Dutch mother posed as penniless Somalian immigrant to claim £70,000 benefits

[Paragon]

And so it kicks off!

 

 

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source

 

Dutch mother posed as penniless Somalian immigrant to claim £70,000 benefits

By James Tozer

Last updated at 5:20 PM on 01st December 2009

 

 

Comments (39) Add to My Stories .

 

Guilty: Leyla Yusuf, 31, who stole £70,000 in benefits using a bogus identity, leaving Manchester Crown Court today

 

A mother who claimed asylum under a bogus identity in order to conduct a £70,000 benefits fraud has been told she would have been sent to prison if it weren't for her five children.

 

Leyla Yusuf posed as a penniless Somali immigrant who needed state help to raise her and her family, but in reality she was a Dutch national with a comfortable lifestyle including property in Dubai.

 

 

The 31-year-old put in an asylum claim under the false name Leyla Hassan and was given a national insurance number enabling her to make claims for child and housing benefit, council tax help, income support, tax credits and community care grants.

 

Despite the fact that her alter ego had her real year of birth, phone numbers, and some children with the same names, the audacious fraud went undetected for seven years.

 

 

Yusuf was only rumbled when suspicious investigators called her in for an appointment - and fixed a second interview up for 'Leyla Hassan' on the same day.

 

 

She turned up for both and was arrested and charged with committing £70,000 worth of benefit fraud.

 

 

Yesterday, however, she was back at her terraced house in Manchester with her taxi driver husband after a judge spared her a prison sentence for the sake of her children.

 

 

 

More...Afghan family STILL living in £3,000-a-week house funded by taxpayers - a year after ministers pledged to throw them out

 

Yusuf, who is of Somali origin, arrived in Britain on a Dutch passport in 2002, settling here with her husband and two of her children.

 

 

A court was told she consulted a British-based Somali lawyer, paying him £1,500, and was told the only way for her to claim benefits here was to create a fictitious identity.

 

 

So she invented Leyla Hassan, using as an address an empty property a few streets from her home in Moss Side, and put in a claim for asylum.

 

 

While it was processed, the couple went on to have two more children, earning around £10,000-a-year in benefits despite the fact that her husband was working.

 

 

She was finally trapped earlier this year when fraud investigators arranged appointments for Yusuf and her alter ego.

 

 

Yusuf - who now has a fifth child aged just six weeks - admitted falsely claiming £70,000.

 

 

A further four counts relating to £30,000 she obtained by lying that she lived apart from her husband were left to lie on file.

 

 

Sentencing her at Manchester Crown Court, Judge Anthony Hammond said she had perpetrated a 'well-executed' and 'cynical milking of the system'.

 

 

'You have defrauded this country of over £70,000 by a deliberate and cynical manipulation of the system,' he told Yusuf.

 

 

'You richly deserve to go to prison and your husband is lucky he's not in the dock with you.'

 

 

But he added: 'You have five children, the youngest only six weeks of age and the next youngest two years of age.

 

 

'Were I to send you to prison, it's going to be very difficult for someone to look after the two-year-old, and the youngest would go with you into prison.'

 

 

Instead she was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years with supervision, plus 300 hours unpaid work after admitting six counts of false accounting and one of failing to declare.

 

 

Yusuf has been ordered to repay the money, and investigators from the Department of Work and Pensions may try to recoup it by going after her property in Dubai.

 

 

An investigation is also expected to be carried out into her claims that a lawyer advised her to carry out the fraud.

 

 

Judge Hammond commented: 'There are one or two dubious practitioners in that area making an awful lot of money.'

[Qandalawi]

WTF

 

Daily mail and the Sun seem to be having a cake with the Somalis.

 

Wallee Islaamihi iyo Odayaashi hagbada caruurta laga qadan jiray waa loosoo dhigtay, time to spend all the money, no saving, that is my advice to the families.

[bilan]

^^^^^^

your advice to the families should be:

live decent; support your children and work like normal people do.

[chubacka]

^ or don't get caught! joking.

 

depressing.com

[Aaliyyah]

lol somaalida beenta ayaa lugu yaqaan. I hope they learn from these type of stories. The picture of the lady just cracks me up subhanalah. I know its such a sad state for our people to go around nd make up stories to make money.I just can't help bt have a laugh....somali waxay ku maahmaahda war jira cakaaru imaan..which basically means the truth will come out sooner than later. Ilaahay dadkeena ha tuso xaqa. ameen

 

salaam

[Chocolate and Honey]

WTF?? It's catching on like wild fire,huh? Honest work pays off.

