Benefit Cheat Sold Secret Property

A benefit fraudster has been sentenced for pocketing over £32,000 in Universal Credit while secretly owning another property he deliberately failed to declare.

Laikh Hussain, 41, of Ashburnham Road, Richmond-upon-Thames has arranged a £50 per month repayment with the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP), which he has been paying since February, last year.

At this rate, even without interest being charged, it will take until the year 2079 for the defrauded taxpayers money to be repaid.

He pleaded guilty to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain benefit on July 8, 2020, namely that he did not own any other property than the home in which he lived.

Yesterday, prosecutor Aya Alshekhili told Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court Hussain claimed for both himself and his wife between July 8, 2020 and January 7, 2024.

He stated on the application he was unemployed with no other means of support and owned no valuable assets, including property in this country or abroad.

During this period he dishonestly obtained £32,379.66 from the DWP.

“The Universal Credit was paid to him based on his declared circumstances, but the evidence is that from the outset he had capital, the value of a property,” explained the prosecutor.

“Had this been known by the DWP that would have affected his entitlement. He declared no savings, investments, capital or ownership of property.”

However, during the claim Hussain sold the property he owned, paid off the mortgage and received £61,889.41 into his Nationwide bank account.

“When he was questioned he said he did not declare the property because he had not read the application form properly and said he did not see the property as capital,” added Ms Alshekhili.

Hussain told the DWP investigators: “I didn’t read everything. I made a mistake.”

“He agreed he was moving funds between his bank accounts and said he had personal issues in his life that distracted him from declaring the account.”

Hussain’s lawyer John Lucas told the magistrates: “He has pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and is a man of previous good character.

“He is a self-employed Uber driver, has a family and works extremely hard long hours.

“His father passed away in 2021, he has one son and his job and family would be affected by any prison sentence.

“He has been repaying the money as much as he can at fifty pounds a month since February, last year. He is making recompense.

“Mr Hussain is a good person fundamentally that made a terrible error of judgment and the pre-sentence report says he spoke with a heavy heart and is very remorseful.

“He says he will never be before the courts again.”

Hussain received twenty-seven weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years and was ordered to complete 150 hours community service.

“This offence is so serious it attracts a sentence of custody,” announced bench Chairman Michael Ross. “This was sustained criminal conduct, but was essentially a one-off.”

Hussain was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £154 victim surcharge and told by Mr Ross: “I hope not to see you in court again.”

Drunken Policewoman Found Sleeping In Her Merc

A veteran policewoman was arrested by fellow officers, who found her sleeping in the driver’s seat of her Mercedes while over double the drink-drive limit, a court heard.

Karis Ashton, 50, an officer with Kent Police had punctured and the engine of her car was still running when she was woken up, Bromley Magistrates’ Court was told.

She now faces the sack after years of service and losing two-thirds of her pension when she retires next year.

The mother-of-two, of Minnis Road, Birchington-on-Sea pleaded guilty yesterday to being in charge of the vehicle in Herne Bay Road on July 11 with 78 micrograms of alcohol on her breath.

The legal limit is 35.

“The defendant was asleep in the driver’s seat and the keys were in the ignition and the engine was running,” said prosecutor Arama Thompson.

No details were given regarding where Ashton had been drinking or where she was going or how her Mercedes came to be punctured.

“I ask for full credit for her guilty plea,” said Eliza Bell, defending. “She has lost her good character today and the consequences are significant.

“It is the beginning for her today in many ways and she will be subject to police disciplinary proceedings.

“She is due to retire next year after decades of service and may potentially lose two-thirds of her pension, which means she will be unable to pay her mortgage and other things she has been planning for years.”

The court heard Ashton has assisted in a national programme to help victims of domestic violence by speeding up the process they give video-recorded evidence.

“That is now tarnished due to doing something out of character, something that she will reflect on for evermore.”

District Judge Stephan Leake told the £50,000-a year officer: “Guilty pleas in this kind of case are important. They recognise responsibility on your part.

“You were in a vehicle with a puncture and taken by officers back to the police station and you were over the limit.

“You are a serving police officer with Kent Police and are nearing the end of your career after thirty years.

“It is clear this is extremely out of character. You have dedicated your life to public service and that is an important matter to take into account.

“The consequences of this conviction are significantly greater for you than other people and there are now disciplinary proceedings you will have to go through.

