Bentley-Driving Benefits Cheat With Expensive Tastes Behind Bars

A Bentley-driving benefits cheat, who lived a double life as a gastropub boss serving a wealthy yachting community £125 truffle and champagne burgers, was convicted of a £30,000 fraud today.

Businessman Stephen John Sussams, 59, the ex-boss of the landmark Royal Dart, The Square, Kingswear, Devon treated the council flat he received housing benefit for as his London "pied-à-terre" during the scam.

He will now swap his old gourmet menu, which included crocodile, impala and ostrich, for prison food after being remanded in custody until his sentencing on January 11 at Croydon Crown Court.

"I am not in the business of unrealistically raising expectations, " Judge Peter Gow QC told Sussams, who bitterly fought the case. "I am prepared to adjourn for a pre-sentence report, but realistically it can only go to the length of the sentence of imprisonment, which I believe is inevitable in this case."

Sussams was featured in a BBC Panorama investigation screened last year called 'Britain on the Fiddle' and when confronted while sitting in his Bentley said he refused to engage in "trial by television."

He deliberately kept his business interests and three companies secret from Croydon Council, who continued paying £14,625 to cover the rent and council tax on the one-bedroom flat he shared with his younger civil partner in Marston Way, Upper Norwood.

Sussams also drained the account of the flat's deceased former tenant, Keith Dickinson, who  once worked for nightclub boss Peter Stringfellow, stealing £17,600 in carer's allowance payments.

The jury took just ninety minutes to unanimously convict Sussams of stealing the allowance payments from the London Borough of Croydon between August 28, 2008 and January 13, 2009 and dishonestly making a false statement on or about September 19, 2008 in relation to a housing and council tax benefit claim by failing to declare he was living with his civil partner Evengy Vasin.

He was also convicted of fraud between June 1, 2009 and March 31, this year by dishonestly failing to disclose to Croydon he was the company director of Jireh Investments and Assets and similarly that he was the company director of Kingwear Inns between October 29, 2010 and March 31, this year and Kingswear Inns (Assets) between December 2, 2010 and March 31, this year. 

"This defendant was living in Devon as the landlord of that pub, he was not living in Croydon," prosecutor Miss Nancy Udom told the jury. "The flat he was claiming housing and council tax benefit on was a pied-à-terre in the south-east for Mr. Sussams."

"He had a responsibility to tell the council he was linked to a business in Devon ," added Miss Udom. "This was dishonesty, this was fraudulent.

"He knew that if he told the truth the payments would stop and he chose to be dishonest rather than lose the flat in Croydon."

The jury were told Sussams was the primary carer for Keith Dickinson, the former tenant of the flat in Marston Way, Upper Norwood.

When he died on August 28, 2008 the direct carer's payment continued being made into his bank account.

"Mr Sussams, as the primary carer, had access to this bank account and would have been aware that very large sums were coming into the bank account.

"This defendant made large withdrawals from the account, some coincided with the payments going in or within a couple of days," explained Miss Udom.

Sussams withdrew £3,500 just three days after a direct payment went in and on another occasion withdrew funds on the same day the account was credited.

"This was simply stealing. That money should have been left where it was or returned to the council, not withdrawn by Mr. Sussams."

Croydon council invoiced Sussams for the overpayment, but he simply told them all the money had been dispersed in accordance with Mr. Dickinson's will.

Sussams, who was in receipt of incapacity benefit, successfully claimed housing and council tax benefit as a sole occupier, but deliberately failed to tell the council he was sharing the property with his civil partner Evengy Vasin.

"He did not declare his true personal circumstances and failed to declare that he was living with his partner, Mr. Vasin, his civil partner," said Miss Udom. "In fact he went further and told outright lies and claimed he was the sole occupier."

The couple had a civil ceremony on August 8, 2006.

Sussams told a pack of lies to the jury, insisting he thought the allowance payments to Mr. Dickinson were his Stringfellow's pension and that he honestly believed Croydon Council knew he had his own business.

Sussams received a suspended prison sentence in 1978 for deception and theft and three years imprisonment in 1986 for cannabis production.

