Violent Drink And Drug-Fueled Rapist Locked-Up

A rapist – high on drink and drugs – who forced his way into the East London home of a woman he knew, grabbing her hair and ripping off her clothes, during a terrifying ordeal, has been caged for nine years.

Curtis Benson, 37, (pictured) pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court to raping the 35 year-old victim at the Hackney address on August 4.

He became increasingly violent after the woman refused his demands for sex and raped her.

She eventually fought him off and rushed to a neighbour's house in tears.

Benson fled the scene and sent the victim a flurry of desperate text messages threatening to harm her if she contacted police.



An investigation was launched by Operation Sapphire officers and a manhunt begun for Benson, involving numerous officers from the Metropolitan Police and neighbouring forces.



Benson gave himself up four days later at Stoke Newington police station on August 8 and was arrested.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Ross Morrell said: "This is an excellent example of the continuous hard work and dedication of Operation Sapphire officers in bringing a dangerous offender to justice in just over two months from the date of the offence.





"I would like to pay tribute to the victim who was incredibly brave in reporting this rape to police.

“Benson is a dangerous man who subjected her to a sustained and violent attack.

“She suffered a terrible ordeal that has impacted on her day-to-day life, but she had the courage to come forward and report this to police which in turn has allowed her to access support agencies and services that are now helping her return her life to normal.



"Rape is a difficult offence to report and investigate and I hope that the bravery of this woman gives confidence to other victims of rape and sexual violence to come forward and report their ordeal to the police, no matter how unusual or different the circumstances are.

“Specially trained detectives from Operation Sapphire will listen, support and investigate their allegation.”

'Wheelie' Joyrider Caged For Killing Car Passenger

At teenage joyrider – showing off on a powerful motorbike – crashed into a car, instantly killing the young passenger, moments after pulling two 'wheelies'.

Ryan Birkett, 17, (pictured) of Dagenham, East London was locked-up for four years and eight months.

He pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court to causing the death of Peter Tickner, 23, by dangerous driving, in Goresbrook Street, Dagenham on July 14, last year.

He also admitted taking the Triumph Sprint ST 955 cc, without the owner's consent, and riding it without a licence and insurance and was disqualified for six years.

The Peaugeot vehicle, in which CCTV engineer Mr. Tickner was a passenger, was turning right into a side street when the motorbike crashed into it at 60 mph.

The force of the crash was such that the motorbike was embedded into the side of the car and Peter Tickner died instantly from his injuries.

The driver, 22, also sustained serious injuries. 



Mr. Tickner's family spoke of their "world being torn apart” as a result of the tragedy.

Car Gunman Tracked Down By Technology

A gunman, who fired a Mac10 machine pistol at a local rival, was hunted down via his getaway car's tracking device and caged for 11 years.

An investigation was launched after shots were fired from a white Audi R8 at two black males walking in St. Elmo Road, Shepher's Bush on April 16, last year.

Kola Adisa, 21, (pictured) of Cedarne Road, Fulham was convicted by an Isleworth Crown Court jury of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

The Audi vehicle was traced to a prestige car rental company and had been hired by an associate of Adisa's.

The car's tracking device proved the vehicle had been driven from the defendant's address to the scene of the shooting.

The crime scene was within yards of the home address of a man Adisa had an on-going dispute with.

Neither of the two targets were identified or came forward, but police matched several bullet casings they recovered in the street to the use of a Mac10 machine pistol.

Adisa was forced to admit he was in the car, but the jury rejected his claims of being squirted in the eyes with a noxious substance as the shooting occurred.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Foote, from the Trident Gang Crime Command, said: "This was a terrifying incident for local residents to witness in their street.

“We are grateful for their prompt response in contacting the police immediately after hearing the sounds of gunshots which assisted us in arresting Kola Adisa for this offence.



"Forensic evidence showed that a Mac 10 automatic machine pistol had been used in this targeted shooting in this residential street in Hammersmith.

