A 49-year-old woman has sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for defrauding Greenwich Council of thousands of pounds.

The woman, from Woolwich, was employed to care for her elderly father, receiving nearly £10,000 in Direct Payments which she called "holiday money", when it turned out the father had been living in Somalia.

Greenwich councillor Linda Perks said cases like this "really sadden me," depriving the council of essential monies due to disabled people desperately need to live more independently in their own homes.

Ms Suban Hashi, from Woolwich, provided false timesheets to the Royal Borough of Greenwich to claim Direct Payments totalling nearly £10,000 for the care of her elderly father.

Ms Hashi’s father claimed Direct Payments from the Royal Borough of Greenwich which enabled him to choose his own carer to assist with daily needs and employed his daughter in the role.

Between March 2014 and August 2018, Ms Hashi submitted monthly timesheets to the Royal Borough of Greenwich relating to the care and assistance she allegedly provided to her father. The Council then made payments directly into Ms Hashi’s personal bank account.

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But investigators from Royal Greenwich’s anti-fraud team identified that for a total of 22 months during 2014 and 2018, Ms Hashi’s father had been living in Somalia.

The timesheets submitted by Ms Hashi during her father’s time abroad were false and she had fraudulently claimed £9,712.

In February 2020, when Ms Hashi was interviewed by Council investigators, she stated that she believed the payments were “holiday money” and were being paid to her directly by her father and not the Council.

Ms Hashi was summonsed to appear at Bromley Magistrates Court on 20 August 2020 to answer to seven charges under the Fraud Act 2006.

She pleaded guilty to all seven charges against her, and the matter was kept at the Bromley Magistrates Court for sentencing.

On 17 February 2021, Ms Hashi appeared in front of a lay bench at Bromley Magistrates Court and was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay £10 a fortnight in respect of a £5,000 compensation order for the £9,712 fraud upon the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

The Council will also seek to recover the remaining £4,712 from Ms Hashi.

Councillor Linda Perks, Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources said: “Cases such as this really sadden me. Ms Hashi deprived the Council of essential Direct Payment monies which disabled people desperately need to live more independently in their own homes.

"The Royal Borough of Greenwich takes no pleasure in prosecuting residents, but we have little option when they cynically commit such selfish acts which deprive other residents much more in need of financial support.

"I hope this prosecution serves as a reminder for anyone else who may be thinking of defrauding the public purse.”