A self-employed taxi driver and a teaching assistant from Dewsbury have been sentenced at Leeds Crown Court after admitting to fiddling almost £14,000 out of the benefits system.
Farzana Iqbal, a teaching assistant, and Omar Farooq Iqbal, a self-employed taxi driver, both of Halifax Road, Dewsbury, had been claiming Universal Credit between March 2023 and November 2024 but failed to tell the Department for Work and Pensions that they owned a property which they were renting out for additional income.
The pair had told the DWP they had no savings and a combined income of only £139 a month. Prosecutor Shamaila Qureshi told the court that both had admitted making a false statement by failing to declare their ownership of the rental property.
Having previously appeared before Kirklees magistrates, where they entered their guilty pleas, the case was sent to Leeds Crown Court for sentencing, where both were spared immediate custody.
Benefits fraud cases involving self-employed taxi drivers aren’t unusual, and they serve as a reminder of just how closely income, property and undeclared earnings are cross-checked by the DWP. For drivers who are self-employed, keeping accurate and honest records isn’t just good practice — it’s essential to avoid ending up in a similar position.
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