“Luckily no one was injured. Adisa showed total disregard to the possible harm he could have caused.



"This was a complicated and thorough investigation conducted by my investigation team. The assistance from the public in reporting the matter and giving evidence at court was of great support to the case. 



"This investigation clearly demonstrates that the police, their partners and the public can tackle gun and gang crime together.



“If you have any information on gun and gang crime please do not hesitate in contacting the police." 

Bank Identity Conman Caught Again

A serial bank fraudster succcessfully posed as a customer to empty the man's account of £25,000 in just two weeks while on bail for an identical offence.

Mark Havis, 49, of Elgin Road, Ilford doctored a driving licence and forged bank statements and bank cards, but was caught trying to withdraw another £1500.

He pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at Santander, Woodcote Road, Wallington; possession of identity documents with intent and possession of articles for use in fraud on December 18, last year.

Havis, who has commited seventy-six previous offences, was on bail for another £22,000 bank fraud at the time and later received fiften months imprisonment at Harrow Crown Court, which he has served.

Prosecutor Miss Shazia Ahmed told Croydon Crown Court today: “He walked into Santander and produced a driving licence in another man's name, but which bore his photograph.

“Havis was also in possession of three false bank statements and a number of false bank cards and a member of staff was alerted to something not being quite right.”

A senior member of staff, who knew the customer Havis was posing as, recognised the defendant as an imposter and called the police.

Havis's attempt to withdraw £1500 cash failed and investigations revealed in the previous two weeks he had taken £25,000 from the account.

The Recorder of Croydon Warwick McKinnon decided not to imprison Havis because of the recent sentence he has served and placed him on a twelve month probation supervision order.

“You were going along to this bank with false documents and obtained twenty-five thousand pounds and you were doing the same thing last July.

“You have a quite dreadful record and you need to come away from this chronic pattern of crime,” the judge told Havis.

Teen Who Fired On Police Locked-Up For Eleven Years

A teenager, who shot at police during a chance meeting outside a block of flats in South-West London, has been caged for eleven years.

Brian Mudziwepasi, 19, (pictured) of Charter Road, Kingston-upon-Thames turned and shot at three officers as he fled the scene.

He pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm, with intent to endanger life, and possession of a prohibited weapon in Morden Road, Morden on February 21.

Mudziwepasi's claim that he was merely firing a safe warning shot to back the police off was rejected by a judge.

It was 8.35pm when the three officers attended the flats on a routine enquiry and they met the defendant as he left the communal entrance with his bike.

One of the officers recognised him and asked for confirmation of his identity, to which he replied by giving his name.



However, when asked to stop, Mudziwepasi pushed past the officers onto the pavement and produced a silver handgun from his waistband that he pointed at their heads.



He ran away into Morden Road leaving the officers at the entrance, but turned and pointed the weapon in their direction.



The suspect shot once, forcing the officers to dive to the ground.

Fortunately they were not hit and Mudziwepasi continued his escape down a nearby alleyway.




Forensic examination of the area revealed a single shell casing approximately 20 feet from where the shot was fired.

The gun used - a converted Baikal self-loading pistol - has since been recovered in circumstances and at a location believed to be unconnected with Mudziwepasi. 



A manhunt to locate and arrest the suspect was immediately launched by detectives from the Trident Gang Crime Command and Mudziwepasi gave himself up at Tooting police station on February 23.


Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Williams, Borough Commander of Merton, said: “Sergeant Dean Croft, and PC's Jonathan Case and Jonathan Grabauskas are three incredibly brave officers who continued to pursue Mudziwepasi knowing he was armed with a firearm.




"Thankfully none of them were injured when he callously and with no regard for them or members of the public turned and fired at them.

“He is obviously a dangerous individual who thankfully now faces a considerable length of time in prison to consider the consequences of his actions."



Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Reeves, of Trident Gang Crime Command, said: "Thankfully, this kind of incident is rare on the streets of London.

