Lambeth Council fraud boss on BBC TV show

Lambeth Town Hall LS

Lambeth Council fraud buster Michael O’Reilly is the hero of the BBC1 TV programme ‘Saints and Scroungers’ that will be broadcast on November 12th at 11.00am.

Michael, who’s worked at Lambeth council for four years, headed up the team that finally brought a couple who cheated taxpayers out of more than £120,000 to justice.

The TV documentary tells the tale of how Michael and his team finally nailed Diane Ashley who failed to declare she was married to her landlord, Rudolph Pink or that she co-owned a string or properties when she began claiming housing benefit from Lambeth Council.

Michael, who spent a day with the film crew  said: “ I know I’ll get ribbed in the office about being on TV but programmes like this help send out a very clear signal to benefit cheats that they will get caught and brought to justice.”

The case took two years to get to court and involved fraud officers from Lewisham and Thanet where the couple also owned property and had claimed benefits. Eventually they were brought to court and Ashley received a suspended sentence while Pink was sentenced to ten months.

The programme includes a reconstruction of the dramatic raid on the couple that led to their successful prosecution.

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