Four found guilty of grants fraud

Gladstone and Phang were given suspended sentences

Four Nottingham people have admitted defrauding the government out of almost £42,000 in maternity grants.

Lookman Agbolahan, 22, of Highurst Court, who led the scheme, was jailed for two years and three months.

His girlfriend Victoria Gladstone, 20, of Nuthall Road, was given a suspended one-year jail term.

Agbolahan got details from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) workers Andre Phang, 29, of Edbury Road and Mark Palmer, 27, of Bodmin Drive.

'Needed woman'

The court heard that over a 15-month period, Agbolahan and Gladstone submitted 429 bogus forms for Surestart maternity grants, worth up to £500 each.

If the fraud had not have been discovered, they could have pocketed more than £327,000, the court heard.

Sentencing Agbolahan at Nottingham Crown Court, Judge Jonathan Teare said he accepted Agbolahan was the ringleader and recruited Gladstone as he probably needed a woman to make the fraud work.

Having obtained personal information including dates of birth and national insurance numbers from Phang and Palmer, Agbolahan and Gladstone would fill out maternity grant forms and set up Post Office accounts, some in false names, to collect the cash.

The pair was eventually found out when they were caught on CCTV repeatedly using the Queen Street Post Office in Nottingham to withdraw money from accounts in different names.

Gladstone was given a one-year sentence, suspended for two years and was ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work. She has also been given a six-month curfew, must wear an electronic tag.

Improper conduct

Judge Teare said if the fraud had been more sophisticated, it would have "deprived the revenue of a very substantial sum of money. As it was, it was sufficiently big".

In a statement, a DWP spokesperson said: "The department investigates any allegations of improper conduct and will involve the police where necessary. Steps that could be taken include suspension, formal warning or dismissal."

Phang and Palmer have now been sacked.

Palmer was given a 48-week sentence suspended for two years and 240 hours of unpaid work.

Phang was given a 36-week sentence suspended for two years and 180 hours of unpaid work.

Palmer and Phang did not benefit financially, but were "too terrified to get out", the court heard.