Benefits cheat faces jail after claiming over £100,000 (From Watford Observer)
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Benefits cheat, Kelvin Kalloo, of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, faces jail after claiming over £100,000
5:30pm Thursday 3rd January 2013 in News By Amie Mulderrig, Features Writer
A benefits cheat who claimed to be partially blind as well as disabled is facing jail after he was caught working at Watford Market and spotted driving three different cars.
Kelvin Kalloo, of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, claimed more than £100,000 in handouts from Brent Council and Central Bedfordshire Council over six years, before being caught by the councils’ investigators.
When Kalloo appeared at Harrow Crown Court last month, jurors were told he was caught out after being seen driving three different cars and working at his family business in Watford Market.
Kalloo claimed Direct Payments from Adult Social Services in Brent to help with his care needs.
He claimed to be partially sighted and permanently disabled as a result of a car crash, and between 2002 and 2008 he claimed £70,000.
He also made a simultaneous claim from Central Bedfordshire Council, where he was actually living, from 2002 to 2006 and received £27,000.
He failed to disclose to either authority that he was related to his carer, who was his wife, that he had income and, at times, up to four properties.
Kalloo made a further fraudulent claim to Central Bedfordshire Council between 2009 and 2010 for £5,700.
He also obtained a Blue Badge from Brent Council due to his claimed disabilities.
In 2008 Brent Council's Audit and Investigation Team undertook an anti-fraud initiative against people in receipt of Direct Payments identified as potentially high risk. This resulted in an initial visit to Kalloo's Brent address at which investigators noted a letter addressed to his supposed carer at that address.
Further investigation led to covert surveillance being undertaken by Brent's investigators which showed him driving three different vehicles and walking unaided whilst he claimed to be severely and permanently disabled.
Further surveillance showed him working at Watford Market, again without any aids or apparent issues with his sight.
Kalloo was arrested by police in October 2008 and as a result of a search of his property, evidence was found of income and additional bank accounts.
Following the seven week trial, on Tuesday, December 18, he was unanimously found guilty of ten counts of fraud carried out against the two authorities between 2002 and 2010, totalling £102,700.
He will be sentenced on 30 January 2013.
Comments(24)
E.Coli
says...
5:49pm Thu 3 Jan 13
phil mitchel
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6:30pm Thu 3 Jan 13
Mohandas
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6:42pm Thu 3 Jan 13
DuffmanWFC
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7:23pm Thu 3 Jan 13
He does a 30 hour week for nothing for the next five years!
Example he works 3 x 10 Hour shifts then he has time to have a paid for job else ware!
This way he puts something back into the system rather then not, also it will cost the tax payer money to bang him up and he'll only get out early!
DuffmanWFC
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7:25pm Thu 3 Jan 13
Razor Sharp
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8:28pm Thu 3 Jan 13
E.Coli wrote:Not yet.
wow and He's not a MP.
TRT
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9:18pm Thu 3 Jan 13
Five years. FIVE years?!
pepsiman
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9:41pm Thu 3 Jan 13
..
E.Coli
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10:09pm Thu 3 Jan 13
pepsiman wrote:F£*K WIT
Sorry but i think your all barking up the wrong tree, the system is as much to blame...............
..
pepsiman
says...
11:28pm Thu 3 Jan 13
Escherichia coli can cause diarrhea
TRT
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11:33pm Thu 3 Jan 13
John Dowdle
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2:01am Fri 4 Jan 13
garston tony
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8:50am Fri 4 Jan 13
John Dowdle wrote:You'd hope this is what happens. Although it does say at times up to 4 properties so he may not have them now, but sounds like he would have assets of some sort.
Presumably, the court can issue a Proceeds of Crime Act order and get all the £100,000+ money back. The article mentioned he had 4 separate properties. They should easily sell for that amount, I imagine.
garston tony
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8:53am Fri 4 Jan 13
pepsiman wrote:No system that big is going to be perfect, and if you're saying the system is as much to blame your basically saying if you see a way that you can exploit something do it.
Sorry but i think your all barking up the wrong tree, the system is as much to blame............... ..
Which is rubbish, if there are gaps in a system that allow fraud that does not give a cart blanche for people to actually commit fraud or to get let off when caught.
garston tony
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9:01am Fri 4 Jan 13
TRT wrote:It doesnt say he was arrested in 2008, it said that in that year the council started an anti fraud initiative which eventually led to this chap getting caught out. Seeing as he was still committing benefit fraud in 2010 that indicated he wasnt caught until that year at the earliest.
Erm... how long has this taken to come to trial? Arrested in 2008? Tried in 2013? Five years. FIVE years?!
Even then that is an assumption, he could have just decided to de fraud the system at that time with the investigation catching up with him at a later date or his benefits could have been stopped at that time due to the investigation which didnt necessarily at that time have all the information and so on. I doubt all the evidence just dropped into their lap, i doubt they are a massive team with lots of resources, i dont doubt they have quite a few people they are looking at and I dont doubt that you've jumped to conclusions
TRT
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9:25am Fri 4 Jan 13
Kalloo was arrested by police in October 2008 and as a result of a search of his property, evidence was found of income and additional bank accounts.
No assumption needed. Says 2008 in the article.
wallace gromit
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10:42am Fri 4 Jan 13
E.Coli
says...
11:53am Fri 4 Jan 13
pepsiman wrote:It would be be more funny if you could spell pissyman
I sent F£*K WIT” to GCHQ to get decoded and they replied;
Escherichia coli can cause diarrhea
pepsiman
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12:55pm Fri 4 Jan 13
¬$£*~$&TS
garston tony
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3:49pm Fri 4 Jan 13
TRT wrote:My apologies, need to get some reading specs I think.
Quote: Kalloo was arrested by police in October 2008 and as a result of a search of his property, evidence was found of income and additional bank accounts. No assumption needed. Says 2008 in the article.
In which case, I have to agree 4 years give or take a few months does seem rather long. But the extra cheek of the guy to, after having been arrested, make a fresh fraudulent claim!
There was only one Scully
says...
9:02pm Fri 4 Jan 13
You only have to look around the social Estates to see that this is a much bigger problem and unbelievably today what have we heard! that this government has announced changes to increase the child support!
I suggest a means on their living habits or how the benefit money is spent. From what I have seen it goes mostly on social drinking, drugs and not on the kids they purport to be claiming for. If anything, it encourages them to continue with this social habit!
If this government means business on welfare reform I believe this is the main area that needs further investigation and reform and not easy targets who are struggling.
Honest Rog
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10:33am Sat 5 Jan 13
garston tony
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9:32am Mon 7 Jan 13
Honest Rog wrote:Oh so the bankers are apparently worst, lets forget about this chap shall we?
Well the new year trots out the usual welfare bashers. It's unbelieveable that you lot are screaming for 10 or 20 years bird for this character. He'll no doubt do a bit of time but in the big picture he's a novice by comparison to our lawmakers and bankers who've paradoxically brought about the collapse of capitalism.. As one who gained a PhD in hindsight, I'd say we should have missed that iceberg.
What rot, if there was an article on the WO about a crooked banker they'd get abuse i'm sure.
The fact their isnt doesnt mean that right minded people cant rightly critisice people who defraud benefits
Boosey says...
5:38pm Thu 3 Jan 13