[Abwaan]

lol...Ceebey tacaal!

[Che -Guevara]

somali waxay ku maahmaahda war jira cakaaru imaan..which basically means the truth will come out sooner than later.

Hadee Soomaali ku maahmaahdo, why tell us what it means

 

 

I wonder who will come to this woman's defense.

 

Come on Paragon

 

I'm not saying she's guilty of anything

 

 

So, we know Abwaan doesn't know her

[Malika]

Hmmmm..Where are the defenders??

 

Qoftan tol uuma joogto miya,kuwii meyeen macawistaa kaa dacdaceyee illa xaleytoo?..Lool

 

Paragon ,what is your take on the issue of fraud at this scale? I mean where by,someone can deny their marriage,call their children *******s only so to acquire 'money',that is someone else sweat and blood?

[Paragon]

[edit]

 

Che, it's a legal case sxb. And the verdict is already out.

 

Originally posted by Malika:

Hmmmm..Where are the defenders??

 

Qoftan tol uuma joogto miya,kuwii meyeen macawistaa kaa dacdaceyee illa xaleytoo?..Lool

 

Paragon ,what is your take on the issue of fraud at this scale? I mean where by,someone can deny their marriage,call their children *******s only so to acquire 'money',that is someone else sweat and blood?

Malika, qof weyn hadduu qofku yahay inuu tartiibsado ayaa ku habboon. Anigu iyo ragga kale ee meesha xalay ka hadleyna si muumuus leh ayaan u hadalney. All we have said is only: hubsiino hal baa la siistaa. Balse waxaa ayaan darra ah in dad Soomaalinimo sheeganayo dad kale oo Islaameed in laga celceliyo. Dad shishiiye ah la garey inuu cid kale afxumeeyaan, but why should we defend a so-called Somali from other Somalis who are not present to make their case? For that reason, I would rather give the Somalis involved in these matters the benefit of the doubt in what is 'legal' cases and not 'moral'.

 

Having said so, just like yesterday, we must exercise caution in all matters. But as for this case of this Somali woman, the law has delivered its justice and pardoned her from imprisonment. The judge concerned, even as a non-Somali, has found the logic and compassion to punish this women as he saw fit. And despite the nature of the crime committed and the newspapers spate of Somali bashing, the judge, being a rational and of wise council, restores my hope in humanity. Humanity will be lost if it's justice depended on some in SOL. Alxamdulilaah.

 

Yesterday was an opener for many of us in SOL and we have come to learn alot about folks (in just in one thread) than in all the years we have spent on SOL. It's one thing expressing moral indignation at a supposed crime or shame that was committed but the way in which some delved into defiling others (in hot non-Somali attack as it is) was highly unbecoming. Humans are always caught in circumstances that are sometimes favourites, or times unfavourable but in rare times, scandalous. Somalidu waxay oran jirtey 'dad ceeb heshey laguma digtee hadalka waa loo dadaa'.

 

We know the reality (atleast some of us do more than others), marka iska yeel yeel iyo marmarsiyo raadis waxba tari mayso. The community needs awareness and education but blanket generalization of vilifying others doesn't help. Unless such is needed for reasons known to those who behave thus. When tomorrow the limelight is on kuwa maanta la aamusiin la'yahay for whatever reason, I'll still be here to advice caution and consideration. That much should be expected from me.

 

But in the meantime, we need to find ways of solving the issues brought to light.

 

Wabillaahi towfiiq.

[cynical lady]

Haters.com....

 

£70k u go girl.

[Malika]

^ ,naa nenda kalale.

 

,cry me a river,so emotional! @ Paragon

 

Nevertheless,I do agree with you these issues are real and need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.Educating the community,not only about the legal aspect of it but also about the moral,ethical and mostly accountability to God. As far as am concern,lying,cheating and acquiring xaraam money is wrong no matter who that person is..

[Paragon]

Now now, who's emotional? Me or CL?

 

CL Oh is that why? I was thinking in monetary terms.

 

Hmmm.

[Paragon]

Originally posted by Malika:

^

,naa nenda kalale.

 

,cry me a river,so emotional! @ Paragon

 

Really? How did you come to that conclusion then? And be logical, alright?

[Che -Guevara]

Cl in la dabagalo waaye. Xaladeedo waa bariga dhexe.

 

Malika...Looking at her face, I say she's from wrong tribe hence no defenders.