Fraudster jailed after swindling £50k managed to land a job

A fraudster who swindled £50,000 worth of benefits handouts still managed to get a job processing Universal Credit claims.

Chido Vincent worked for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) last year, despite being imprisoned in 2014 for 18 months for overstaying his visa and using a forged letter to claim benefits.

Now, the 57-year-old Nigerian has been dismissed from his role at the DWP in Leeds for reasons understood to be unrelated to his conviction.

Speaking about how he was able to get a job processing claims, he said he did not have to disclose his conviction as it was longer than five years ago.

'During the recruitment process I was asked everything and I answered honestly,' he told The Sun.

'They asked for my passport, right-to-work documents - I gave them everything.

'They said they needed to do a DBS. I gave them all the information and it came back fine, so I got the job.'

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He went on to tell the publication that he 'did what was asked of me' and that there was no need to declare a conviction.

He also said what happened to him was 10 years ago so 'it was considered spent'.

This comes after it was revealed that a judge said an Albanian driving test fraudster can't be jailed because 'His Majesty's prisons are full to bursting'.

Speaking at Lincoln Crown Court, Judge James House KC said Albanian national Elidjan Aliaj, 30, should be put behind bars for paying an impersonator to take his driving test.

Instead Aliaj has been sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

The judge told Aliaj he 'deserved to go to jail' but his hands were tied 'because His Majesty's prisons are currently full to bursting'.

MailOnline has contacted the Department for Work and Pensions.