Should I report my brother for benefit fraud, again?

Wuffles

I would like to point out that I am not a newbie, I didn't want to post this under my screen name that I use normally.

I am in a Head vs Heart dilemma and I honestly, don't know what to do. I will give you a brief background and be short as possible.

Background: Growing up me and my brother was very close, he is 10 years older than me. We didn't have a good upbringing, we grew up in poverty, our father wasn't around then, whatever money our "mother" had went on her two beloved Son & Daughter, we was always made known they was the favourites. We had dirty clothes, hardly nothing and my two other sister and brother had everything, Because of our childhood he turned to a life of drugs, alcohol and petty crime. I am no angel - I rebelled in my teenager years but I got myself back on track later on in life. Anyway, we lost contact up until 4 years ago.

We couldn't be further different, he had a life of benefits, I worked day and night, two jobs to save a deposit for a mortgage to buy by home and went back out to work when my child was four months old to provide for her. He would roll out of bed at 2pm, roll up a spliff crack open a can and generally be a classic scrounger. By the time we got back in contact I was horrified of his lifestyle (I am not against benefits - he does not want to go to work, he would rather smoke cannabis and do a line of coke a day with his Stella) I told him I didn't like it and told him a few home truths. His wife didn't like it and banned me from his life, blocked all contact, for good. He is under the thumb and went along with it.

Back in 2011 was claiming child benefit, child tax credit, housing benefit, IS, didn't have to pay council tax and got a very nice country side four bed council house for three children (14. 5. 2) whilst he was claiming that he was a mobile karaoke DJ with a regular booking on a weekend at a local pub, plus other gigs at a price of £150 at the pub and charging £200 any other gigs, he was working cash in hand labourer and done one shift a week in a slaughter house which was also, cash in hand of £70.00 his wife, was basically an illegal loan collector and I am unsure approximately what she was getting but on the verge of £80 extra a week.

I tipped him off thinking he would have to learn the hard way, I felt, and still do terribly guilty. Fraud investigators found gadgets, plasmas, iPads etc house kitted out.. £30 street worth of cannabis, cocaine £50 street worth etc in the house. Found on facebook about his holidays abroad three times a year, expensive DJ equipment etc. he went to court, pleaded not guilty, was found guilty and ordered to pay back £1.00 per month his benefits was reduced not taken away.

Fast forward two months ago, although we are not in contact we are in contact with our biological father and his profile is set to public and he is blabbing he is still frauding again to my father and numerous other people and posting holidays etc etc on his facebook. He is going through a claim for DLA (?) don't know if the name has changed because him & his wife has depression! Which is a load of BS. (I suffer from depression and on anti depressants) and drug and alcohol addition, he had confessed he is doing it to make his money go up after it was reduced!

Should I just leave it? Maybe the truth will come out again? I went through a lot of guilt ridden times and stress the first time and the outcome was pathetic? Would love to hear some honest opinions, can't really speak about this situation with anyone else and it's eating up on me. Thank you:)

P.s sorry about spelling/grammar mistakes. Really, really tired!

Fire_Fox

He's breaking the law and setting an appalling example for the children and putting them in danger, report for their sake. Frankly if he'd doing coke on a daily basis he needs help.

Going4TheDream

Only you can make the decision on what to do but, if you were to take the 'emotional/personal' aspects out of this and just read the facts what would you
think?

On the face of it he is a benefit cheat

You are living proof that your history isnt a barrier to success - so why allow that as an excuse for your brother? I would be more worried about the example he is setting his children relating to drug use

If he is boasting on Fbook with a public profile then it is only a matter of time before a friend of a friend of a friend takes a dislike to what he is posting and reports him.

Pollycat

Wuffles wrote: »

Fast forward two months ago, although we are not in contact we are in contact with our biological father and his profile is set to public and he is blabbing he is still frauding again to my father and numerous other people and posting holidays etc etc on his facebook. He is going through a claim for DLA (?) don't know if the name has changed because him & his wife has depression! Which is a load of BS. (I suffer from depression and on anti depressants) and drug and alcohol addition, he had confessed he is doing it to make his money go up after it was reduced!

Should I just leave it? Maybe the truth will come out again? I went through a lot of guilt ridden times and stress the first time and the outcome was pathetic? Would love to hear some honest opinions, can't really speak about this situation with anyone else and it's eating up on me. Thank you:)

P.s sorry about spelling/grammar mistakes. Really, really tired!

The part in bold - if he is stupid enough to put the fact that he is committing benefit fraud in the public domain (if that's what you mean - I don't do Facebook), then yes, I would report him and point DWP towards the on-line 'confession'.

Penny-Pincher!!

Although I am totally against benefit fraud, he/she would already be flagged up being charged with it before, especially if there are new claims for other benefits.
Report him, then just stay away. He has no positive influence in your life!

pmlindyloo

Although my dislike of benefit cheats is as strong as most people I am just wondering what you see that the outcome might be.

Last time you reported him he was found guilty, still retained some of his benefits and was ordered to pay back at £1 a month.

I am wondering whether this relatively lenient 'sentence' was because of the children or because he had a good solicitor.

He was found with drugs but wasn't prosecuted for this?

Do you want him to be stripped of all his benefits, force him to work, sent to prison?

I am not sure what you want to achieve.

You have already reported him once and it seems that not much was done/not much has changed.

It could be that if you reported him again then his sentence would be harsher - I don't know. Where children are involved a more lenient approach seems to be the order of the day.

Only you can make the decision.

I dislike people who are benefit cheats as much as the next person but I am not convinced that reporting him is going to make much difference to his lifestyle or to his 'come uppance'.

I don't expect people to agree with me but just being a realist.

You might feel better by not reading Facebook, ignoring his boasts and accepting him as one sad person.

chesky

agree with pmlindyloo. And I can't quite understand why, when you are totally out of his life, he seems to feature so largely in yours. I don't care one way or the other whether or not you report him, but I don't see why you don't just get on with your own life and leave him to his grubby little existence.

I really hate benefit scroungers as I work with those who are in real trouble and who need help but who are finding themselves branded as a drag on the country right now. But if I were you I'd examine my own motives here.

duchy

If he was your neighbour rather than your brother.....would you report him ?

Mojisola

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Although my dislike of benefit cheats is as strong as most people I am just wondering what you see that the outcome might be.

I dislike people who are benefit cheats as much as the next person but I am not convinced that reporting him is going to make much difference to his lifestyle or to his 'come uppance'.

I don't expect people to agree with me but just being a realist.

You might feel better by not reading Facebook, ignoring his boasts and accepting him as one sad person.

Realistically, I agree with this.

I think I would report him and then cut him out of my life completely. You're the success story, despite your start in life.

Troutwrestler

Personally I would ignore him and the situation. Reporting him probably won't make you feel any differently and besides as someone said they will probably be flagged p at some point.

That being said. I could never report my own family. I just couldn't do it

nbc

report him. Most likely he will go to prison, tough.
You do the crime, you do the time.

At least he will have to work there.