Scam 'like Little Britain sketch'

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A man who obtained £100,000 in benefits by pretending he was too disabled to work and needed a wheelchair has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Kato Solomon, 48, of Holloway, north London, exaggerated his condition to get a special home for his family, Harrow Crown Court heard.

But his polio was deteriorating and he would soon be in genuine need of a wheelchair, the court was told.

The council said the case paralleled Little Britain's Andy and Lou sketch.

'Repeated lies'

Solomon, a hospital healthcare assistant, pleaded guilty to making false statements between February 2001 and May 2003 and a charge of dishonestly obtaining services by deception.

Judge Graham Arran told him by exaggerating his disability he had deprived another person of a facility that was genuinely needed.

Despite Solomon's "repeated lies" meriting a jail sentence, a recent medical report showed his polio condition was deteriorating and he would soon have to use a wheelchair, the judge said.

His 15-month sentence was suspended for two years.

He showed absolute contempt for those who actually need and deserve benefits Coun Paul Osborn

After the case, a Harrow Council spokesman said investigators found "parallels with the Little Britain TV sketch 'Andy and Lou', in which one character pretends to be disabled whilst his friend takes care of him".

Councillor Paul Osborn added: "This is like something out of Little Britain.

"Kato Solomon might as well have said 'I want that one' as he showed absolute contempt for those who actually need and deserve benefits.

"This morally bankrupt individual has effectively stolen, by deception, this specially designed home that could have been provided to the very same persons he was meant to look after."