Benefit cheat told to return housing cash

5:59pm Tuesday 26th February 2008

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A man who refused to co-operate with housing officials and explain why he was claiming housing benefit he was not entitled to has been fined, ordered to pay back the benefits and pay court costs.

At Brentford Magistrates' Court on February 8, Eugene Day, 44, of Abinger Gardens, Isleworth, pleaded guilty to housing benefit fraud.

He was fined £350, ordered to pay back £655.70 in stolen benefits and court costs of £300.

Councillor Gerald McGregor, Hounslow Council's lead member for finance, said: "This man was given three chances to come in and come clean.

"By doing so, he would have got a smaller fine and a warning. But by failing to take that opportunity he now has to pay out a lot more."

Suspicions about Day were raised when Hounslow Council's fraud investigation unit received information from the National Fraud Initiative, a data-matching system holding details of benefit claimants nationwide.

It showed that Day had failed to notify Hounslow Council he was working.

His jobseekers' allowance had ended, but he had continued receiving housing benefit.

Three appointments were made at the Civic Centre for Day to see a fraud investigation officer but he failed to turn up to any of them.

He was also offered a chance to repay the benefits which he had falsely claimed and to pay an administration fine of £196.71.

His refusal to co-operate led to his prosecution.

Day pleaded guilty to one charge under the Social Security Administration Act, of failing to declare on his housing benefit forms that his situation had changed.