Prison sentence for student benefit cheat

A student has been jailed after cheating £30,000 in housing benefits he was not entitled to.

Mayowa Ogunbayo, 23, of Bollo Bridge Road, Acton, appeared before Ealing Magistrates’ Court on 6 October and was given a 12-week prison sentence after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing. He is the second student to be jailed this year for benefit offences.

Ogunbayo started claiming housing benefit in November 2006, but when he became a full time student at Kingston University in 2008 he continued to claim the benefit. He made further claims but failed to declare student loans.

Ogunbayo pleaded guilty to four offences under Section 111A of the Social Security Administration Act at Ealing Magistrates Court on 18 August 2011. He will have to pay back all the money he wrongfully claimed.

Councillor Yvonne Johnson, cabinet member for finance and performance, Ealing Council, said: “It’s such a shame that through his dishonesty this young man has landed himself with a prison sentence and criminal record. I hope other students will take heed and not be tempted to make fraudulent claims.”