Cobridge benefit cheat Jovan Katic had £21k in the bank
A HUSBAND who stopped work to care for his sick wife failed to mention he had £21,000 in the bank when he applied for benefits.
Jovan Katic then went on to inherit £56,000 from his uncle – which he also did not declare to the authorities.
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Jovan Katic outside court yesterday.
Magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard the 54-year-old had worked all his life until 2006, when his wife's degenerative illness became so bad he had to become her full-time carer.
He applied for benefits when he gave up work, but did not tell the Department of Work and Pensions he had £21,000 savings.
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Anyone with more than £16,000 is not entitled to claim.
Steve Knowles, prosecuting, said: "He made a claim for income support for himself and his family on October 31, 2006.
"From information received the Department of Work and Pensions found that Mr Katic may have undeclared capital, and he was asked to attend an interview in February last year.
"He confirmed the details he had given on the form with regard to capital were incorrect."
The court heard Katic, of Elm Street, Cobridge, had not declared his savings because he knew they would soon be spent after he stopped work.
He did later become entitled to the benefits he was being paid, but a surprise inheritance put him over the limit again.
Andrew Turnock, representing Katic, said: "He had finished work due to the illness of his wife.
"She has been ill since she was 24, and she is now 45.
"It was a progressive illness which got to the point where he had to become her full-time carer. It's not the case that he has claimed for a full six-year period when he was not entitled.
"There have been three lengthy periods where his capital was below the limit and he was entitled to claim.
"The £21,000 sum reduced and he became entitled to claim legitimately.
"He then received £56,000 inheritance that wasn't expected at all.
"He did not get on with his uncle but he had not made a will and Mr Katic was the only surviving relative."
The court heard Katic used the money for a new car and home improvements that would assist with his wife's limited mobility.
When most of his inheritance had been spent, he again became entitled to the benefits he was already claiming.
Mr Turnock told the magistrates: "He has £1,000 capital at the moment.
"I hope you have some sympathy that he had to finish work and become a benefit claimant solely because of his wife's illness."
Katic pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the Department of Works and Pensions to obtain benefit totalling £8,623.58.
The sum he owes is already being deducted from his benefits.
Magistrates handed Katic a community order with 12 months supervision.
He must also complete the benefit fraud structured intervention programme and pay £100 court costs.
Comments
by Real_Stokie
Wednesday, January 09 2013, 7:29AM
“Why the red arrows? So if he had been brown, had a name like Mohammed, how many of you would posted comments about deportation then? Regardless of how many generations of his family had lived here?”
by Real_Stokie
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 8:45PM
“Surely with a name like that he should be being deported back to somewhere in Eastern Europe?”
by stokepotter
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 6:11PM
“Bedninja, the only thing wrong with your comment is that regarding a Private Pension. The money you pay into this is before tax and not after. Hence why you are taxed on your private pension when you receive it if your income is above the free pay threshold. Otherwise your comments are true.
Those who work hard and save are penalised. If you sit back and either don't work or don't save or spend all you have then you are better off if you need care than those who have worked and saved hard all their lives. Both Conservative and Labour governments follow the same pattern here. Totally wrong. I know because my mum and dad saved and now dad has died and mum has dementia meaning she has had to go into a care home. Because their savings and pensions are above the threshold, mum has to pay for her care wheras other residents in the home ( some with better rooms) don't pay for their care at all but get treated just the same with their care paid for by us the rate payers via the Council. Totally wrong.”
by doubty
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 5:51PM
“Great message the governments send out to us all. If you can be bothered to go to work, then please spend all your cash because if you save, we will take it off you later. Why should he not claim if he has worked hard and saved. It's his cash. When you need care etc, they take inheritance, house, savings, all. Just spend it folks.”
by BedNinja
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 5:31PM
“Robnoxious I agree with you too. Another example is that you save hard from the money you have earned and paid tax on, only to be taxed on the interest your savings earn, and you take out a private pension, also paid from the money you have earned and paid tax on, to be taxed on that too when you come to draw it. No wonder the hard working honest folk in this country are becomming completely disillusioned with life in the UK and our completely out of touch government, who don't have the slightest inkling what life is like for us normal hard working people.”
by mommanoesbest
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 5:16PM
“However tempting it may be not to declare savings, or to declare that a partner has returned to live with you, people need to realise that what they are doing is fraud and it is wrong. It is theft. And now Mr Katic not only has to pay it back, he has to pay court costs and have everyone know he is a benefit cheat. Is it really worth it in the long run?”
by Robnoxious
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 4:37PM
“I've got sympathy for the people that find themselves in similar circumstances. Having worked and saved all their working lives, paying into the system for others who don't want to work. Keep banging the kids out, the state will pay, the very same people who are now moaning because of cuts to benefits, the same people that have and are crippling the country. Like i say, go out and spend your money and enjoy it. Sell your house, or transfer your house, before you are forced to sell that asset and take the money off you for care. The people who have nothing, are always the people who want something for nothing,or it does not effect them, with the worker paying for it all.If you can't beat them, join them. The shake up has been along time coming. Another hangover from the Labour party, just like immigration. Whatever money you save or inherit or works pension you should be able to keep, you have worked for it, like your house, you have payed into the system all your life. You should be the first person they look after, not the last. Then they say about people calling some of these low life. If you are sitting the other side of the fence they would know why that might be. The worker being hit and making all the sacrifices with - NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT.”
by stokeandvale
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 4:31PM
“GREEDY OLD MAN”
by Backdoored
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 2:59PM
“By Johntoe...."-in fact the government spends in the region of 600, thats, SIX HUNDRED, times more of OUR 'tax payers' money, chasing benefit thieves than it does chasing the 'super rich' tax THIEVES..." Unquote.
Right on Johntoe -The Sentinel and the rest of the right-wing print media -DON'T LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THAT FACT. So thanks for keeping us all focused -on who the REAL theives are.”
by BedNinja
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 2:16PM
“Huey_Hog that's so true. When my husband was made redundant last year after 25 years of hard work, he couldn't claim anything other than the basic rate of JSA for 6 months because we had savings just over the £16,000 limit. The reason for having that money is because like thousands of other people, we were given bad advice when taking out our mortgage 23 years ago and were strongly advised that an endowment policy mortgage was the best option for us, only to be told half way through the mortgage term that we were likely to have a shortfall of around £20,000 by the time the policy matured (shocking really, considering our mortage was only for £37,000 in the first place. We've had to save hard in a long term bond over the years to try and make up that shortfall as well as continuing to pay the existing mortgage. After doing our best to save that money for so long it's not right that we should then be expected to live off that money and then possibly lose our home at the end of the 25 year term because we can't pay the shortfall. It's always the same, work hard all your life and look after yourself and your own finances and you get absolutely NOTHING! Sit on your backside and have no intention of doing anything to look after yourself and you get everything handed to you on a plate!”