A benefit cheat, who pocketed over £12,000 by claiming he lived in his neighbour's flat in a landmark apartment block near Harrods, has been jailed for four months.
Jobless Howard Randall, 54, shares the head porter's flat at swish Lowndes Lodge with his male partner of twenty years, but forged bogus documents, which duped his local council into believing he lived in a vacant apartment.
"This was a calculated deception from the outset, targeting public funds to satisfy your own greed," district judge Howard Fanning told the first-time offender at Hammersmith Magistrates' Court. "You then tinkered with the scam to make further funds for yourself."
After successfully claiming £115 rent per week on the vacant studio flat in Cadogan Place, Belgravia Randall then claimed back pay when he returned from a Far East vacation - even forging more documents to try and pocket £150 per week.
"This was clearly a planned fraud and the only explanation offered was that he had received requests for council tax payments, which he and his partner did not think he was liable for," said prosecutor Mr. Roger Hodkinson, representing the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
"The flat was empty and Mr. Randall decided to make an application for housing benefit even though he did not occupy the flat and the fraud continued for over two years.
"He went to Thailand for a number of months and his Jobseeker's Allowance was stopped and the council called the case in for review.
"When Mr. Randall returned from Thailand he made another application for housing benefit, but asked for it to be back-dated to January 2012.
"A lease that never existed was forged along with letters from various individuals purporting to be the landlord and the landlord's agent.
"Mr. Randall decided he wanted more and submitted a fraudulent letter that the rent had increased to one hundred and fifty pounds a week.
"Not only was this a fraud initially, but Mr. Randall decided he could get more."
The council visited the flat in July, last year and after confirming it was not occupied called the defendant in for an interview.
"He signed a statement that was effectively a full confession. He admitted it was greed," explained Mr. Hodkinson.
When initially claiming benefits in April 2010 Randall declared he had no savings, but told investigators he financed the Thai trip from a nest egg.
He received £10,324 in housing benefit and £2,104 in council tax benefit.
Randall's lawyer Miss Naomi Alcendor told the court her client needed funds to finance civil legal proceedings in 2010.
"This fraud was run at this time and he knows there is no excuse and there is no justification.
"He was not working an money was extremely tight and under pressure he made some unwise choices and is extremely remourseful," added Miss Alcendor. "Money is now being deducted from his benefits. A nominal amount."
There was no court order for compensation and the council have indicated they will not pursue a civil claim against Randall.
Jailing him Mr. Fanning told Randall: "The use of forged documents and all the circumstances of the offence, which was dishonest from the word go, demands an immediate sentence of imprisonment."
Randall pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud by false representation on various dates between May 13, 2010 and July 5, last year and three counts of making an article for use in fraud on various dates between April 20, 2010 and July 3, last year.
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