Suspended sentence for benefit cheat

A Rochdale man’s been given a suspended jail sentence after admitting claiming £17,000 in Income Support and Council Tax Benefit that he wasn’t entitled to.

Mohammed Javaid, 57, of Ashfield Road, Rochdale was interviewed by fraud investigators from Rochdale Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions in January 2008 after an allegation that he’d failed to declare his savings when applying for the benefits. Javaid had originally said he had no savings but when confronted said that the money had been saved for his brother and that some had been used to buy property.

Javaid failed to turn up at Bolton Crown Court in May 2009 for his case to be heard and so a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested and bailed to attend court on 28 July 2009.

At Bolton Crown Court on 28 July 2009, Javaid admitted that he had defrauded tax payers of £1,575.12 in Council Tax Benefit and £15,498.65 in Income Support since 2003. He was given a 6-month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, as well as a 12-month supervision order. He’ll also have to repay all of the money he claimed fraudulently.

Councillor Greg Couzens, cabinet member for finance on Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Alongside the Department for Work and Pensions, we’re working hard to catch benefit cheats and see that they are prosecuted. This man falsely claimed public money that he was not entitled to and so my clear message to others doing the same is simple – ‘we’ll track you down and make sure you’re brought to justice.’”

If you know someone who’s committing benefit fraud, you can report it in confidence on 0800 328 6340 or on the council website:

• www.rochdale.gov.uk/online