Colin McCoy had claimed benefits on the basis that he was renting a property from his uncle, Thomas McCoy, and produced a tenancy agreement to prove this. However, in reality Colin McCoy had been the owner of the flat in Overstone Road since he inherited it in December 2003.
At West London Magistrates Court, McCoy pleaded guilty to two charges of dishonestly making a false statement in order to obtain benefit.
Cllr Adronie Alford, Hammersmith & Fulham Council's cabinet member for housing, said "It angers me these criminals think that they can cheat the system and falsely claim money that is not theirs. Residents will not tolerate this kind of behaviour and neither will this council. Prosecutions like this prove that we are actively pursuing benefits cheats to ensure that they are punished and that law-abiding residents do not lose out."
Colin McCoy was sentenced to re-pay the benefits of £11 600 and complete 140 hours of community work. He was also ordered to pay Hammersmith & Fulham Council
£2 873 in court costs.
October 4, 2007