3:05pm Tuesday 4th September 2007
By Tristan Kirk
A BENEFIT cheat from Rayners Lane who illegally claimed nearly £20,000 from a local authority was sentenced last week.
Stephen Wackett, 53 of Eliot Drive was convicted on nine counts of dishonesty at Harrow Magistrates Court on Wednesday, August 29.
He applied for housing and council tax benefit in 1997 for himself and his wife. Wackett told Harrow Council the couple's only income was incapacity benefit, but in 2005 it emerged he had been receiving a pension since 1990, while his wife had a part-time job.
He illegally claimed £14,887.65 in housing benefit and £4,895.20 in council tax benefit, between June 1998, and March 2005.
He had pleaded guilty to all nine offences, however magistrates sentenced him only on the most serious, giving him four months in prison, suspended for 18 months.
He was also given 100 hours community service, and a six month overnight curfew, as well as being ordered to pay £250 costs.
In an attempt to snare more benefit cheats, the council has become the first authority in the country to pilot voice recognition analysis (VRA). The software detects stress patterns in a caller's voice, showing if they are lying when applying for benefits.
Callers are asked a series of questions as a control.
Benefit fraud costs the council £250,000 a year, and they are hoping VRA will help save them some money.
Since its introduction in May, the council say the system has spotted 126 fraudulent claims, totalling nearly £40,000.
Councillor Paul Osborn, portfolio holder for strategy and business support, said: "More and more of these cases are coming to light, showing our investigative procedures are becoming more effective.
"We simply can't afford to let people de-fraud the public purse and our fraud team's success, together with greater use of VRA, will help us make further savings."
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