Break-dancing benefits cheat jailed for £75k fraud

A break-dancing benefits cheat who used inside knowledge of the welfare system to steal £75,000 of taxpayers' cash while working as a social security advisor was jailed for 14 months today.

Laqad Yacoob, 40, a benefits officer for Manchester City Council, pored over complex entitlement regulations and welfare rule-books while at his job but was also secretly claiming a host of payments for himself, his wife and two children.

He claimed to hyperventilate if he went outdoors on his own, suffered panic attacks and had severe pain in his back and legs - but was seen break-dancing on his back at a town hall bash held by managers to say "thank you" to staff for their hard work.

Yacoob drove a new top-of-the-range VW Golf and his wife a new silver BMW i series - courtesy of state mobility payments - and lived in a £190,000 three-bed semi in Stretford, Greater Manchester.

Yacoob claimed that he, his wife Shaida, who worked as a school dinner lady, son Jameel and daughter Zahida all suffered from various illnesses, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester was told.

He was seen in his office as an expert on the welfare rules, using his expertise to fraudulently claim Disability Living Allowance, Income Support and Carers Allowance for all four worth £75, 518.45p.

He was caught after staff became suspicious and he was reported to managers who called in police.

Yacoob pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to 11 counts of making false representations to obtain benefits for five years, up to 2008.

His wife, who he brought to England after an arranged marriage in Pakistan, burst into tears and was led sobbing from the courtroom by her children as he was jailed.

Passing sentence, Judge Hamilton told Yacoob: "What I'm most troubled about in relation to this case, quite frankly, is the fact that you made these claims in circumstances where you were employed by Manchester City Council as a benefits officer, part of which your job's role was to prevent and detect fraud.

"You were regarded as being an expert in disability payments.

"What is apparent and abundantly clear to me is that you have systematically and cynically and dishonestly plundered the state benefits system for the benefit of you and your family.

"You lived to a standard which appeared, on the face of it, well above many other families, both in employment and on benefits."

Yacoob had worked voluntarily at a Citizens Advice Bureau in Manchester for five years where he first began to study the benefits system.

In 2003, he got a job as a benefits financial assessment officer with Trafford Borough Council's social services department, responsible for assessing claims.

A year later, he took a job for neighbouring Manchester City Council as benefits officer visiting claimants in their homes and advising which payments they could get.

Natalia Cornwall, prosecuting, told the court: "This defendant used his specialist knowledge of the benefits system, and in particular disability benefits, to fraudulently claim benefits for he and his family.

"He was known as an expert on disability benefits within the office and was regularly seen studying the disability benefits handbook."

Yacoob claimed DLA for his son, saying he had chronic lung disease, severe learning difficulties and walked with a limp, dragging one foot behind him. In fact, though the boy had asthma, he needed no special requirements at school and was an "enthusiastic" participant in PE and swimming lessons.

He said his daughter was "severely disabled" but she had enrolled at a local college with "no indication" of learning or mobility difficulties.

He also claimed DLA for himself and his wife, who he said suffered severe pain if she walked.
She worked as a dinner lady and claimed Carer's Allowance for their son.

Yacoob's claim for DLA was "entirely inconsistent" with his job - and the observations of his work colleagues at a staff night at Manchester Town Hall in September 2007, Ms Cornwall said.

"He was also observed at a party dancing on the dance floor and performing some sort of break-dance, which involved him break-dancing on the floor."

Only Yacoob was prosecuted as he had "orchestrated" the claims for the entire family, the court heard.

Charges against his wife were dropped at an earlier hearing.

Iain Johnstone, mitigating, said the claims for his wife and children were initially legitimate but after their health improved he failed to notify a change in circumstances and stop claiming the payments.

Yacoob and his wife have had their cars confiscated and a Proceeds of Crime Application pursued by the Department for Work and Pensions will take place next March to try to recoup the lost money and the family may lose their home.