Long term deceptions end in court

Two false benefit claimants net over £34,000

Two benefit cases for false claims totalling over £34,000 have recently been heard and the claimants sentenced in court.

Emine Senok, 44, of Oatlands Road, Enfield, pleaded guilty in the North London Magistrates’ Court to knowingly allowing her father to submit a false claim for benefits amounting to over £19,000.

On the benefits application form that she completed on his behalf, she failed to declare their relationship and claimed the benefit for almost six years from 22nd May 2000 to 26th February 2006 for her father who was living in a property that she owned.

For this deception she was given an eight months prison sentence suspended for a year, and 150 hours community punishment order, at the Wood Green Crown Court on 24th November, and was also ordered to pay £500 costs.

On 30 November at the Magistrates Court, company director, Mohammed Ishaque, 47, of Burn Croft Avenue, Enfield, pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to declare his directorship and income, while claiming housing benefit.

He also failed to declare all of his bank accounts and was overpaid benefits over £15,000 between 28th July 1998 and 27th November 2005.

This week at the Magistrates court he was sentenced to 200 hours community punishment for each offence and was ordered to pay costs of £1,500.

Cllr Michael Lavender, cabinet member for finance, said, “Because a false claim can be paid out over a long period, it does not mean that it will not be discovered. Meanwhile the payments mount up and in both these cases the claimants received huge sums, so as well as the sentences, the money must now be repaid.

“The message is clear – we do investigate and we do bring cases to court. I urge claimants to make sure that their benefit claims are genuine in the first place and also to tell us if there is a change in their financial circumstances.”

This document was last updated on 2006-12-11 11:37:53 published by the Communications team. Document Reference:LBE_127580