On Monday 9 July a Surbiton man was jailed for four months after pleading guilty at South Western Magistrates Court to two counts of dishonesty which resulted in an overpayment of Housing Benefit & Council Tax Benefit of over £25,000.
Bobby Gumbi of Rose Walk, Surbiton failed to notify anyone that he had been working since 2008, initially as a care assistant and later as a warehouse operative. He also made a false statement to Benefit Officers suggesting he had not worked since 2004. This dishonesty led to payments of Housing & Council Tax Benefit of over £25,000, to which his family was not entitled.
Kingston Council’s Revenues & Benefits team highlighted concerns about the case to the Council’s Internal Audit & Investigation Service (IAIS). The resulting investigation, undertaken by the IAIS in partnership with Kingston Police’s Town Centre Team and the UK Border Agency, led directly to the successful prosecution.
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