“Mudziwepasi's actions were reckless and could easily have resulted in serious injury to the police officers or to members of the public.

“Fortunately, the officers were not injured and they showed great bravery facing a suspect with a live firearm.




"I would like to thank them and all the other witnesses who gave evidence.

“This was a highly effective investigation, bringing together the skills of Trident detectives and specialist forensic scientists." 

Gunmen's Target Hunted Down And Shot

Shot - Jahan Malik

Two armed men hunted down a rival on a St. Alban's housing estate – chasing and blasting the victim in a car park after the first shot missed - a jury were told yesterday.

A series of disputes over cannabis, money, damage to a vehicle and a nightclub confrontation resulted in the early-morning murder bid – captured on the estate's CCTV, Croydon Crown Court heard.

Andre Ryan, 22, of Belmont Court, Belmont Hill and Anthony Ajayi, 22, of Coningsby Bank have both pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of Jahan Malik, 24, in Praetorian Court on June 5.

“The prosecution say these two defendants set out to fight Mr. Malik and went to the location armed and fully intending to carry out that plan,” explained prosecutor Miss Isabel Delamere.

“Ryan had a gun and Ajayi had a baton and a meat cleaver and it was their plan to use the gun and kill him.

“There was a history between the defendants and the victim, with minor slights and accusations going to and fro, that escalated beyond all reason and comprehension.

“They went to the address to settle these percieved scores.

“Ryan pulled the gun from his bag and fired at Mr. Malik.

“The first one missed, but the second hit him in the side with almost fatal consequences.”

In the momernts before the shooting, which took place at 10.30am in front of eye witnesses, Mr. Malik had a baseball bat in one hand and a dog on a lead in the other.

“When he was shot he had neither and was seen to run across the car park, chased by Ryan, and seen raising his hand in obvious surrender, posing no threat to this defendant.

“That is when he was shot at a seond time.”

Mr. Malik was rushed to hospital by air ambulance and recovered from his injury.

“He was well known to these defendants,” said Miss Delamere. “Two to three months before there had been some altercation in a St. Alban's nightclub, with one looking at another and talk of a fight.

“It is also said Mr. Malik angered Ryan by making him wait over the supply of some cannabis.”

Ryan previously attacked a van Mr. Malik was travelling in with a hammer while Ajayi held the door closed to prevent him escaping, but never paid for the damage he caused, the jury were told.

On the morning of the shooting Ajayi was “extremly angry and aggressive” while making an 8am visit to the home of a friend of Mr. Malik.

This resulted in Mr. Malik and that friend visiting Ajayi's address and banging on the front door while only the defendant's girlfriend was inside.

“There was also a heated argument with shouting and swearing between Mr. Malik and whoever was down the end of the phone, either Ryan or Ajayi,” added Miss Delamere.

Both defendants also plead not guilty to wounding Mr. Malik, with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm, and possessing a firearm - a .410 shotgun - with intent to endanger life.

They both also deny possessing a meat cleaver as an offensive weapon and Ryan alone denies possessing a baton as an offensive weapon.

Ryan has pleaded guilty to possessing a fiearm and ammunition while prohibited and Ajayi has admitted possessing the baton as an offensive weapon.

Trial continues............. 

Elite Cavalry Soldiers Accused Of Smuggling Guns And Cocaine

Four British Army soldiers were involved in smuggling five lethal illegal handguns, silencers, ammo and over £70,000 worth of cocaine via the Channel Tunnel, a court heard yesterday.

Police swooped on two BMW vehicles on January 25, seizing two Walther P99 9mm pistols, three converted BBM pistols, each with their own silencer, seventy-four bullets and 493gms of 74% pure cocaine.

They arrested Lemar Loveless, 26, of 24 Brydon Walk, Kings Cross and 21 year-old Trave Dyce of Sydney Road, Smethwick, Birmingham.

