didn't attend,

as I understand it, because she has been to the hospital.

I have concerns when someone who's charged with being in possession of

a false passport not turning up at court,

but I want to know it's a genuine appointment with a doctor

or a hospital, because, for all I know,

they may be on a flight to a foreign country.

They fear she's done a runner is well-placed.

Tania has cut off her tag and vanished.

She's skipped bail. So we're not sure whether or not

she's in the country or she's out of the country.

However, my colleague has requested some bank statements,

her bank statements, so that we can see

if she's accessed her accounts.

Mo and Helen hope to find Tania

by tracking where she's spending money.

On the 11th of February, she purchased some Eurostar tickets.

Oh, my gosh. Yeah.

And it looks like she left the country on the evening on the 11th.

On the 12th, she was booking herself...

-In a hotel.

-..into the hotel in Paris.

So when she was due in court on the 13th,

-she'd already left the country.

-She was in Paris.

She was already in Paris. You can see then her other transactions

are in Paris as well.

And she's moving onwards and then as of the 17th of March 2015...

Brussels.

..she's booking herself into the Sheraton in Brussels.

£294.96.

-INTERVIEWER:

-You're never going to see her again, are you?

SHE EXHALES

There's an arrest warrant out for her.

It's not quite over yet.

Tania Amisi has fled to Belgium.

Julie Smith isn't going anywhere.

She's standing her ground to fight the claims made against her.

I've got my case statement. I'm not guilty of anything.

What they're saying I'm guilty of, I'm not.

But if she wants to stay out of court,

she needs to persuade her investigators.

This is what's on the sofa and it's all cans - empty cans of beer.

There's nothing to indicate anyone was ever there.

Ruth is reviewing the evidence taken from Julie Smith's council flat.

She's called her in for an interview under caution to give her a chance

-to explain herself.

-Want to go, John?

Bring your new pad!

"Spot the cheat" - the new pad.

I'm looking forward to what the inventiveness is, aren't you?

I think she's just trying to front it

and say that she was staying there all the time

and we've got it all wrong.

-Yeah, we always get it wrong, us council workers(!)

-Who knows?

On advice from her lawyer and the council,

Julie has asked us only to film the investigators,

so she can concentrate fully on the interview.

-JULIE:

-In May, I found out my ex escaped from prison.

He's an armed robber, he's violent.

-I knew he'd come looking for me.

-But you removed all your clothing...

No, no, not everything. But lots of stuff, lots of stuff.

Tell me the stuff that you took. You're in a rush now...

Loads of clothes. Yes, loads of clothes.

I didn't take no toiletries or anything like that.

Questions turn to the cannabis-growing equipment

found in Julie's flat.

These have been used for cultivating cannabis plants.

That must have been in the hall cupboard. They weren't under my bed, or anything.

Why are you saying to us they must have been in the hall cupboard, why are you saying that?

Because it was jam-packed with all rubbish.

If that is why the other room was stripped out and empty,

because you were going to set up another cannabis factory...?

JULIE LAUGHS

-..in that address?

-Oh, my God! What do you mean, "Another one?"

I've never... I wouldn't even know how to do it!

There was a load found at Colchester Road, wasn't there?

-Yes, but it had nothing to do with me.

-I wasn't there, but I've been told.

He didn't get done for anything like that,

-he just got done for possession.

-OK.

The investigators also found documents that suggest Julie

has moved into the house of her boyfriend, Neil.

-Have you got a Debenhams account?

-Yes, I have.

And where do the bills go for that?

Erm, probably...

-..to Neil's.

-Do you have a Santander bank account?

-Yes.

Well, you've told them that your address is Neil's address.

Probably to be able to get a loan because I couldn't...

-Well, not credit...

-Oh, right.

Are you telling us, if I've got this right,

are you telling us that you would tell a bank false information

to get a loan, is that what you are saying?

I just want to be clear on this.

You're pulling a face, but what does that mean?

-Probably at the time, yeah.

-So it's yes?

-Yeah.

It's not my prime home though, my home is Dryden Towers.

-It's not your address, Julie.

-Isn't it?!

-No.

-OK!

-It's the address you're getting benefit from.

-OK! Whatever.

-You prove that.

-All right, then.

I agreed to the interview. I said, "Yes, I'll come and have an interview"

And I agreed to that. I didn't have to go.

And I wish I hadn't now.

Yeah, we've got some more enquires to make.

She's adamant that she lives there.

-I think it's a story that fits the facts...

-Yeah.

-..for her.

If I can put it like that.

Over the coming weeks, they'll investigate

everything Julie told them, before deciding whether to prosecute her.

In Staffordshire, another woman is fighting to save her reputation.

Patricia Ward is one of the 3.5 million people in Britain

claiming disability benefits.

I just love driving. I suppose I inherited that from my father,

because my father was a lorry driver.

Whenever I was off on school holidays, I was out with me dad.

And I just love vehicles.

She got a job as a school minibus driver,

picking up and dropping off schoolchildren twice a day.