Croydon will pursue compensation under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Bankruptcy Deputy Jailed For Stealing £85K

The deputy official receiver of Croydon was jailed for a year today by a judge who condemned her for taking £85,000 from people facing bankruptcy - blowing some of the money on a Far East holiday and furnishing her home.

Mother-of-two Samantha Jane O'Sullivan, 44, (pictured) of Davidson road, Croydon convinced solicitors, representing insolvent clients, to write cheques payable to her instead of her office and also simply pocketed cash payments made over the counter.

Ironically, the one-time £43,000 a year civil servant was forced to sell her own home, which the Insolvency Service had a charge on, to pay back some of the money she took, but is still £29,000 short.

"You are a lady with a degree and for twenty years you have worked in the financial world and worked with people who were insolvent and saw the difficulties they had," Croydon Crown Court Judge Ruth Downing told the first-time offender.

"There were other ways for you to deal with this other than stealing eighty-five thousand pounds from people in financial difficulties.

"There are thousands of people in this country giving up their homes and financial investments to cope with their financial circumstances.

"They did not have the opportunity to tap into significant sums of money as you did in your job.

"They would never have given you the money if they knew you were going to spend it on a holiday to Cambodia."

O'Sullivan also spent money on clearing debts left by her ex-husband and gave cash gifts to friends, office colleagues and her parents, claiming she had benefitted from a large inheritance.

She pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud by abuse of position between February 14 and March 22, last year in relation to £1,715; £43,142; £1,500; £15,000; £18,383 and £6,253.

Cash payments she stole from the office included £1,500 one woman paid to secure the ownership of her own property and a statutory fee of £1,715. 

The remaining frauds involved hoodwinking two solicitors and an individual to make cheques payable to herself when financially desperate people were forced to sell their homes to cover debts.

After selling her family home for £237,000 O'Sullivan repaid £56,000 to the Insolvency Service and moved into rented accommodation and claimed benefits.

"The victims were clearly vulnerable, they were already bankrupt," said prosecutor Miss Olivia Kong.

"She was suffering moderate to severe depression and had emotionally unstable personality disorder on the basis of the impulsivity of her behaviour and inability to plan ahead," said Miss Abigail Penny, defending.

"She had been in a marriage with a man who had drug problems and he ran up significant debts on her credit cards and she paid a substantial amount of money, around twenty-three thousand pounds, for him to get a plumbing qualification and lost all the money."

O'Sullivan's employers told her she could not work at the office if she declared herself bankrupt.

"She thought there was no way back," added Miss Penny. "She realised what she did at the time was abhorrent as the deputy official receiver and always intended to pay the money back.

"She handed over to the official receiver anything she had of value and now feels she has nothing left in terms of dignity, professional standing and everything she has worked for."

Judge Downing added: "It is an overwhelming abuse of a position of trust. She has taken eighty-five thousand pounds of other people's money to sort out her financial affairs."

Nigerians' Deadly £2.7M International Scam

Two Nigerian fraudsters, whose global £2.7m scam had deadly consequences for one family they mercilessly ripped-off, were jailed yesterday.

Police identified a total of thirteen victims all over the world, who each lost an average of £207,000, after the duo convinced them they were due an Australian lottery pay-out, inheritance, investment benefit or were sold non-existent heavy plant machinery.

Obinnam Nwokolo, 37, (pic.top l.) of Chesworth Close, Erith, who amassed a valuable property portfolio in the UK and Nigeria, received six years and four months and Uchechhukwu Onuoha, 40, (pic.top r.) of Aspen Green, Erith, who entered this country on a student visa, received five years and two months.

Both pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to conspiracy to defraud between October 1, 2008 and September 15, last year.

One of their victims, Betty McClellan, 62, of Hyde Park, Los Angeles was shot dead by her husband Hersey McClellan, 63, who then shot himself on June 20, 2010 after she wired £264,000 - blowing the couple's hard-earned pension.

She transferred the sums to accounts controlled by fellow Nigerians Sergius Ene, 44, (pic.bottom l.) of Rushden Gardens, Ilford and once-deported student Osas Odia, 33, (pic.bottom r.)  of Windrush Court, Chichester Wharf, Erith, who both admitted conspiring to launder criminal property.

