World

Benefits cheat jailed for using taxpayers' money to live 'life of Riley' on tropical island

by Babel-Fish | November 7, 2008 at 04:32 pm

142 views | 10 Recommendations | 4 comments

This guy is only the very tip of the iceburge, I know of many people doing similar or same thing from EU and USA. Your tax money is giving loads of old guys pleasure in tropical paridises it makes me sick. I myself have a military pension thats equal or just a bit more than some of these gretins are fiddling and these leeches can be seen here siting in the bars with fat beer bellies drinking themselfs silly on tax payers money.

Brian Riley lived up to his name by dishonestly claiming nearly £30,000 in benefits and using it to live on a tropical island for more than three years.

Riley, 48, spent taxpayers' money buying a holiday home and land in Sri Lanka where he married a local woman.

His trips between his home in Bradford and his new life were so regular that he was recognised as a frequent traveller by Qatar Airways.

He has been jailed for eight months after pleading guilty to five counts of dishonesty.

Bradford Crown Court heard that he failed to tell the authorities he was no longer a permanent resident of the UK and continued to receive income support, council tax benefit and disability living allowance.

Between January 2002 and April this year, he tricked his local council and the Department for Work and Pensions out of £28,293.51, after failing to notify them he had moved to Sri Lanka.

Riley claimed he had stayed on the island to work with a charity providing relief for victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

The court heard how Riley attempted to buy the holiday home at a bargain price but ended up paying £20,000 - more than three times the asking price.

Defence barrister Sophie Drake claimed there was no evidence to prove the home abroad had been entirely paid

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amyjudd

at 16:53 on November 7th, 2008

awful - it's not fair

Babel-Fish

at 17:43 on November 7th, 2008

Thanks for the recommendation. I totally agree as I pay tax on my pension of which I spent 22 years of military service to earn. These spongers should all be stopped why should they enjoy a retirement they have not earn't. Simply these benifit payments should be stopped permantly if a person is out of the country with out a good explaination why they can afford to do so and a good reason why they are going abroad on trips to paradise. People like myself have earn't the privilage of living here in paradise these damn spongers have not.

trixy (not verified)

at 06:38 on November 27th, 2008

ive just read your comments regarding living abroad on tax payers money life of riley , i agree there millions are doing the same thing all over the world.i also know that in srilanka not many doors down from riley the two people who brought all this to the attention of the sun are also doing the same only in a more professional manner and scooping more into there lifestyle on the idilic paradise from england out of the charity .and tax payers money people in glass houses should not throw stones the saying is so lets see if the sun paper wants to print about them next they will need more paper and ink on that story kind regards trixy

djermano

at 07:47 on November 8th, 2008

I see..I didn't know you were an ex GI Bob. Probably depends on how you look at it. Think of all the taxpayers who have to pay and support War, even when they don't support war. I don't think that is fair either....especially this past war. ..not that I support what the guy did....or others are doing. How great to get a pension because you are a human being and count as somebody deserving whether making shoe laces, or shining clocks. But we only make sure the military gets their's while we think of ways to eliminate Social Security.