Stephen Kellaway pleaded guilty to four charges of benefit fraud at Croydon Crown Court.
A fugitive who faked his own death to escape authorities after swindling £33,000 of public money was sentenced to 32 months in prison yesterday.
Stephen Kellaway, 54, pleaded guilty to four charges of benefit fraud at Croydon Crown Court.
He first caught the attention of authorities in 2008 after submitting a claim for housing and council tax benefit but failing to declare existing assets.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council said he did not mention rental income from a Camden property and nearly £200,000 in savings.
Together with his wife Nelli, the fraudster had scammed £15,000 pounds in benefits from Hammersmith and Fulham Council and a further £28,000 from Richmond Council before going on the run in 2008.
In an extreme attempt to evade capture, Kellaway faked his own death while on a trip to Russia and fled for Thailand.
After two years as a fugitive and sleeping rough on the streets, he eventually handed himself into the Thai authorities and was flown back to the UK in December last year.
Cllr Greg Smith, cabinet member for residents and services, said: “This rogue went to extraordinary lengths to avoid detection and now he is exactly where he deserves to be – prison.”
His wife was arrested on her return to the UK carrying an urn which supposedly contained her husband’s ashes. Since her conviction she has been made to pay back £55,000 of defrauded money via the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Cllr Smith added: “No matter what you do, if you decide to commit benefit fraud you will eventually get busted.
“We will be doing everything we can to seize this man’s property.”