Loveless had quit as a trooper with the Queen's Royal Hussars - based in Sennelager, Germany - just six days before and Dyce, also a trooper, left six days later.

Two months later police arrested Queen's Royal Hussars trooper Lance Laurent, 25, and lance corporal Duran Wright, 28, who serves with the Royal Logistical Corps in Germany.

"Those who use illegal firearms have to get them from somewhere," prosecutor Mr. Steven Perian told the Woolwich Crown Court (pictured) jury, adding their black-market value was up to £18,000.

Loveless; Laurent; Wright and a fifth defendant, civilian Romone Marshalleck, 24, of 95 Huron Road, Tooting Bec have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to import firearms between January 1 and 26.

Dyce has already pleaded guilty to possessing firearms.

The four soldiers have pleaded not guilty to conspiring between January 1 and January 26 to import 493gms of cocaine and Loveless alone denies illegal possession of seventy-four rounds of ammunition.

The court heard all the firearms and cocaine was found in the vehicle driven by Dyce.

"Police found a pair of size eleven boots in the car boot and inside one of them was a grapefruit-sized ball of black duct tape and when opened it contained the high-purity cocaine," said Mr. Perian.

"The tape was impregnated with curry powder, which is used to disguise the smell of class a drugs from sniffer dogs."

All of the handguns and bullets were found stashed underneath the car's front seats, with one of the Walther's wrapped in a white t-shirt and the serial number deliberately worn-off at least one of the BBM's.

The BMW Dyce was driving was registered to Wright, with Loveless following in a vehicle he claimed was his girlfriend's.

Dyce told the officers: "He (Loveless) told me to drive the car and drop it off for payment. He told me their were guns in there."

When quizzed at the scene Loveless simply replied: "What firearms?" and later refused to divulge his Blackberry's PIN.

Dyce replied: "Oh my God" when police made their full allegation against him at the station and insisted Loveless had given him the black ball, containing the cocaine, and offered him £3,000 for the trip.

Eventually police found text messages exchanged between Loveless and Marshalleck.

"There are chats going on, we say, about guns, cash and drugs," added Mr. Perian. "One text asks: 'Are they Beretta's?' These are not hats they are talking about, but guns.

"It provides a clear insight into the destination of drugs and guns, we say, Loveless was importing into the country.

"He was also doing online research into possible ways to smuggle cocaine into the country."

Police seized €11,400 when they arrested Wright. "He denied the money was from drugs or gun running," said Mr. Perian.

When Laurent was questioned he said: "I don't know anything about no drugs."

Marshalleck was arrested on April 18 and officers found the screensaver on his iPad was an image of himself posing with an automatic weapon.

He is said to have exchanged incriminating texts with Loveless. "The conversations were, without doubt, about guns."

Trial continues………..  

Cocaine Dealer On The Run

Police are hoping to catch a fugitive drug dealer convicted of dealing £70,000 worth of cocaine.

Ngozi Egbert Ubani, 51, (pictured) of Manton Road, Enfield jumped bail before his trial in July 2010, but was convicted in his absence.

He was found guilty at Wood Green Crown Court to supplying two kilos of the drug at an address in Lansdowne Road, Tottenham, North London on October 5, 2009.

Ubani was sentenced to twelve years imprisonment and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He is believed to have connections in countries around the world.

Police have made extensive enquiries to try to locate Ubani and are appealing to the public to assist.


Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or call Detective Constable Jordan Ford on 020 7230 3362. 

Supermarket Robbers Caged For Armed Cash Snatch

Four young armed robbers – who threatened supermarket staff at gunpoint to hand over cash from the tills – have been caged for a total of fourteen years.

Two of the gang held-up the Co-Op in Greenford Avenue, Ealing, West London on February 23 – brandishing a silver handgun.

Money was placed inside a plastic bag and the robbers fled.

Police viewed CCTV and with the help of staff had good descriptions of the gang.