Ene, who received sixteen months in March for a £27,000 'Euromilions' lottery scam on an 83 year-old Northampton pensioner, was jailed for two years and eight months. for laundering £342,400.

The accountant, also a former Haringey Council housing benefit officer, who drove a Mercedes with a personalised 'ENE' number plate, is currently appealing deportation and it was revealed the mother of his three children entered into a sham marriage with a French citizen of African origin just to stay in the UK.

Student Odia, who laundered £149,000, was deported in 2005 as an illegal overstayer after a forged passport conviction, but is now a permanent resident after marrying a UK national. He will be sentenced on February 11 so he can complete a management degree.

Victims were telephoned, emailed or written to by Nwokolo and Onuoha, who between them spent at least £22,500 on stationary supplies as they convinced the dupes to pay for admin fees, insurance, certificates and other charges to release funds due to them.

Some victims paid money to a bogus charity claiming to assist West African refugees and one even paid for a non-existent U.S. Army General to ship his trunk of belongings from Afghanistan to Australia.

"These monies were placed in a series of bank accounts and laundered," said prosecutor Mr. Andrew Evans. "The fraud was carried out on an international scale."

Mrs McClellan was convinced she had won $2.8m on the Australian lottery and sent £264,000 to cover taxes and admin costs to release the win.

"When her husband discovered she had lost all of their pension savings he shot her dead and then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide," added Mr. Evans. Their bodies were found by their son.

An Indiana farmer, believing he had a claim on a £14.9m inheritance, lost over £339,000 and a Venezuelan businessman lost £163,000 buying a mobile crane Nwokolo and father-of-two Onuoha advertised for sale on a Spanish website.

A Bristol woman lost £312,000 chasing a £1.8m Australian lottery win and found herself arrested after paying the counterfeit £158,000 cheque the defendants sent her into her account.

"She was buying a new home and intended to settle the balance from the winnings she was expecting.

"She is now living in sheltered accommodation and feels vulnerable and extremely embarrassed and her family have lost their inheritance."

Father-of-three Nwokolo even bought three 1,350 per-hour letter-folding machines to increase the volume of mail shots and his home contained lists with details of thousands of individuals and businesses.

Onuoha had a pile of 593 scam letters ready for postage when police raided the home he rented off Nwokolo and officers also found a prepared 'script' he used when duping victims over the phone.

"It is difficult to think of a larger advance free fraud than this," announced Judge Jeremy Gold QC. "It is on an enormous scale.

"Thousands of emails and letters were sent out across the world promising money from non-existent relatives from inheritances or non-existence lottery wins.

"You preyed on the naivety or generosity of people to extract large amounts of money from them with devastating effects on their personal lives.

"I regard this fraud as one that falls into the most serious category of advanced fee fraud, targeting vulnerable victims."

Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation proceedings will follow.

Camera Shy Katie?

Notoriously publicity hungry and money hungry model Katie Price did everything she could yesterday to avoid any 'free' photographs of herself to be taken.

Always happy to pose for photographers when there is money in it for her she was surprisingly reluctant to stop for the lens outside Croydon Crown Court. 

She had a court date to appeal against a motoring conviction.

Arriving with an entourage of five people Price - formerly known as Jordan - broke into a little jog when she realised a photographer was taking pictures. 

What was the matter Katie? Were you worried you would never see any cash for the snaps?

Well here they are.

On departure she hid behind one of her 'people' and covered her face with her hair to ensure there were no clear shots.

Katie, have you ever heard the phrase: "The bigger they are the nicer they are?"

It obviously does not apply to you.

Model Katie Price Overturns Road Ban

Price Arriving At Croydon Crown Court

Model Katie Price was celebrating a rare court victory today after winning an appeal and having a twelve month driving ban overturned.

She convinced Croydon Crown Court she never received two speeding tickets sent to her new address.

Price, 34, of Wincaves Farm, Worthing Road, Horsham had originally been convicted at Bromley Magistrates' Court of failing to give identification regarding a driver's identity as required after her white Range Rover was caught on camera speeding through London on September 5 and 6, last year.

