THOMPSON: BARMAN FACING JAIL FOR HOUSING BENEFIT CON
A barman and homeowner who fleeced the taxpayer out more than £22,000 in benefits was warned he faces jail today (tue).
Leon Thompson, 37, carried on claiming housing benefit on a council flat in Clapham, southwest London, for more than three years – even though he had moved out to a new house he had bought.
Investigators discovered other people living in the Lambeth Council property while he was secretly in another spacious home in Eveline Road, Mitcham.
The home owner was working in a bar intermittently over the same period but kept his income a secret.
Frances Coles-Harrington, prosecuting, told Inner London Crown Court: ‘The total acquired in the fraud is approximately £19,000 from Lambeth and just under £3,500 from Merton councils.’
The court heard he has convictions for dishonesty as a youngster, and in 2008 he failed to declare points on his licence to his insurance company.
Lambeth Council has seized £2,000 of his assets and he hopes to pay a larger sum, said Emma Phillips, prosecuting.
Thompson, of the Mitcham address, admitted one count of failing to notify a change in circumstances and seven charges of dishonestly making a false representation to obtain benefit between March 17, 2005 and August 22, 2008.
He denied three counts of dishonestly making a false representation which are expected to be allowed to lie on the court file.
Judge Peter Grobel allowed him unconditional bail ahead of sentence, which he adjourned to September 9 for reports.
The judge told him: ‘All options are open to the sentencing court, including a sentence of immediate custody.’
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