Just half-an-hour later, at 10.25pm, the four defendants were stopped in a white Audi in nearby Kennedy Road.

They are: Abdi Abdullah, 21, (top l.) of Hitherbroom Road, Hayes, who received five years.

Khalid Farah, 21, (top r.) of Old Oak Common Lane, Acton, who received two years and six months.

Ahmed Sufi, 23, (bottom l.) of Belgrave Road, Walthamstow, who received three years and six months.

Mursal Yahye, 23, (bottom r.) of Maple Road, Hayes, who received three years.

All four pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob the supermarket and possession of an imitation firearm.

When police stopped the Audi vehicle the silver revolver was found in a plastic bag.

Detective Chief Inspector Harry Hennigan said: "The fast thinking and keen eye of officers ensured that these men have been brought to justice." 

Lawyer Gets Life For Beating Wife To Death

A solicitor, who beat his wife to death and told her family: “Come take your sister's dead body from my flat,” has ben jailed for life.

Mohammed Habib Rahman, 32, (pictured) regularly beat 32 year-old Jasmin Chowdhury and previous attacks resulted in a black eye and a broken finger.

However, she remained silent and never reported these assaults to police.

He was convicted at the Old Bailey of murdering Mrs Chowdhury at their East London home in Stanliff House, Cassilis Road, where she was found with serious head injuries on December 17, last year and will serve a minimum of 18 years.

Relatives had raised the alarm after being unable to reach her and receiving a series of shocking texts from the defendant, which indicated she was dead

Police forced entry to the property and rushed Mrs Chowdhury to the Royal London Hospital, but she died three days later.

Rahman was arrested on December 18 when officers spotted his car in Commercial Road.

Investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector John Nicholson, from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command (HSCC), said: "Rahman is a violent man and it is clear his wife had suffered at his hands before.

“During the investigation a friend of Jasmine's told us she had seen her with previous 'accidental' injuries including a black eye and a broken finger, although Jasmin never contacted police.



"We are satisfied at the conviction and would urge anyone suffering from domestic violence to get in touch with police.

“We take all cases extremely seriously and this tragic murder shows just what can happen if matters escalate."



Jasmin's family said: "We are devastated by the loss of our sister.

“We wanted justice for her.

“Jasmin was a kind, caring, thoughtful, selfless and beautiful person.

“We miss her dearly and love her so much. Words cannot describe how traumatised we are, having had our sister taken away from us forever in such a horrific manner." 

Landlady Jailed For Benefits Scam

A benefit cheat, who created a bogus landlord to claim £48,000 while renting out another property she owned, was jailed for a year today.

Clarissa Ihenacho, 55, claimed her matrimonial home was owned by the Family Education Helpline, but she had created the organisation and its HQ was a house she owned in a neighbouring borough.

"The defendant set out to defraud the state and when she was caught she told lie after lie after lie," said Croydon Crown Court Recorder Andrew Campbell-Tiech QC. "She forged documents to show she paid rent on a house she owned."

The court (pictured) heard the Nigerian mother-of-five also falsely claimed to have a phd from Paris's Sorbonne - insisting she should be addressed as 'Dr. Ihenacho' - and even appealed against the decision to suspend her claim when the fraud was exposed.

She was convicted of five counts of dishonestly making a false statements between June 27, 2005 and July 18, 2008 in relation to a housing and council tax benefit claim for Pemdevon Road, West Croydon.

She was also convicted of furnishing false documentation on or before June 27, 2005 and two counts of falsely representing between September 1, 2006 and September 6, 2009 she owned no property in relation to an income support claim.

Ihenacho resided at the Pemdevon Road address with her husband, whose name was on the property deeds, while renting out an address in Links Road, Tooting, which had been divided into two flats and occupied by more benefit claimants. 

"The defendant supplied a false tenancy agreement in her application for housing benefit and furnished false information to back up the lie," said prosecutor Miss Francesca Levett.

