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An elaborate Housing Benefit fraud, involving a man who lived with his mother and half brother, but claimed that he was not related to them, has resulted in Babergh District Council’s Fraud Team achieving their first custodial sentence.
Lee Wayne Morris of First Avenue, Sudbury was given a 4 month custodial sentence, suspended for 1 year. He was also required to return the benefit overpayment of £6849.35 plus £250 costs by 7th March 2006. The judge stated that if the money was not repaid by then, Mr. Morris must appear again before Sudbury Magistrates on that date. If the judge feels that Mr. Morris has failed to produce a good reason as to why he has not repaid the amount, he will be sent to prison for 4 months.
All claimants for Housing Benefit are required to declare whether they or their partner are related to their landlord or to the landlord’s agent. Mr. Morris stated on his form that he was not related to his landlord, who it later transpired was indeed his mother.
A Babergh Spokesperson said “we are very pleased with this outcome. Because Mr. Morris’s mother and half brother also mis-represented their relationship with him on a number of official documents, it took our Fraud Team a little while to pin down the truth from the moment we took up their case”.
“No matter how hard such fraudsters try and no matter how clever they think they are, we will track them down and we will prosecute”.
At the end of last year, Mr. Morris’ half brother was fined for his part in the fraud.
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