Man posed as neighbour in benefits fraud

A FORMER council worker claimed over £6,000 in benefits by posing as his neighbour for over two years.

Mohammed Chowdary, 37, even visited doctors pretending to be Ifzal Hussain to get sick notes in support of his fraudulent claim between July 2013 and December last year.

His deception came to light when a Department of Work and Pensions investigation found two benefit claims in different names were being made from Chowdary’s Showell Green Lane address in Sparkhill.

Both were being paid Chowdary’s Halifax account.

Despite initially blaming his neighbour, who he accused of being a bully and drug addict, into bank Chowdary eventually guilty to a charge of false representation.

But the recovering drug addict walked free from court when a judge told him there was no point in the government paying his “board and lodging”.

Judge Mary Stacey sentenced him to 13-and-a-half months in prison suspended for two years.

He was ordered to carry out a 30-day activity requirement, 120 hours unpaid word and placed under curfew for six weeks.

Judge Stacey told Chowdary; “You perpetuated a benefit fraud between July 2013 and December 2015. You did so by taking advantage of a friend and neighbour, claiming on his behalf, using his identity which involved you going to his doctor, pleaded fraud by pretending to be him and getting sick notes to claim employment support allowance. He had no idea this was happening.

“When the police caught up with you, you added insult to injury by pretending you were somehow afraid of this man and he bullied you into it, some nonsensical story.

“You also gave the probation officer a fictional account that you were helping your friend and that you would pass the money on to him, which was a complete lie.

“You then accused being a drug user.”

Birmingham Crown Court heard the real Ifzal Hussain had legitimately tried to claim benefits but no money had reached his bank account because of him of Chowdary’s fraudulent claim.

As part of the investigation, DWP investigators caught Chowdary on CCTV entering Sparkhill Job Centre and presenting staff with ID documents in the name of Mr Hussain.

Documents with Mr Hussain’s name were later recovered from Chowdary’s address.

Judge Stacey added: “In light of your mitigation and that prison will do no-one any good I’m going to suspend the sentence for a period of two years.

“There is no point paying your board and lodging when the government has already been defrauded.”

Gurdeep Garcha said Chowdary appeared in court free from drugs for the first time in three years.