Benefit cheat gets suspended sentence for swindling £25k (From Sutton Guardian)

Worcester Park man Wahid Jabeiti gets suspended sentence for swindling £25k

8:30am Friday 28th September 2012 in News By James Pepper

A benefits cheat who swindled a total of £25,572.81 in housing and council tax benefit has been given a five-month suspended prison sentence.

Former Worcester Park resident and married father-of-two Wahid Jabeiti, 39, pleaded guilty to failing to declare a change in circumstances, at Croydon Crown Court on September 17.

Mr Jabeiti had claimed that between 2006 and 2009 he had no income other than part-time earnings from a family business, a Mediterranean deli in Worcester Park High Street named Worcester Park Foods Ltd.

But an 18-month investigation by Sutton Council Benefit Investigators discovered that Mr Jabeiti had a secret bank account and was regularly receiving funds which he spent at outlets including TK Maxx and Asda.

Councillor Richard Clifton, lead member for revenue and benefits, said: "Benefits are there to help people in need and those who set out to cheat that system are cheating everyone who lives in the Borough.

"I’d like to warn every cheat that we have a team of highly skilled, highly professional investigators and you will be caught."

Mr Jabeiti sentence was suspended for two years, but was also given a 120-hour community order.