A Shenley mother, who claimed she did not know where the father of her children was when they were in fact living together, and her partner have both been given eight months’ suspended prison sentences.
Ines Da Silva, aged 37, and Gasonu Agogo, 38, from Blenheim Mews, in Shenley, were given prison sentences suspended for 18 months and ordered to undertake 120 hours in unpaid work when they appeared at Harrow Crown Court on January 19.
They were also ordered to pay prosecution costs, which total more than £4,500. The couple’s actions were described by the judge as “thoroughly dishonest and greedy.”
The pair, who obtained around £18,000 in housing benefit and more than £2,000 in council tax support from Hertsmere Borough Council between June 9, 2014, and January 3, 2016.
Da Silva pleaded guilty to three counts of dishonestly making a false representation and two counts of furnishing a false document, while Agogo pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery when they appeared in court in December.
Hertsmere Borough councillor John Graham said: “This couple were determined to cheat the system and cases like this must be brought to court.
“At a time when local government resources are finite, anyone who illegally claims support and benefits is taking help away from those who genuinely need it.
“If you suspect someone may be fraudulently claiming benefits to help with their tenancy or council tax or have fraudulently applied for a blue badge, contact us straightaway.”
Da Silva had claimed she was living alone at Blenheim Mews with her three children and had provided false tenancy agreements in May 2014 and May 2015 to support this.
In addition, Da Silva wrote a letter to benefits officers suspicious of her living arrangements claiming she did not know Agogo’s whereabouts.
However, following an investigation by Hertfordshire’s Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS), the real tenancy agreement was discovered which showed the pair had been living together since January 2015 and that Agogo, a company director, had been paying the monthly rent to the couple's landlord.
The couple have repaid £7,000 of the fraudulently claimed benefits, but the council will be submitting a confiscation order to recoup the full sum.
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