Man jailed for NHS smoking scam

Research shows 41% of adults in deprived areas smoke

A modern day "Walter Mitty" who stole £90,000 posing as an NHS no-smoking advisor, has been jailed for 18 months.

Harry Singer, 55, from Earl's Court, west London, invented an army of imaginary quitters as part of his scam to defraud his local NHS trust.

Singer used most of the money wrongly paid to him to pose as a community philanthropist to win respect and friends, Blackfriars Crown Court heard.

He was convicted of 18 specimen false accounting charges.

The offences happened between March and October 2006.

He was also convicted of one count of concealing criminal property.

Police described him as a "Walter Mitty", who used most of the money to pose as the community philanthropist.

Having apparently failed in business and your career... and having behind you a failed marriage, this community work was your reason for living Judge John Millen

He bought televisions for the elderly, paid for social events in the community and helped those in financial need.

"Having apparently failed in business and your career... and having behind you a failed marriage, this community work was your reason for living," said Judge John Hillen.

"You were seeking to give yourself a source of funds to enhance your standing in the community by the distribution of this money in a way that would give you respect that otherwise in your life you had failed to achieve."

The former caretaker, who spoke of being an ex-contracts manager for Shell and once having three oil trading companies, told jurors he was currently running another venture importing Mongolian vodka.

But the divorcee had been on Job Seekers' Allowance during the fraud, and had lived in the YMCA before moving to his rented flat, jurors heard.

Impossible feat

His so-called clients had been conned into providing their details to paid canvassers apparently gathering views on the new smoking ban, and then had the information effectively hijacked.

In reality many had never smoked, while others he allegedly cured with half a dozen phone calls had kicked the habit unaided years before.

Singer then submitted forms detailing sessions supposedly completed by would-be quitters during a four-week stop smoking course.

But Kensington & Chelsea Primary Care Trust (KCPCT) was puzzled by Singer's claim that his 2,000 plus "cures" represented a 30% success rate.

That would have meant he recruited and processed more than 6,000 clients, an impossible feat considering the timescale, the court heard.

Judge Millen blamed the government's target-driven culture for allowing Singer to defraud so easily.

A spokesman for KCPCT said: "The actions of one individual should not detract from the excellent work of the majority of our community advisers who have a genuine interest in working alongside the local NHS to improve the health of our communities."