I enjoyed the pupils.

Once you're out on the road, you're more or less your own boss.

'I come from an old work ethic.

'You don't give up work until they screw you in that box.'

The problem is, she's given the government a very different story.

She's told them she can't see in one eye and can't grip properly -

needs so serious she's qualified for nearly £100 a month in benefits

and a free mobility car, awarded for life.

I'd be concerned if one of my children

were actually on that minibus, shall we say.

Following a tip-off that Patricia is driving for a living,

Lisa Prince has been investigating her disability claim.

There we go, there it is. She said that she's got arthritis.

She can't grip anything... Now, that rings alarm bells for me.

Patricia's benefits were awarded based on claim forms she filled out.

On these forms, backed by a letter from her doctor,

she says she can't do even the most basic tasks.

The fact that she's driving a minibus and she can't grip anything,

you know, in terms of the steering wheel...

It goes into detail about her vision as well,

and that she has difficulty seeing oncoming vehicles.

I haven't lied about my disabilities,

I haven't lied about the fact that I am in a lot of pain...

..but maybe people aren't looking at that,

because they're just seeing the other side of the picture, that I worked.

You can work and claim DLA, and Patricia felt her health conditions

warranted help from the state.

'I've got fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis of the knee...'

This is the sexy wear!

'Then it left me with drop foot and a leg that drags,'

so I'd trip and fall for no reason.

'You know, I can't do it on my own. It's debilitating.'

And the things I've lost doing, I enjoy doing.

And it's things like missing out on going to the seaside

with your grandchildren, because, you know,

I can't get on the sand... Beach with my chair.

Patricia maintains that her life is severely restricted by her health,

but Lisa's visited Patricia's workplace

and found a different side to the story.

She hadn't disclosed any disabilities.

As far as they were concerned,

she was one of the more reliable drivers at the school.

They never observed her using any walking aids,

something which stated she constantly used on a regular basis.

They observed her getting into and out of a minibus

without any difficulty.

I got a letter through the door

to say I've got to go to a fraud investigation interview.

I thought at the time, "Oh, you know, don't worry, go.

"You'll sort it out, you'll explain everything, you'll be fine."

'Tell me, how do you change the gears on a minibus?'

'So you push it?'

'It's just that you said you haven't got any grip.'

'What about when you're having to turn the steering wheel?'

'Right, OK. Because you also said that you've got loss of sensation

'in your right side as well.'

'Yeah. But you still can manage to...'

To me, it was harrowing.

I would say it's the worst day of my life.

All I envisaged was prison and the door being slammed.

That thought terrified me.

Following the interview, Patricia quit her job

and pleaded guilty to £35,000 worth of fraud.

Next week, she'll be sentenced

and faces the very real possibility of going to prison.

In London, Tania Amisi should be having her day in court.

Instead, she's skipped bail and fled to Belgium.

It's been decided to put her on trial in her absence.

The prosecution is going to present its case to the jurors

and the defence will do his best to defend her.

Mo and Helen think they've found Tania's address in Belgium

and the trial is part of a plan to bring her to justice.

If she's found guilty in her absence,

then we can get a European warrant and then bring her back.

You know, she wants to stick two fingers up at everybody

by leaving the country before her trial, so I think, yeah,

there are the occasional cases where you do feel a bit more determined

that they face justice.

She's shown no remorse, and she lacks any contrition.

Nothing. There is just nothing there.

She just didn't care.

The trial, which would have normally taken three weeks, lasts four days.

Oh, God!

All done.

We've had the verdict - it was unanimous.

She was guilty on all counts.

She's been convicted of 17 counts of housing benefit fraud,

nearly £250,000 stolen from the public purse -

enough to put her away for five years.

I've applied for what's called a European arrest warrant

and that means that the warrant will be sent to the Belgian authorities

and, hopefully, she will be arrested in the near future.

Just a bit of a waiting game, but hopefully

we won't have to wait too long once we get the warrant circulated.

Best girl in the world.

One of them, anyway.

Julie Smith and her dad are on their way to court.

The council has decided to prosecute her for fraud.

I've done nothing wrong.

I've proven that I've done nothing wrong

and I'm hoping that, you know, I'm going to get not guilty.

I may be guilty of not being there from...

From May till October, but I've more than a good reason for that...

You know, for me not being there.

Put it this way, if you was in the house

where somebody had come on previous occasions and stabbed your dog

-in front of your baby...

-And beat me up.

-And beat...

-I was chased up the road by a fellow with a big knife.

-Yeah.

And I don't want to be in the same house where that man who knows

where I live and he's going to come and look for me.

That's why I wasn't at my flat.

It was only for six months and I've told them that

I wasn't there for six months, and that's the only reason.

The suggestion she was planning to grow cannabis

in the flat has been dropped.

She's being charged with failing to notify the council

that she had moved.

Barrister Neil Ross is prosecuting for the council.

The overpayment alleged is just short of £20,000.

