Woolwich Man Gets 12-month Community Punishment For £14,000 Benefit Fraud

by our RBG Correspondent | Woolwich

A Woolwich man has been sentenced to a 12-month compulsory community service for defrauding the Royal Borough of Greenwich and receiving housing benefit amount that totaled £14,000.

Sentencing took place on 6 October 2015 at Bexley Magistrates Court. Mr Sinniah Sivarajah (65), of Woolwich SE18, was ordered undertake the unpaid work as punishment for the fraud.

He required to undertake 120 hours of unpaid work in the community for his action.

Mr Sivarajah had declared his part-time work as a sales  assistant at an off-licence since 1998. He claimed that he earned £80 a week and was in receipt of Housing Benefit to support his rental payments. However, Mr Sivarajah failed to declare that he also had several bank accounts that showed a variety of unexplained credits totalling in excess of £125,000 over a period of almost 5 years.

The fraud was discovered by the Royal Borough’s Internal Audit and Anti-Fraud team who identified that Mr Sivarajah had falsely declared that he held no bank accounts when completing his application forms for Housing Benefit.

He was interviewed under caution and told the team he had allowed a variety of friends to use his accounts and that he had not accessed them himself for many years.

Further inquiries with the banks confirmed that he had written and signed many recent cheques from the accounts, which proved that he did own and operate the bank accounts himself.

Mr Sivarajah was summonsed to attend Bexley Magistrates Court on 24 August 2015 and pleaded guilty to one offence under the Social Security Administration Act 1992, relating to £14,074.38 in overpaid Housing Benefit, covering the period from November 2007 to May 2012.

This is now being repaid to the Royal Borough. Mr Sivarajah was also ordered to pay the Royal Borough costs of £100 and a victim surcharge of £60.

Councillor Maureen O’Mara (above), Cabinet Member for Customer Services, said: “This case involves the loss of over £14,000, a significant sum and money that is needed by so many people in genuine need within our borough."

Cllr O'Mara said: "Mr Sivarajah now has a criminal record and I am pleased to hear that every penny of the money he defrauded will now have to be repaid. I hope this sends out a strong message to other benefit cheats - we will find you, and we will prosecute you, in order to protect the public purse.”

If you suspect someone of committing fraud against the Royal Borough of Greenwich, please call 0800 169 6975 or email fraud@royalgreenwich.gov.uk.

Any information you give will be treated in confidence.