A benefits cheat who moved into a shed in his back garden so he could illegally rent out his £750,000 council townhouse in west London has been jailed.
John Gallagher installed an en-suite bathroom and built-in wardrobe in the “comfortable” shed at the end of his garden.
Meanwhile he sublet all four bedrooms in the council home in Fulham after advertising on Gumtree, raking in more than £35,000 a year by charging his tenants about £3,000 per month in total.
He also claimed about £12,000 per year in benefits, collecting £95,000 over a period of eight years.
Inspectors eventually visited after a tip-off and their suspicions were further aroused when he refused to let them into the garden or shed.
The officials from Hammersmith and Fulham council also found a man in one of the rooms.
Gallagher claimed he was merely a friend visiting from east London, but did not know the man’s surname when asked by the inspectors.
A council spokesman said: “The savvy inspectors later cross-referenced the mobile telephone number Mr Gallagher provided when he had applied for a parking permit against advertising website Gumtree and found adverts for rooms to rent, which the officers recognised as those they had seen earlier.”
The property was eventually raided in October 2014. Gallagher had been charging between £645 to £700 per room per month, as well as up £100 a month towards utilities from each person.
The 64-year-old, who had lived in the Strode Road house for more than 20 years, was jailed for 10 months after admitting five counts of fraud at Isleworth Crown Court.
Sentencing him, Recorder Da Silva QC said the deception had been “sophisticated” and was “too serious” for him not to go to jail.
Cllr Lisa Homan, Hammersmith and Fulham’s cabinet member for housing, said: “This is a great result for our excellent fraud team who have removed another cheat from the system.
“The council’s scarce resources need to be used supporting those with a genuine need and not on scammers like this who waste tax payer’s money.”