“The consequences of losing your job may lead to a significant reduction in your pension.”

Detective Chief Inspector Zoe Traynor of Kent Police wrote a reference to the court supporting Ashton, who wrote a personal letter to the District Judge, referring to challenging personal family circumstances.

“The DCI spoke very highly of you and your work in domestic violence and the national scheme,” said Judge Leake.

“This case is your first offence and I am satisfied you are not a person who is a risk to other road users.

“You have been going through a very difficult time for a number of years.”

Ashton was fined £460, with £85 costs and ordered to pay a £184 victim surcharge. Her driving licence was also endorsed with ten penalty points and she was not disqualified.

The Second Great Fire Of London: Five Years For Arsonist

An arsonist, who set ablaze a restaurant in the heart of the City of London, is starting a five-year prison sentence.

Ahmed Kawa, 35, fought the charge, but was convicted by an Inner London Crown Court jury of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered when he started the fire in Lovat Lane.

Alvise Dal Mas’s Salotto 31 wine bar and restaurant was set alight on June 12, last year, causing £411,500 worth of damage.

In the victim impact statement Alvise said it hadn’t been an easy time for him, his family or the staff and after the fire he couldn’t sleep and would worry all the time.

CCTV footage captured the moment Kawa used a lighter to set fire to a bag of rubbish, before walking away. 

Minutes later, the fire caught on to outside tables and chairs, which soon erupted into flames.

The inferno smashed the windows of the building and then it spread inside the restaurant; incinerating furniture, electrical equipment and decorations. 

The heat of the fire also ruined bottles of wine and spirits.

Kawa’s image from the CCTV was shared across the force, triggering a coordinated response to find him. 

Plain clothed officers and dedicated ward officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team engaged directly with the homeless community to track him down.

Working with a local charity, who identified Kawa and his whereabouts, officers moved in to arrest him.

“This business is something I am proud to own. I worked really hard to get to where I am and to get the businesses to where it is… This is not just a business to me; it is like a home. It is my whole life and has my whole life inside,” Alvise said in his statement.

Salotto 31

Alvise was finally able to reopen his restaurant in December, 2025.

The Antiquarian Horological Society was also damaged in the fire, with the blaze causing £76,597 worth of damage to that building.

Detective Constable Eleanor Gill, at the City of London Police’s Criminal Investigations Department, said: “This dangerous act committed by Kawa could have been even worse and it was a miracle no one was seriously injured.

“Kawa deliberately started a fire and walked away, showing absolutely no regard for the safety of others. 

“The City’s CCTV network enabled us to identify the offender, track his movements and show him committing his crime on camera.

“We’re committed to working with and protecting local businesses and supporting those affected by crime during our enquiries to quickly identify suspects and bring them to justice.”

During the trial, the judge noted that the fire occurred near the origin of the Great Fire of London in 1666. 

Kawa was spotted on CCTV walking down Pudding Lane and drinking from the water fountain at the Monument, which commemorates the historic fire.

Children's Doctor Accused Of Molesting Girls During Hospital Examinations

UPDATE: TARIQ BHATTI WAS FOUND NOT GUILTY ON ALL THREE CHARGES

A specialist children’s doctor molested a six year-old and eleven year-old girl during examinations at two Surrey hospitals, a court heard.

Consultant paediatrician Tariq Bhatti, 68, was a “well renowned” doctor at Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust, where he is accused of groping the girls between their legs.

Prosecutor Laurence Imrie told Guildford Crown Court: “The defendant worked as a consultant paediatrician and the complainants were his patients and they were children at the time.”

Delhi-educated Bhatti, of Beechwood Close, Weybridge has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault by penetration regarding the six year-old between January 1 and December 31 2006.

He has also pleaded not guilty to assault by penetration in relation to the eleven year-old between January 1 and December 31, 2011.

The six year-old saw Bhatti at Ashford Hospital with a urinary infection twenty years ago.

“She was asked to sit on the hospital bed and Mr Bhatti pulled a curtain to block the view of her mother,” explained the prosecutor.

Without using surgical gloves the consultant placed his hand between the girl’s legs and she described a feeling of “being pulled apart.”

“It caused her distress and she started crying and her mother says she was lying down and Mr Bhatti had his back to her and she could not see what he was doing, but her daughter had a worried look on her face.”

