not guilty of benefit fraud but they still want the money

marywooyeah

teflon_pete wrote: »

No fraud had taken place, it was a misunderstanding.

An overpayment occured, absolutely. which we admitted to at IUC -

yeah you ADMITTED it at an Interview under caution, which means either someone reported you for benefit FRAUD or the dwp became suspicious of you and brought you in. if you had told the dwp of the fact you were living together and HONESTLY submitted a joint claim in light of your changed circumstances then there would have been no overpayment and no court case!

you guys arent bothered they wasted thousands taking me through a massive legal proceeding that I had to get legal aid for? not to mention court costs and their legal costs.

yes I am bothered it cost taxpayers thousands of pounds, because if you had been honest in the first place they would not have had to take you to court!

teflon_pete

my solicitor said it wouldnt have gone to court for under £2000. so you're wrong there actually. They would've offered a caution or an administrative penalty.

if you dont know what you're on about I dont see how you can be of any help for or against me on this thread.

*Kat*

teflon_pete wrote: »

I dont want to go into specific details of the case on this website as it could identify me and have a negative impact on my case, as I still have an appeal outstanding I'd rather share my full experiences once that is finalized.

I really dont think anyone gives a !!!! about your "specific details". You've told us all we need to know about you. *shrugs*

marywooyeah

yes your solicitor is right it would have gone to court, but it would have not cost anywhere near the amount it did if you had just been honest in the first place, as the DWP had to conduct a massive investigation attempting to prove 4 years worth of fraud costing thousands of pounds of taxpayers money

poppy10_2

teflon_pete wrote: »

I was proved not guilty, so that means no fraud took place.

You might have been found not guilty of criminal fraud, but that doesn't mean they can't still chase you through the civil courts for payment. The standard of evidence required for civil fraud is lower than for a criminal conviction (balance of probabilities rather than beyond reasonable doubt) and therefore you can't just say you have been proved not guilty.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/30-second-guides/article.html?in_article_id=503134&in_page_id=53611

Mips

teflon_pete wrote: »

my solicitor said it wouldnt have gone to court for under £2000. so you're wrong there actually. They would've offered a caution or an administrative penalty.

if you dont know what you're on about I dont see how you can be of any help for or against me on this thread.

So you're a loser and you got off, probably from lack of paperwork.

Why are you crying? Even if you had to pay £30k it would be at such a reduced price you wouldn't even notice.

NEXT...........

healy

teflon_pete wrote: »

Me and my partner were accused by the LA and DWP as living together as a couple for over 4 years.

We denied this in an IUC, however we agreed that there was a much smaller period in which we had been living as a couple.

Anyway they didnt believe us and ended up sending us an invoice for over £30,000

They then sent us a summons to attend court, where it was quickly escalated to crown court.

Then the donkeys turned up in court and got their asses handed to them by our barrister, and they walked out limping and all charges of fraud were dropped and the judge ruled that the DWP and LA only had sufficient evidence to suggest we were living as a couple for about 5 months, so the overpayment is actually less than £2000 (after offsetting)

So WE WON!!!

BUT

they still want the full £30,000 off us, we're getting demands for it.

We've setup a payment plan to pay them £5 a week, to shut them up in the mean time, whilst we appeal to tribunal.

Surely if the judge in a crown court says they can only prove it for 5 months, they cant backbill for all of it? as they cant prove it.

HELP.

PLEASE DONT post about how I got away with fraud etc etc, I was proved not guilty, so that means no fraud took place. So all I;m asking for is info on how they can possibly have the front to ask for all that money back?!

I just thought it might be a good idea to quote this in full.

poet123

I admitted to the 5 months at IUC

Did it slip ypur mind to notify them?

gribbage

so what makes you think that admitting fraudulent behavior means you have not committed fraud?

velvetybubbles

im sure he's learnt a lesson from this