Pensioner claimed £14k from Stoke-on-Trent City Council while living in Pakistan
CHEATING Mohammed Rafiq swindled £14,700 by fraudulently claiming benefits on his Stoke-on-Trent home – while living in Pakistan.
The 69-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to notify the authorities about changes to his circumstances.
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Mohammed Rafiq outside North Staffordshire Magistrates Court
Between 2006 and 2010 Rafiq spent long periods of time abroad – sometimes up to 18 months – and during those absences his bank account was accessed by his daughter and money was sent to him in Pakistan.
At North Staffordshire Magistrates Court yesterday, prosecutor Paul Kay said: "The amount of money involved is £14,700 and the department is taking steps to recover that by deductions from benefits per week.
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"Mr Rafiq was in receipt of pension credits, disability living allowance, council tax and housing benefit.
"All of these depended on him being resident in the UK but he was in Pakistan for much of that time.
"To his credit when he was interviewed he was entirely frank and admitted he had been absent from the country.
"He apologised for what had happened and said it would not happen again."
The court heard Rafiq, pictured right, suffers with back pain and the warmer climate of Pakistan had alleviated the condition in the past.
The prolonged trips abroad had sometimes been extended because he fell ill and was unable to travel back to his home in Emerson Road, Cobridge.
He has no previous convictions and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
Gary Corbett, mitigating, said: "These were completely legitimate claims in the beginning.
"These are the non-dishonest forms of the offence, it was a mistake on his part. He believed he was able to simply leave the country.
"But now he accepts he had the paperwork to consider when making the claims which explained things to him and the onus was on him to comply."
Rafiq was assisted in court by an Urdu interpreter. Magistrates heard he lives alone following a separation with his wife three months ago and is still claiming benefits, but is repaying the debt at a rate of £25 a week. His income before deductions is £830 a month.
He was sentenced to nine weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months, with a supervision requirement.
He must also pay £100 towards prosecution costs at a rate of £5 a week.
Chairman of the bench Christopher Rushton said: "This was a lot of money which was obtained over a prolonged period of time and we considered a custodial sentence. But because of your guilty pleas and co-operation we suspended that."
Comments
by Speccy9eyes
Monday, June 04 2012, 7:04AM
“Electoral Fraud
Baroness Warsi has said, in the past, that electorasl fraud among the Asian communities cost the Conservatives at least three seats in the last General Election.
http://tinyurl.com/79qryx8
Is it unfeasable that this could happen in local elections where the results could be manipulated much more easily due to the smaller number of voters?"”
by camband
Friday, June 01 2012, 12:18AM
“@ alberus
pffft: A guttural exclamation. Suggestive of disbelief or discounting what someone has said.
Example: She thinks her designs are cutting edge? Pffft. They look like recycled 80's advertisements to me.
pfft: A word used when you know someone is lying.
Example: So went out with him? PFFT.
Courtesy of Slangvocabulary.com (the slang dictionary)”
by Alberus
Thursday, May 31 2012, 4:19PM
“"Pfft"...Best described as a disgusted snort to express incredulity or disbelief at some poor sap struggling to explain his point to any thicko on this site that does not understand or disagrees with the person making the comment (aforementioned sap). To give full reign and expression to this contemptuous expression, if it may be called thus, it is best performed when suffering from an upper respiratory infection such as catarrh, cold or flu. This best endows the "expression" with the full compliment of snot required for its proper execution. I hope this brief explanation will be helpful to those who find the use of "pfft" a bit of a mystery. (Well there may be a few who do).”
by MigrantsRule
Thursday, May 31 2012, 3:08PM
“@ taff101 i agree tony blair has done LOADS of damage to this country,these stupid wind turbines are why we are being ripped off with gas & electric & they do jack chit, this country is out of control A TICKING TIME BOMB,he is also a war criminal with that other POS george bush..HE SHOULD BE IN THE HAGUE (WAR CRIMES COURT) WITH THAT OTHER PLONKER BUSH....broken britain....”
by camband
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 11:02PM
“Those red and green arrows are intimidating.... and possibly corrupting. There's a 'bandwagon' aspect.... Where those of an unsure nature -like to get lost in the crowd -and, as they say in modern day parlance 'go wit the flow'.
There' one thing about speccy, for all his extravagances, he's not afraid to 'stand out in a crowd'. Just wish he'd stick to the debate -rather than somehow contrive to 'do battle'.... on a personal manner.
His arguments are sometimes pretty persuasive, then he ruins it all by going into 'chav-mode' and coming out with torrents of abuse. Why this is -is beyond me.
Green and Red....
-Control the thread.”
by Tabazan
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 10:50PM
“@camband
You said;
"Is 'pffft' or 'pfffft' (with four uses of the 'f') -some kind of code? Or simply meaning the user is 'miffed'?"
Well Speccy is the expert on that word as he uses it an awful lot, and quite often directs it at me, so he's the best person to ask. But I have always presumed it to mean that the user is less than impressed with the receiver, and the more 'f's' that are used, the less impressed the user is. I could well be wrong though, and for all I know Speccy could be using 'Pffft' to express his undying love for me. I have a feeling that my first presumption is more likely to be nearer the truth though.”
by camband
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 10:35PM
“Is 'pffft' or 'pfffft' (with four uses of the 'f') -some kind of code? Or simply meaning the user is 'miffed'?
The 'miffed pfffft'. No hard feelings mate -just a thought. Purely academic.”
by Tabazan
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 10:14PM
“@Speccy9eyes
You said;
"You really can't see the irony in your last comment, can you? Pffft."
Well, as I 'can't see the irony' as you put it, perhaps you would like to help me see it Speccy? I'm sure you're just dying to anyway, so why not go ahead and demonstrate 'the irony' to me? Oh, and I see that your ego still demands that you vote for your own comments; how very telling.”
by Speccy9eyes
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 9:53PM
“@Tabazan,
You said,
"Thank you Speccy for proving the exact point I was making in such a spectacular and fantastically hilarious way. By summarily ignoring the comments I've made that are in line with your own views (I even went as far as saying that you 'had a point' in one of my posts!) but then choosing to have a right royal pop at me for something that you don't happen to agree with, you have shown yourself to be nothing more than what you have called me; a silly, indoctrinated, none thinking fool. Nice one Speccy, keep up the good work!"
You really can't see the irony in your last comment, can you? Pffft.”
by Tabazan
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 7:52PM
“@Speccy9eyes
You said;
"Ah, good old Tabazan, the "enlightened" one. Pfffft. The educator, pfffft. Yes, there really are none so blind as those that will not see. You, sir, are a silly, indoctrinated, none thinking fool."
Thank you Speccy for proving the exact point I was making in such a spectacular and fantastically hilarious way. By summarily ignoring the comments I've made that are in line with your own views (I even went as far as saying that you 'had a point' in one of my posts!) but then choosing to have a right royal pop at me for something that you don't happen to agree with, you have shown yourself to be nothing more than what you have called me; a silly, indoctrinated, none thinking fool. Nice one Speccy, keep up the good work!”