interview under caution .... help!

[lil miss stressed]

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Edited October 20, 2009 by lil miss stressed

[Shoelover]

I can understand that this is stressful.

However, the IUC is your chance to give your account of what has gone on. You will be able to show e council any supporting documents to back up what you are saying, and the tapes will be sealed. Take a freind along.

 

The Council has to conduct an investigation to establish what is going on... and as they have been given different sources. Only one of those can be right! They need to establish which one, and why the other gave the incorrect information.

 

They suspect you MAY have committed an offence, hence the IUC.

 

Don't panic, just have a think what evidence you can produce that backs up you being at the house untill august and take it along

[lil miss stressed]

thankyou for your reply, i do have signed receipts for rent etc up until Aug, my other worry is , the council official when i asked what action would she take next she said she would speak to the neighbours. it was a very private road and i would be suprised if they even knew my name as i wouldnt know who lives in those houses, the fact im out on the 630 bus every morning and home late, no car and sleep at my parents most weekends im scared she will use this as some kind of evidence but then again maybe people notice me more than i do them!

[Shoelover]

Rent receipts is good.

When is your interview? If it is a while away ring and ask if it can be brought forward (they may not be able to do this, but it can't hurt to ask) like a lot of things, it pobbaly worse thking about it than actually going along.

[lil miss stressed]

My interview is next Monday, unfortunately i am a worrier i cant wait for the interview and hopefuly put an end to all this, i am seeking legal representation to attend the interview with me as with reading various posts i dont want to be intimidated into admitting to something i havent done!

[Kouros]

Angela Atkinson (48) of Stonebridge NW10 entered a plea of guilty to two charges of benefit fraud, contrary to s111A Social Security Administration Act 1992 at Brent Magistrates Court on the 6 January.

 

Atkinson received a Community Punishment Order of 180 hours and was ordered to pay £75 towards costs after it was revealed that she had been claiming housing and council tax benefit since at least 2 May 2005 on the basis that she was a single unemployed person and that her only income was from Jobseekers Allowance. During this time she was employed as a full time Customer Service Officer with Barnett Homes Ltd (20/03/06 to 16/03/07). Working an average of 36 hours per week she took home a monthly salary of £1313.00.

 

Despite being employed on a full time basis she failed to notify the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) or the London Borough of Brent about this employment and was overpaid housing benefit, council tax benefit and jobseekers allowance between 11 April 2006 to 12 March 2007 amounting to £6828.01.

 

In another case Kerry Graham (34) of Broadfield Close, London, NW2 pleaded guilty to five charges of benefit fraud, contrary to s111A Social Security Administration Act 1992. She received a 100-hours community punishment order from Brent Magistrates Court on the 2 December 2008. She was also asked to pay £75 towards legal costs.

 

Graham had been claiming income support, housing and council tax benefit since at least December 1998 on the basis that she was an unemployed single person and that her only income was money received from the Department of Works and Pensions. Information from the DWP showed that Miss Graham had been working for CPM Field Marketing and Deeset Confectionary Ltd from February 2005 to October 2006. Her earnings were anything up to £150 per week. The total overpayment of income support, housing and council tax benefit amounted to £4,079.49.

 

In the final case, Adekunle Ogunnusi (42) of The Avenue, Wembley, Middx, HA9 entered a plea of guilty to seven charges of benefit fraud, contrary to s111A Social Security Administration Act 1992 at Brent Magistrates Court. Ogunnusi received a 52-week suspended jail sentence on condition that he commit no further offences whatsoever in the UK in the next two years. He was also handed 250 hours unpaid work over the next twelve months and told to complete a rehabilitation programme.

 

Investigators discovered that Ogunnusi had declared that he was not related to his landlady, Arinola Yahaya of 35 Holland Road, London, W14 but investigators found that he was married to this woman. They have two children and were in fact living as a family at the address. He is also subject to a supervisory order over the next year and has been ordered to pay £1500 towards the legal costs at the rate of £100 per month.

 

Adekunle Ogunnusi had been claiming housing and council tax benefit since at least 18 April 1999 on the basis that he was a single man in receipt of a low income. He declared employment with Genesis Flooring of Finchley Road, London, but investigations established that he was never employed with Genesis Flooring. The total overpayment of housing and council tax benefit amounted to £32,815.60 during the period April 1999 to September 2004.