She was fined £400, with £350 costs, plus a £15 victim surcharge and her licence, which already had six penalty points, was endorsed with another six penalty points, triggering the twelve-month ban.

However, today's decision by Judge Daniel Flahive, sitting with two magistrates, overturned that conviction and Price will also have all her legal costs paid.

"The prosecution have satisfied the court that service did take place," he announced. "The burden then shifts to the defendant that it had not been received.

"Having considered the evidence we find that on the balance of probability we are not satisfied that she did receive the documentation."

Price told the court her mother opens all of her mail and anything of a legal nature is passed on to her solicitor.

Her mother, Amy Price, also gave evidence that if the speeding tickets had been received copies would have been made and they would have been forwarded to the lawyer.

"We found the appellant's mother gave convincing evidence and we accept the evidence of Katie Price that this is something she allows others to do for her."

Price also told the court she was attending a book-signing in Oxfordshire on the day her vehicle was caught speeding and described the Range Rover as a vehicle she never drives, but lends to friends.

The speeding notices were sent to a new home she was renovating on September 12, plus reminders on November 10, but she insisted she only became aware of the issue after receiving a court summons for failing to respond.

Two-Time Illegal Jailed And Booted Out Again

An illegal Albanian immigrant, who ignored a deportation order and again returned to the UK on a bogus Italian passport, has been jailed for fourteen months.

Emiljahno Hoxha, 23, was stopped driving a car in Deptford, South-East London, on November 20 and showed police the passport and fake Italian driving licence.

He pleaded guilty to possessing two false identity documents with intent.

Woolwich Crown Court (pictured) heard he was jailed for four months in December, last year for an identical offence and deported.

Two days later he bought the Italian ID for £200 with the intention of returning and entered the UK via Holland in June.

He claims his life is in danger in his home country after the murder of his cousin.

"He says it is very much better here and easier to work here," Hoxha's lawyer told the court.

Judge S Dawson told the defendant: "The aggravating feature here, apart from your using of a false identity document and undermining the security of the country, is that you have a previous conviction for the same offence.

"You were also probably driving without having passed a proper test in this country."

Gastropub Boss Accused Of £30K Benefits Fraud

The boss of a landmark Devonshire gastropub lived a double life in which he stole and defrauded over £30,000 from a London borough - falsely claiming benefits on a council flat he treated as a "pied-à-terre" - a jury were told yesterday.

Stephen John Sussams, 59, ex-owner of the Royal Dart, The Square, Kingswear, Dartmouth - located in the heart of the local yachting community - kept his business a secret from the London Borough of Croydon who paid his rent and council tax.

"This defendant was living in Devon as the landlord of that pub, he was not living in Croydon," prosecutor Miss Nancy Udom told the jury. "The flat he was claiming housing and council tax benefit on in Marston Way, Upper Norwood was a pied-à-terre in the south-east for Mr. Sussams."

Croydon Crown Court was told Sussams continued withdrawing a total of £17,600 in carer's allowance payments the council paid to a deceased man he had looked after and claimed another £14,625 in housing and council tax benefit after inheriting the tenancy.

"He had a responsibility to tell the council he was linked to a business in Devon ," added Miss Udom. "This was dishonesty, this was fraudulent.

"He knew that if he told the truth the payments would stop and he chose to be dishonest rather than lose the flat in Croydon."

The jury were told Sussams was the primary carer for Keith Dickinson, the tenant of the one-bedroom flat in Marston Way, Upper Norwood.

When he died on August 28, 2008 the direct carer's payment continued being made into his bank account.

"Mr Sussams, as the primary carer, had access to this bank account and would have been aware that very large sums were coming into the bank account.

"This defendant made large withdrawals from the account, some coincided with the payments going in or within a couple of days," explained Miss Udom.

The court heard Sussams withdrew £3,500 just three days after a direct payment went in and on another occasion withdrew funds on the same day the account was credited.

"This was simply stealing. That money should have been left where it was or returned to the council, not withdrawn by Mr. Sussams."

