Deaf Bank Worker's £22K Sign Language Swindle

A deaf Lloyds Bank apprentice, who pocketed £22,700 in benefits awarded to him for sign language interpreters, received a suspended prison sentence yesterday.

Dominic Olanya, 32, took advantage of the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) Access to Work grant, which assists people with disabilities to remain in employment. 

Olanya, of Westcroft Square, Hammersmith pleaded guilty to defrauding the DWP between July 6, 2015 and May 20, 2016 by making false claims for sign language interpreters.

Croydon Crown Court heard he either took the money and did not use an interpreter or employed their services and never paid them, resulting in one pursuing a civil claim against him.

Judge Elizabeth Smaller told Olanya: “A grant scheme paid by the taxpayer is available to provide you with support to enable you to work for Lloyds Bank.

“Over a period of ten months you repeatedly made claims for interpreter services that had not taken place and this was for your personal monetary gain.

‘You had worked hard to make your family proud of you and despite your deafness had achieved a lot in life and built up a good reputation for yourself and had a responsible job.

“You achieved this because you worked hard and are intelligent, but I suspect you will never have such a job again.”

Olanya was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for eighteen months and ordered to complete 50 hours community service.

He must also comply with an electronically tagged curfew for four weeks between 8pm and 6am and pay £500 compensation to the DWP.

Prosecutor Grace Ong told the court Olanya claimed the grant for multiple hours per week for assistance working on his laptop; meetings; for handwritten notes; telephone calls and communicating with his manager and colleagues.

“Instead of the interpreter payments going to the interpreters he arranged for monies to be paid into his own bank account under the name of a real interpreter.”

Olanya was interviewed by the DWP on November 30, 2017. “He claimed he had no idea payments were going into his account, but alter admitted he was using the money for day to day expenses.

“He admitted he took a big risk in doing so and was wrong and the largest purchases we can find he made were for Apple products, including a laptop.”

The court heard Olanya arrived in the UK as a young child when his parents, who supported him in court, had to “take flight” from their home country.

“It is sad that twenty-two thousand pounds can be disposed of with so little to show for it apart from a criminal conviction,” added Judge Smaller. 

“This gentleman was in receipt of a wage, but was receiving an extra two thousand a month tax free.”