A MILLIONAIRE benefit cheat who blamed the recession for failing to pay back his ill-gotten gains has been jailed for three years. Phillip Kole-Emmanuel, of Belmont Avenue, Wembley, ignored a court order that he should cough up �452,416 despite having �1.
A MILLIONAIRE benefit cheat who blamed the recession for failing to pay back his ill-gotten gains has been jailed for three years.
Phillip Kole-Emmanuel, of Belmont Avenue, Wembley, ignored a court order that he should cough up �452,416 despite having �1.2 million in assets.
The 46-year-old had received a nine-month old jail sentence which was suspended for two years after he admitted three counts of benefit fraud at his trial at St Albans Crown Court in February 2007.
The court heard Kole-Emmanuel accumulated his wealth by conning council chiefs in Brent, The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Hertsmere Borough Council into paying him hundreds and thousands of pounds in housing and Council Tax benefits.
A confiscation hearing in February last year ordered him to pay back the six-figure sum by October 9 but Kole-Emmanuel claimed his assets were tied up in properties and he was unable to sell them due to the downturn in the economy.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here