Benefit fraudsters could be forced to repay thousands of pounds (From Thurrock Gazette)
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Benefit fraudsters could be forced to repay thousands of pounds
10:46am Tuesday 13th November 2012 in News
A COUPLE who admitted being benefit frauds could be forced to repay Thurrock Council thousands of pounds.
Hazel Ogunsanya, 29, and husband Olasupo, 28, jetted around the world after using forged documents to falsely claim benefits.
The couple, of Coleman Close, Stanford-le-Hope, failed to declare that they were married and living together.
Mrs Ogunsanya claimed benefits for another property in Grays, but the woman she alleged was her landlady was found to be dead.
Mr Ogunsanya pretended he was a single parent and falsely claimed income support and housing and council tax benefit.
Their four year con was uncovered following a joint operation between Thurrock Council and the Department for Work and Pensions.
After being convicted of 12 offences at Basildon Crown Court in May, Mr Ogunsanya was sentenced to 21 months in jail and Mrs Ogunsanya to 15 months.
They will now return to court for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.
When officers visited their home they discovered £23,000 in cash.
The hearing will determine whether this money belonged to them or someone else, and could be given to Thurrock Council as part of a confiscation order.
Mr and Mrs Ogunsanya, who have a six year-old daughter, will appear at Basildon Crown Court on January 31.
Comments(14)
coddy
says...
12:11pm Tue 13 Nov 12
coddy
says...
12:12pm Tue 13 Nov 12
jb411
says...
1:34pm Tue 13 Nov 12
They wont pay back a penny and it'll be written off just like the last one who owed them £50k and absconded, they wrote his debts off.
It makes me sick that I get a letter for one forgotten council tax payment and threatened with all sorts and these people do it year in year out.
Cvh
says...
4:11pm Tue 13 Nov 12
I am sure that there is a lot more of this going on in Thurrock but our toothless council wont act
Freddy K
says...
4:54pm Tue 13 Nov 12
Lets not also forget that we have a very large amount of British people that are milking the system in the same way as they two theives were.
Thurrock Trojan
says...
9:02pm Tue 13 Nov 12
Marcus P
says...
9:08pm Tue 13 Nov 12
Employers should be made to pay a bond which will be forfeited if their 'highly skilled' workers commit any type of crime.
Do this and watch immigration from the third world plummet.
The citizens of the UK have been systematically lied to regarding the benefits of mass immigration. It is a national scandal.
Kezza25
says...
10:29am Wed 14 Nov 12
PoorFleet
says...
2:11pm Wed 14 Nov 12
Dave_
says...
9:13pm Thu 15 Nov 12
OK they've gone to prison, but not until 4 years of false claims.
Even a 5 year period no claim for immigrants from anywhere, where credit by paying Income Tax and NI, all recorded, is accrued to ensure that they aren't just here living off the state.
I thought that most countries need you to :
have someone stand guarantor,
have a job to go to
ensure that you have sufficient funds to live off, and if not your guarantor finances you.
Do we not have these requirements? Or does that breach some idiotic EU directive?
OckendonPaul
says...
9:16am Fri 16 Nov 12
We open the door then lie on our backs so the whole world can tickle our belly as it walks in and helps itself.
The liberal fundamentalists who run our country call it 'tolerance', they've convinced us it's some sort of national characteristic and we've believed them.
Every four years we get the chance to vote for something different but we choose not to, so in a way I guess it's our own fault...
Marcus P
says...
11:13am Fri 16 Nov 12
Dave_ wrote:As a Brit try and move to any other EU country and claim benefits and see how far you get. Only the UK hands out taxpayers’ money to all and sundry that come here for a 'better life"
This just highlights what a soft touch this country is. OK they've gone to prison, but not until 4 years of false claims. Even a 5 year period no claim for immigrants from anywhere, where credit by paying Income Tax and NI, all recorded, is accrued to ensure that they aren't just here living off the state. I thought that most countries need you to : have someone stand guarantor, have a job to go to ensure that you have sufficient funds to live off, and if not your guarantor finances you. Do we not have these requirements? Or does that breach some idiotic EU directive?
I wonder if it is a deliberate attempt by the LIB/LAB/CONs to bankrupt the health and welfare system so they can be privatised in the long run.
No other country in Europe does this.
DannyButcher
says...
4:18pm Sat 17 Nov 12
They weren't Swedish, but whilst in Sweden, they got ill. Did they get treated there? Nope. They got on a ship/boat, and once it had docked at Tilbury, to hospital they went. They had been suffering the same complaint for months.
Is this indicative of why the NHS is struggling? It really does make me wonder.
OckendonPaul says...
11:23am Tue 13 Nov 12