Croydon council invoiced Sussams for the overpayment, but he simply told them all the money had been dispersed in accordance with Mr. Dickinson's will.

Sussams, who was in receipt of incapacity benefit, successfully claimed housing and council tax benefit as a sole occupier, but deliberately failed to tell the council he was sharing the property with his civil partner Evengy Vasin, the jury were told.

"He did not declare his true personal circumstances and failed to declare that he was living with his partner, Mr. Vasin, his civil partner," said Miss Udom. "In fact he went further and told outright lies and claimed he was the sole occupier."

The couple had a civil ceremony on August 8, 2006.

Sussams has pleaded not guilty to stealing £17,600 from the London Borough of Croydon between August 28, 2008 and January 13, 2009.

He also denies dishonestly making a false statement on or about September 19, 2008 in relation to a housing and council tax benefit claim by failing to declare he was living with his civil partner Evengy Vasin.

He further denies fraud between June 1, 2009 and March 31, this year by dishonestly failing to disclose to Croydon he was the company director of Jireh Investments and Assets and similarly that he was the company director of Kingwear Inns between October 29, 2010 and March 31, this year and Kingswear Inns (Assets) between December 2, 2010 and March 31, this year. 

Trial continues………

Grandma Jailed For Drug Smuggling

A Shepherd's Bush grandmother, caught at Gatwick Airport with 13 kilos of cannabis – worth £35,000 – in her suitcases, was jailed for twenty months today.

Marcia Cynthia Rattray, 50, of Wendell Road pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to importing the cannabis from Jamaica on September 14.

The court heard she had collected the suitcases from a contact during her ten-day trip and was promised payment of £500-£600 for smuggling the drugs.

The trip had been set up by a man who knew she was in financial difficulties and was described as a “bad influence.”

Judge Shani Barnes told the mother-of-two, who has five grandchildren: “You have clearly had a difficult and troubled path through adulthood, with several previous convictions.

“You had reached a very low point in August. You had got into a great amount of debt and you were about to lose your home.

“You could see no way out and there were other influences on you and you did something that is extremely serious.

“Bringing thirteen kilos of cannabis into this country is a very serious offence.

“This was a decision made with all the pressure you were under and the money you were to receive will be little reward compared to the time you will spend in custody.

“I hope this is a low point and that you do not come back before the courts again.”

Garage Boss Broke Neighbour's Arm During 'Parking Rage' Row

A garage boss, who broke a neighbouring mechanic's arm with a heavy-duty spirit-level during a 'parking rage' row, was told today he would be going to prison.

Mark Evans Blackburn, 46, (pictured) of Bakers Gardens, Carshalton swung the four-foot long wooden weapon at Matthew Ward during a furious row over blocked access.

Blackburn was convicted by a Croydon Crown Court jury of inflicting grievous bodily harm in Bensham Lane, Thornton Heath on January 5 and was remanded in custody.

“You have been convicted by a jury of a serious offence and the only sentence I can pass is one of imprisonment,” Judge Peter Gow QC told the father-of-two.

The court heard trouble began when Mr. Ward, who had just pulled up in his car, complained a small transit van Blackburn had just parked was blocking the entrance to his garage.

The defendant shouted: “I'm not going to move the fucking van,” and admitted in the witness box: “I think I told him to fuck off.”

The pair then had a face-to-face confrontation, shouting abuse at each other, when Mr. Ward's friend got out of a car with a dog.

“I was looking at the floor for something to arm myself with because I thought the dog was going to attack me,” Blackburn told the jury.

Mr. Ward said the defendant warned: “Wait there. I've got something to show you.”

Seconds later he returned with the spirit-level and, swinging it like a baseball bat, struck Mr. Ward, breaking his left arm, and causing him to fall to the floor.

Blackburn claimed the blow was in self-defence because he feared Mr. Ward was going to grab a weapon from the back of his own vehicle.

Prosecutor Mr. Nicholas Bleaney said: “Essentially this injury ruined Mr. Ward's professional life.

“As a direct result of his injuries he has had to give up his business.”

Blackburn will be sentenced on January 2.