Afterwards the girl told her mother she did not want to see the consultant again, however there was another appointment.

“She was assaulted again,” Mr Imrie told the jury. “Her mother tried to comfort her.”

Now a woman in her mid-twenties she told the trial: “Everything I said was accurate as I remember.”

When cross-examined she admitted not knowing the name of the doctor she saw at the time, only that he was “non-white” and was never asked to attend an identity parade.

Her mother also gave evidence and said: “He did not say what he was going to do, but he was well-renowned and I just trusted him.”

She said her daughter was reluctant to attend a second appointment. “She said: ‘I don’t want him to touch me. He touched my bits.’

“In her mid-teens she was having mental health issues and a bit of a breakdown and she threw this at me again and decided she needed to see someone about it and saw her GP.”

The eleven year-old girl had a blood disorder and saw Bhatti while accompanied by her mother.

“She was asked to sit on the hospital bed and take her clothes down,” explained Mr Imrie. The consultant then molested her between her legs, said the prosecutor.

When questioned by police Bhatti insisted he would always wear surgical gloves for such examinations and denied sexually assaulting the girls.

“He denied the allegations and said he does not have a sexual interest in children.”

The jury were told they will also hear evidence that the examinations Bhatti conducted “were not medically justified.”

The eleven year-old girl had a blood disorder that caused leukaemia-like symptoms.

Now a woman in her mid-twenties, she gave a recorded statement to police in 2021 that was played to the jury.

“He pulled the curtain around and checked my groin area for lymph nodes, which could have been done with my underwear on,” she told the trial.

“He was pressing around my groin area. He did not tell me what he was doing and I didn’t understand why and he was not wearing any gloves.

“I did not report it or anything and this year (2021) I told my parents and my dad’s reaction is why I reported it to the NHS and I looked up that he was still practising.”

The woman had a meeting with NHS representatives and reviewed the notes Bhatti made of his examination of her.

“We went through them and he did not note that he made an internal examination.

“I remember not wanting to go back to see him and remember telling my mum something like: ‘I don’t like him,’ and her saying: ’Neither do I’.” 

Trial continues………….

Not Guilty Of 'Life Changing' Punch

Not Guilty: Modeste

A husband who received a devastating punch in front of his wife saw the man who delivered the blow walk free after a jury cleared him of GBH today.

Anthony Modeste, 51, was outside his gym in Staines-upon-Thames when a row began between himself and Charlie and Charlotte Simmons, who were in their Land Rover.

Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court heard the defendant clashed with the couple on June 5, last year, but he told the jury he acted in self-defence after being threatened and was cleared.

The prosecution alleged Modeste was still angry about something that happened years ago, but he denied this.

The complainant’s wife Charlotte told the trial: “I was in the vehicle and he spat towards my vehicle and kissed his teeth.”

She said Modeste was “loud and aggressive” and got in her face by the side of the Land Rover, causing her husband Charlie to intervene.

He told Modeste: “We don’t want any drama,” Charlotte told the jury.

“He was being aggressive towards me,” she continued. “He did not step back he stepped towards me.”

Modeste claimed he stepped back during the encounter and that Mr Simmons “rushed” towards him with his arms raised.

Modeste admitted throwing a punch, but claimed he did not realise the severity of the impact, believing it caught Mr Simmons’ arm or was just a glancing blow to the top of the head.

“He threw a punch so hard I heard the impact in my left ear,” added Charlotte. “That damage has impacted my husband’s life forever now.

"Damaged": Charlie Simmons

“He came as an aggressor and threw powerful punch to my husband which has changed his and all of our lives forever.

“He swung with intent to seriously harm my husband.”

Modeste, of De Ros Place, Egham, Surrey told the trial he had arrived for a session at his gym and got into an argument with Charlotte.

“She was pushing her fingers up in my face,” claimed Modeste, who said he had his walking stick with him at the time.

He said Mr Simmons came rushing around from the other side of the Land Rover.

“I’m assuming he is going to hit me and I had to defend myself.

“I didn’t think I hit him in his mouth, but the arm or top of the head. In my perception I didn’t hit anyone to cause GBH.”

When Modeste was later arrested at the gym he told police: “No-one’s hit no-one.”

The jury found him not guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm, but Modeste was made subject to a five-year restraining order, prohibiting him contacting the couple or entering their neighbourhood in the Vincent Road area of Staines-upon-Thames.