LiveAndLetBuy Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Aplogies if already posted http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9565452.Hove_landlord_invented_tenant_to_in_benefit_scam/ A fraudster claimed housing benefit to rent his own houses to a made-up tenant. Homeopath Trevor Gunn bought two houses in Chapel Mews, Hove, then drew up fake tenancy agreements and claimed benefits while pretending to rent the properties from a woman called Shana Mathai. Self-employed homeopath Gunn made the false claims for a period of seven years, from 2003 to 2011, raking in more than £113,000 in illegal benefits. Gunn, who regularly lectures on homeopathy, pathology and immunisation on TV, radio and in newspapers, also claimed working tax credits while working as a self employed homeopath. The Dyke Road Natural Health Clinic, in Brighton, where Gunn worked, said yesterday he was fully booked with clients on Monday, March 6. Brighton Crown Court yesterday (February 29) sentenced Gunn to 20 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to five counts of making a false representation to claim benefits and five counts of producing a false document. Gunn has done extensive research into the use of vaccines and had his work, which challenged vaccine safety and effectiveness, published. A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “Mr Gunn purchased 20 Chapel Mews, Hove, in 2000 and the adjoining property, 21 Chapel Mews, in 2003, and drew up false tenancy agreements with a Shana Mathai, whom he claimed was his landlord and owner of both properties. “All tenancy agreements stated that Shana Mathai owned and resided at 19A Third Avenue, Hove, but it transpired under investigation by Brighton and Hove City Council’s benefit fraud team that this was the address of Mr Gunn’s sister and a second London address for Shana Mathai was also false. “Mr Gunn also claimed working tax benefit on the basis of self-employment as a homeopath.” The case is the second benefit fraudster in a week to be sentenced for cheating the city council out of more than £100,000. Yesterday The Argus revealed that Hove doctor Barbara Longley cheated £103,000 by keeping her Spanish property a secret. The city council has vowed to claim back the money conned from taxpayers by benefits cheats. A spokeswoman said they would be seeking to reclaim Gunn’s £113,618 under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Local council actually prosecutes someone shocker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicestersq Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Aplogies if already posted http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9565452.Hove_landlord_invented_tenant_to_in_benefit_scam/ Local council actually prosecutes someone shocker! Wake me up when they seize the assets to make good on the losses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bomberbrown Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Gunn, who regularly lectures on homeopathy, pathology and immunisation on TV, radio and in newspapers, also claimed working tax credits while working as a self employed homeopath. The elephant in the room here, aside from the quite obvious fraud, is the above statement is entirely legal. Not only that, the Argus report it like that's some sort of extra crime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Control Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 The elephant in the room here, aside from the quite obvious fraud, is the above statement is entirely legal. Not only that, the Argus report it like that's some sort of extra crime. There is more than one elephant in that room, which part bothers you the most? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 its good to see that finally these fraudsters getting their comuppance - but its quite a few years too late. what was the people in the HB department doing for all those years? why and what was the catalyst for finding these people? Wake me up when they seize the assets to make good on the losses. Quite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9560858.Doctor_in___103_000_benefit_fraud/ The day before this Brighton fiddler made the news, another resident (a qualified doctor)got a suspended two years for a benefit fraud over £100K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iLegallyBlonde Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9560858.Doctor_in___103_000_benefit_fraud/ The day before this Brighton fiddler made the news, another resident (a qualified doctor)got a suspended two years for a benefit fraud over £100K So one rule for the establishment another for the plebs when it comes to sentencing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia O'Keeffe Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 (edited) So one rule for the establishment another for the plebs when it comes to sentencing survival of the fittest and all that, why shouldnt the plebs get the sh!tty stick relatively speaking if they are willing to accept it (and settle for a good moan instead), theyve been happily absorbing the greater amounts of the sh!tty stick for a good couple of generations now, no point in breaking the habit of a lifetime just because the moneys run out Anther moment in ime another day in History and the so called plebs would do something about it, just have to pick that 1 day in 100 when they/we are willing to act on the constant abuse and theft rather than the 99 days they/we dont actually care whilst the same thing happens Edited March 1, 2012 by Tamara De Lempicka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Control Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 survival of the fittest and all that, why shouldnt the plebs get the sh!tty stick relatively speaking if they are willing to accept it (and settle for a good moan instead), theyve been happily absorbing the greater amounts of the sh!tty stick for a good couple of generations now, no point in breaking the habit of a lifetime just because the moneys run out Tragic but true. The stick has only become so sh1tty due to overuse poking so many of the great unwashed up their rent arrears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepwello'nights Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Aplogies if already posted Local council actually prosecutes someone shocker! I'm surprised that anyone's surprised. The benefits system is so extensive now that it is hardly unexpected that some people will claim benefits they are not legally entitled to. The £113,000 fraudulently obtained over 7 years amounts to what, £300 per week. Its not a fortune but quickly mounts up. The number of people claiming must be so vast its hardly surprising that the system cannot cope. I wonder what the other side of the coin looks like, the number of people avoiding or evading the extortionate levels of tax needed to support the benefits system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSG Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Jail for Homeopaths is entirely reasonable, along with astrologers, chiropracters and spiritualists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomandlu Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9565452.Hove_landlord_invented_tenant_to_in_benefit_scam/ Well, he is a homeopath - perhaps someone else's tenant looked in the window once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awaytogo Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Aplogies if already posted http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9565452.Hove_landlord_invented_tenant_to_in_benefit_scam/ Local council actually prosecutes someone shocker! One of hundreds of thousands on the fiddle. UK the land of milk and honey, no wonder their queuing up to get into the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim123 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 So one rule for the establishment another for the plebs when it comes to sentencing Actually a "suspended" is pretty much normal for the offense. tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okaycuckoo Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 The number of people claiming must be so vast its hardly surprising that the system cannot cope. I wonder what the other side of the coin looks like, the number of people avoiding or evading the extortionate levels of tax needed to support the benefits system? Good question. I don't think the system is meant to cope. So long as the gross supply of money into the economy fits the theory then the state paymasters are content. To them the only fraud that matters is the stuff so obvious that it calls their theory into question. Interesting to see if the system is self-adjusting: the local centres for money distribution are having their budgets cut, so they look more closely at where the money is going. Will that unravel the frauds? I doubt it, because the system itself would unravel. Need to think about this more - that fraud is necessary to the money supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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