A ZIMBABWEAN man fraudulently claimed more than £14,000 worth of benefits in Swansea, Wales, using a stolen identity.
Now he is facing the prospect of deportation when he has served a 23-month sentence having been found guilty of 14 charges of dishonesty in respect of benefit fraud, and one of fraudulently obtaining a UK passport.
The Zimbabwean, who has still to admit his true identity, has been convicted at Leamington Spa Crown Court.
Swansea Council’s Benefits Investigation Team and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) found he had stolen the identity of innocent victim Graham Spencer, who lives in Berkshire.
Investigations showed the Zimbabwean dishonestly acquired a UK passport in unsuspecting Spencer’s name in 1999 and had been living off his identity for more than a decade.
Using the stolen identity, he fraudulently claimed Housing Benefit at two addresses in Swansea between early 2007 and late 2008.
The fraudster pleaded guilty to all 15 charges against him after being tracked down by the Swansea investigation team.