What that means is that when one looks at the sentencing guidelines,

the starting point will be in and around 36 weeks' prison,

so one is potentially is facing a custodial sentence... Serious.

This is her defence.

She was running away from this ex-boyfriend who was violent.

I had a look online, he had escaped.

Yeah, it's the truth. I've got a statement from the police officer.

Paul Oddysses, Julie's boyfriend,

was on the run for three months

before he was recaptured by the police.

And you've already been alerted by the police that he's escaped.

He certainly made contact with you.

It certainly explains why you would pack up everything and go and stay,

-you know, either with your current partner, with a family friend...

-JULIE:

-Anybody.

..or anyone and avoid going to the property.

There is no dispute about that as a background.

What's relevant is, as far as this case is concerned, is whether that,

in fact, is what drove her decision

about where she was living or not,

or if that was used as...

As an explanation after the fact to help bolster her defence.

The council says Julie told the bank and insurance companies that she had

moved out of the council flat well before her boyfriend escaped.

-TANNOY:

-All parties in the case of Smith to court five, please.

-All parties...

-We'd better go in.

-Come on, honey.

-Thank you.

-All right?

The case lasts for two days.

The jury is out for a few hours.

-INTERVIEWER:

-What's happened?

-Liars have won.

-Unbelievable.

They think she's a sponger.

She's never been a sponger in her life.

I'm shocked. I am totally shocked by what they've said.

You can be proven guilty for being innocent.

Yeah, well, you have. That's what they've done.

They've done you for nothing.

I had every bit of evidence I needed to prove elsewhere

and they still come up with the guilty.

Julie gets a six-month suspended sentence,

180 hours of community service, and is evicted from her flat.

Well, obviously, I'm gutted about my flat,

because I've had it years and years and that was...

You know, I loved my flat.

But they obviously saw it that I didn't and they've got it wrong.

All I can do now is try and better myself.

It's a new start now. You know where you're going, and that's it.

Julie is out and the council have their property back.

-Right, are you ready?

-Yeah.

-It's the fear of the unknown again.

Not knowing what's going to happen when I get to court.

Over in Staffordshire, it's judgment day for Patricia Ward.

She pleaded guilty to £35,000 worth of benefit fraud

and faces possible jail time.

Get my purse out, get my money out. I'll pay for diesel.

Just guide me out. I can't see.

I'm hoping they come out with probation, for the family, you know,

because of the family situation at home.

But I've just got to wait and see.

'She knows that what she's done was completely wrong

'and she's gone guilty at the earliest opportunity as well.'

So have I got any sympathy for her? No, I haven't.

You get quite hardened, I think, to this job.

Some of them tend to play the act out until the bitter end.

So I wouldn't be surprised today if she does bring her elbow crutch

or walking stick into court

just to try and get some sympathy from the judge.

Am I going too fast for you in this?

I tend to leave people behind.

Are you all right? Yeah, nine months...suspended.

Suspended!

Damn! Suspended for 12.

She nearly went, she nearly went.

-INTERVIEWER:

-How do you feel?

Still a little bit angry at the fact

that no medical evidence was ever taken into consideration.

You know, it was just seen that I'd lied all the way along,

when I hadn't.

Or, you know, the fact that I had to dope myself up

with that many painkillers to operate.

Patricia hasn't given up on her benefits.

Whilst she's guilty of fraud for this claim,

she's now applied for another form of support.

She's been awarded personal independent payments,

which has replaced DLA benefits, and she's been awarded it

since August 2014, which was the month I actually interviewed her

under caution for DLA offences.

As Lisa cancelled one, Patricia applied for and was given

another disability benefit, but this time on a lower rate.

'She's been given a three-year reward.'

Nearly £76 a week.

I guess the only saving grace with this case now

is that she will be reviewed,

whereas before her DLA was an indefinite award.

All people claiming the new disability benefit

will now have regular checks.

Bringing Tania Amisi back to Britain for sentencing hasn't gone smoothly.

Despite all the hard work,

it takes weeks for the warrant to be processed.

In that time, Tania moves on.

We've done some research, used some investigators to have a dig

-to see what we could find on the internet, effectively.

-OK.

I want to show you some of the stuff that we've found.

So, Tania...

# Hello, can you hear me?

# I'm in California... #

Oh, it makes me feel sick. Honestly, it makes me feel sick.

# When we were younger... #

We think that shows her two places -

in Istanbul, Turkey, and back in the Congo.

And putting stuff like this on her Facebook page...

She's very bold. I just...

I just can't believe it. She's teasing us.

She's saying, "Well, look, here I am, and I'm still doing what I do."

We've done all that we can do and the rest is up to the police

and the rest of the justice system, over which we have no control.

Tania Amisi only came to the attention of the authorities

-because she was arrested for something else.

-That's right.

-You would never have known about her.

-No.

So how many other Tania Amisis are out there

doing the sort of fraud that she's up to?

There could be hundreds.

But Tania was convicted and she's on the run.

One slip-up and she'll go to jail.