Four months jail sentence for benefit fraudster

Lambeth getting tough on benefit fraud

Shaun South of 52 Shakespeare Road London SE24 has been sentenced to 4 months imprisonment after being found guilty of obtaining £13,860 of housing benefit by deception.

Mr South, who is unemployed, had made declarations that he had a rent liability, which was not true. He falsified documents to support his claim. In reality, his father, who lives out of the country is the owner of the property for which Mr South was claiming to pay rent.

The case was heard at Camberwell Green Magistrates Court on 31 August 2006.

An officer in Lambeth Benefit Service who noticed discrepancies in the documents supplied by Mr South brought the case to the notice of the council’s investigations team. The team’s conclusions were passed to the council’s in-house legal team, which brought the successful prosecution.

“This case, the latest in a string of successful prosecutions, reflects the council’s absolute determination to crack down on all cases of benefit fraud, “ said Councillor Jim Dickson, Lambeth cabinet member for finance.

“The benefit investigation and legal teams are to be congratulated on their vigilance and hard work, “ he declared.

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