Fraudster claimed £14,000 in benefits while working four jobs
A fraudster who claimed benefits while holding down four different jobs could be forced to pay back £14,000 she swindled.
Oluwakmi Bakare, now known as Omolewa Ibiyoye, 40,, admitted failing to declare two periods of employment while claiming housing and council tax benefits.
She has now been ordered to carry out 160 hours of community service - but Croydon Council is refusing to write off her debt and says it will seek full repayment.
The fraud came to light when Croydon Council ran an operation to match data held on their systems with other agencies.
Ms Bakare, of Goulding Gardens, Thornton Heath, was convicted of three offences relating to benefit fraud and false representation on Friday August 15.
For failing to declare her employment she was sentenced to 160 hours community punishment order, and she was given 60 hours for failing to declare her savings account, but these will be served concurrently.
She was also placed under a one year supervision order and ordered to pay £2,000 costs.
Councillor Gavin Barwell, cabinet member for resources and customer services said: "I hope this case acts as a warning to others who think they can cheat the system, you will be found out and you will be prosecuted."
5 Comments
by Matthew Allen, Croydon
Tuesday, October 28 2008, 4:43PM
“Croyboy, Crodyon said "I wonder what sort of sentence she would get back home"..
Wakey wakey Croyboy, if you had done a little bit of research, you will have found that this heinous individual is born and bred in the UK, this is in fact her home, she is as British as they come because I know her. She is a product of this selfish and greedy me, myself & I generation, irrespective of where she comes from.
It also never ceases to amaze me that once fraud or the likes are mentioned, people like you are very quick to jump on the "he/she is a foreigner wagon" once the name sounds foreign. Whereas foreign sound names like that Christine Ohuruogu, Kris Akabusi etc are quickly termed British by your type. There is no need to go all racist and nationalistic because someone committed a crime that is not limited to any race.”
by M Patel, Croydon
Wednesday, September 03 2008, 2:40PM
“Yeh .. Make them pay back the full amount + interest + full costs. Stop robbing the tax payers.”
by @@@, @@@
Thursday, August 28 2008, 7:09PM
“deleted by moderator”
by D, Croydon
Thursday, August 28 2008, 2:49PM
“I like the way it says she "could" be forced to pay back the money. So, if she isn't we are talking about £14,000 for 160 hours of community service. In other words, £87.50 an hour. I'll have some of that please!!! Lets not also forget the cost associated with paying the money to her, the cost of the police investigation and the court time, as well as the effect these things have on public coffers.
A law needs to be passed whereby anyone swindling benefits is not just forced to pay back all money taken, but a multiple of the figure. So, for the £14,000 taken I would want , for example, £28,000 paid back, even if it takes her the next 20 years. That would be more of a deterrent if prison isn't an option than some community service and the threat that she might have to pay money back.”
by Croyboy, Croydon
Thursday, August 28 2008, 6:50AM
“So, "she was sentenced to 160 hours community punishment order...".
I wonder what sort of sentence she would have got back home - that's if they HAD a benefits system, of course.
...And how many HAVEN'T they caught yet?”