[Shoelover]

I'm a worrier too so I understand how hard it is. The one good thing about being a worrier is (well, for me anyway) is it is never usually as bad as i had convinced myself that it is going to be!

 

Taking legal rep is allways a good idea. Please remember that the interviewer is a human being doing a job. They are not all out to trick people/trip them up, but do have to challenge what is said to them from time to time- they can't accept everything at face value and if soomething needs clarifying, it's their job do to it. This can be done in a pleasant and professional way and should be.

 

It may well be the the interviewer accepts what you have to say based on the information and documents that you provide. I don't have all the facts on your case so can't really say either way but your legal adviser should be able to say when he/she has seen all the paper.

[lil miss stressed]

kouros ... have you sent me that to tip me over the edge??????

[littlemissme]

looks like it..as if you havent got enough worry to cope with . that just makes you feel so good and tool a load off you NOT.... honestly some people dont have a heart maybe a swinging brick

[lil miss stressed]

wasnt sure if i was being hyper sensitive! maybe kuoros could explain his intentions ????? is he here to judge , offer advice or push the right buttons??

[Shoelover]

LMS... your situation is very different to those in Korous's post. But fo what it's worth, i don't think it's a very sensitive post.

Not everyone who is interviewed is found to have done anything wrong. And even if evidence of a offence emerges at interview not everyone goes to court.

You worry about you & no one else.

[Kouros]

lil miss stressedkouros ... have you sent me that to tip me over the edge??????

 

 

Do the sums. These Brent people are like £4000 to £6000 CONVICTED Housing Benefit fraud cases and get 100 to 200 hours community service and £75 costs.

No sign of a FINE.

 

R v Stewart and others (1987) is the basis for how much you suffer if found guilty. The splitting point is 10k inflation adjusted from 1987 so if you are facing £30k plus then oh dear ....

[lil miss stressed]

i see what your getting at ... i think! dates in question is between dec - aug , so at a push i would have recieved far far less than £4000 , to be honest the whole stress of it all i feel like just offering them the cash back ! id pay a grand just to hav a good night sleep at the min

;-( unfortunately im not in the financial situation to do that !

[Kouros]

Exactly. Welcome to my world, I am back in court after the DWP failed to turn up for the trial. Like you I would pay a grand to be able to sleep nights.

[lil miss stressed]

thanks for all the comments and feedback, i know its a waiting game now, im goin seeing a solicitor tomorrow who will be attending the interview with me.... i will be high as i kite on medication just to get me to the interview room! jeeeez!

[seanamarts]

Please don worry sweetie, if you have proof from your landlord and rent receipts then thats all they are interested in, as for going to your neighbours this is usually a ploy to get you to confess if you were doing what they think you were doing. Have a word with your local CAB they may be able to get some one to come along with you to help you understand what is going on and put your mind at rest.

[ness1402]

Honestly, looks like you have nothing to really worry about, but I am waiting to attend an interview under caution and I am utterly terrified! They think I owe £800 due to over payments of housing benefit. My problem is that my pay fluctuates by as much as £150 on a monthly basis but I was told to only send in wage slip when I got two of a similar amount - which hasn't happened for months! So i was really pleased when they said I was getting a home visit 'cos I really needed to talk to someone as the whole situation seemed wrong to me. The home visit was delayed by weeks 'cos the lady coming to see me became ill and we had to reschedule. By the time she saw me I had a couple of higher than average wage slips that she looked at. She seemed fine, advised me to send in 2 wage slips when they stablised again and that was it. Until I got notice of my IUC that is! Am so stressed and upset, so I do sympathise with you, it's a horrible position to be in . But you will be fine , you re in the right!!

[Shoelover]

LMS. How did you actually pay your rent? If it was by direct debit, bank statements will show that you were paying rent too.

Just remember you are only being interviewed because they suspect an interview MAY have been committed.

[lil miss stressed]

i paid my rent via direct debit up until dec (my landlord was travelling during this time so was convenient )and then paid cash once he was back in the country as that arrangement suited me better (i have been through bankruptcy so always deal in cash whenever possible) which i have signed receipts for .... the reason i am worrying is although i appreciate the woman is doing her job i sincerely dont have a clue on what evidence she could possibly have apart from some words on a doorstep to speak to me like a criminal , have me in for an interview , tell my ex landlord im being investigated (isnt that breaching confidentiality??) im far too embarrased to share this with my best friends only my mum knows so hopefuly my ex landlord hasnt gone around gossiping