"The information named the Family Education Helpline as the landlord when, in fact, her husband was the owner of the property and she had a finical interest in it.

"She also failed to declare a number of bank accounts that would have shown she was receiving rent and income from other sources.

"She claimed to be a tenant even though she knew her husband owned the property.

"The defendant was the Family Education Helpline. She set it up and ran it and was the signatory of the organisation.

"It was run from the Links Road, a property owned by the defendant, and she rented it out even being paid housing benefit directly as the landlord.

"It is a contrived and systematic fraud on a commercial scale aimed at profiting at the taxpayers expense," added Miss Levett.

Ihenacho's children are all university-educated, her daughter is a Cambridge graduate and she received an 'Unsung Woman' award for charitable services to the Nigerian community.

"You made a series of deliberately false and dishonest claims and supported them with fraudulent documentation," Recorder Campbell-Tiech told tearful Ihenacho, who still protests her innocence.

"The proceeds were spent on two mortgages on properties you either owned or had a financial interest in."

Online Charmer Jailed For Fleecing Seventeen Women

A “sophisticated and charismatic” online fraudster – who posed as a wealthy white American businessman – conned a fortune out of a string of women who fell for his fake charms.

Seventeen victims have been identified in the USA, Canada and Trinidad & Tobago and one woman sent him £177,000 and another was bankrupted.

Hery Agunu, 25, (pic.top) of Odessa Road, Forest Gate, East London abused Facebook, dating websites and other social media to build a fake online profile.

Victims sent money to tide him over after being convinced he had won a multi-million pound Olympic contract and the funds were laundered via the bank account of Evelina Sisin, 39, (pic.bottom) of Chiltern House, Beaconsfield Road, Edmonton.

Agunu pleaded guilty to committing fraud by false representation and received six years and four months imprisonment and Sisin received eighteen months for money laundering at Isleworth Crown Court.

The scam was exposed after a bank in the US stopped a payment, which they believed to be fraudulent and alerted the authorities.

The US authorities handed the case over to Operation Podium – which targetted Olympic Games-associated crime - and Agunu was tracked down.

The defendant's 'M.O' was to portray himself as a widowed businessman in search of love and companionship and he built a number of aliases for himself, using details of real people.

He spent anything from two weeks to months to groom his victims into forming a relationship with him and even falling in love.

The next step in Agunu's scam would be to persuade the women that he was struggling financially and needed to borrow money until he got paid.

In one scam he told the victim that he had won a multi-million pound contract to deliver 'platform and transport services' for the Metropolitan Police Service during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

He went to lengths researching and writing a fake lucrative contract showing himself as the winner of the work.

The victims are aged from their mid 50s to late 70s.

Detective Superintendent Nick Downing, from Operation Podium, said: "Agunu was a sophisticated and charismatic operator who deliberately wormed his way into way into women's affections, promising love and marriage, simply to rip them off.

"He has made thousands of pounds, and left a number of women suffering more than just financial lost.

"My advice to anyone is simple, no matter what the circumstances, never give money to anyone you meet online and cannot prove for yourself they are who they say.

"Even if they use the name of a well-known organisation, such as ours, or produce professional looking documents in an attempt to add credence to their claims. Such things are all too easy to fake and it is almost certainly not genuine.”

Parking Meter Scammer Shot Dead Over £250,000 Debt

A Kosovan parking meter criminal was shot dead over a £250,000 debt by an associate now starting a life sentence.

Cima Sogojeva, 27, (pic. top) made a fortune ripping-off London Borough of Westminster meters and gave the cash to 32 year-old fellow-countryman Lundrim Gjikokaj (pic. bottom) for safe keeping.

Gjikokaj, of Western Elms Avenue, Reading, Berkshire executed Mr. Sogojeva at his Golders Green flat, shooting him three times in the back and head, also stabbing the victim.

Mr. Sogojeva lost £177,000 when police raided a security box he stashed some of his criminal fortune in and fearing more raids handed the rest of his loot to the defendant.

They met in Caroline Court, Highfield Road on October 6, 2008, but instead of returning the money Gjikokaj murdered his one-time associate and fled the scene.

Detective Chief Inspector Tim Duffield, of the Met's Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: “Lundrim Gjikokaj presented a carefully crafted alibi to the police after his arrest, cynically claiming that he had been elsewhere at the time, and that he had been a 'close friend' of the victim and claimed to be 'heartbroken' at hearing of Cima's demise.

“A detailed investigation established that Gjikokaj, a compulsive gambler, had in fact meticulously planned the fatal events, and his motivation was purely to avoid paying a significant and rapidly escalating debt.

“Faced with the prospect of having to answer difficult questions during the trial, he refused to give evidence to the jury.”

During a four-week Old Bailey trial the court heard that at 11:15am police received a 999 call by a member of the public, stating that they had heard shots fired at an address in Highfield Road.

Officers and paramedics attended and found Mr. Sogojeva collapsed with gun shot and knife wounds inside the address. He was pronounced dead at the scene.




Detectives established Gjikokaj had continually dodged Cima because of a financial debt thought to be in the region of £250,000.

Following a detailed enquiry into his movements it was established that he had met Mr. Sogojeva at the victim's home address on the morning of the murder.

A search of the crime scene and wider area identified crucial forensic evidence linking Gjokokaj to the shooting.

He will serve a minimum of twenty-eight years imprisonment before he can be considered for parole. 



'Lesbian' Asylum-Seeker Jailed For Benefits And ID Plot

A Ugandan identity and benefits fraudster - currently trying to convince the Home Office she will be persecuted for being a lesbian if deported - was jailed for sixteen months yesterday for her role in an eighteen year £4m plot.

Betty Tibakawa, 24, studied here for three years under a false identity after entering the country five-and-a-half years ago on a six month visa and her lengthy asylum battle has become a cause celebre despite the authorities firm belief she has invented her account of homophobic abuse in her homeland.

Tibakawa, of Cordell House, Newton Road, Finsbury Park pleaded guilty to conspiring with others, including ringleader Ruth Nabaguzi, 49, to defraud immigration and DSS departments and other government departments between June 12, 1993 and September 9, 2011.

She also pleaded guilty to making an application for UK naturalisation in a false name and using that identity to make a fraudulent claim for £4,503 in jobseekers allowance, plus approximately £2,000 in social fund benefits.

"The crown say miss Tibakawa assisted others in using and abusing identities," prosecutor Miss Kerry Broome told Croydon Crown Court. "Once she assumed the false identity claims were made for benefits and the like."

Tibakawa entered the UK on July 5, 2007 on condition she stay no longer then six months, but in January 2011 applied to the Home Office for asylum under her true identity, claiming she was the victim of homophobia in Uganda.

She claims she was branded on her inner thighs with a flat iron filled with red-hot coals while growing up in Uganda and her case has benefited from the support of Medical Justice and Human Rights Watch in this country.

She studied for three years under the false identity of Taty Mangangi at Waltham College, but failed to appear for her naturalisation swearing-in ceremony under this name, instead launching the asylum bid.

Tibakawa is currently residing in Home Office accommodation and is in receipt of "pocket money" from the government.

Her lawyer Mr. Patrick Maggs told the court: "She is at the lower end of offending and was more of a customer of Ruth Nabaguzi than a foot soldier.

"She arrived in this country aged eighteen and at that young age she made a series of appalling decisions.

"This is a young woman, if not searching for a better life, then trying to achieve a normal life. Just trying to get the best life she can in this country.

"The crown are taking a monolithic attitude and do not accept her asylum claim and what is hanging over her head at the moment is worse than any custodial sentence."

Judge Nicholas Ainley told a tearful Tibakawa: "There has to be an immediate custodial sentence, but I will make it as short as I can. You allowed false identities to be developed and you adapted one for yourself."