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‘Beggar’ with a ‘hungry and homeless’ sign raked in £300 A DAY while living in a £300,000 flat
Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 11:55 EST, 5 June 2013 | Simon Tomlinson

Posted on 06/05/2013 12:54:58 PM PDT by Olog-hai

A “beggar” who claimed he was homeless and hungry for years was earning £50,000-plus ($76,690+) a year and living it up in a £300,000 ($460,140) flat, a court heard.

Simon Wright, 37, sat outside a NatWest bank in his tatty clothes with his sleeping bag, his dog, and a handwritten sign telling of his plight. Generous passers-by took pity on him and regularly gave him £200 ($306.76) to £300 ($460.14) a day. After “work”, he went home to his smart council flat, in Fulham, west London. …

The council’s community safety spokesman, Councillor Jonathan Cook, said: “Anyone who lives, works or shops in and around Putney High Street will be mightily relieved to see this unpleasant individual given his marching orders. He deliberately targeted people making cash withdrawals from this cash point and was extremely aggressive and abusive to anyone who refused to give him money. Many people felt frightened and intimidated by him, and there is some evidence to suggest that he used his dog to threaten and pressure people into handing over their cash.” …

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: fraud; homeless; nothomeless; phonybeggar
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To: Olog-hai

I was reading these stories 50 years ago.


21 posted on 06/05/2013 1:11:17 PM PDT by ansel12 (Social liberalism/libertarianism, empowers, creates and imports, and breeds, economic liberals.)
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To: Olog-hai

I have a policy that protects me from these people; I never give money to anyone begging, ever. Never have. I would be humiliated to beg strangers for money and that’s the same way I feel about anyone who does beg. You have time to stand here all day? Then you have time to do something productive for someone and earn money. Oh, I see. Begging IS your job. You could at least entertain people in exchange for their generosity. Like this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXMuWi0dUBc Now that’s worthy of a buck. But no, you just want free money. Oh, I see. Begging IS your job. Well, f you buddy.


22 posted on 06/05/2013 1:12:11 PM PDT by servo1969
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To: Resolute Conservative

There is a guy in Columbia Missouri. I laugh when I see him begging in his Nike shoes and NorthFace coat.


23 posted on 06/05/2013 1:12:34 PM PDT by chae (I was anti-Obama before it was cool)
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To: Olog-hai

I wish I didn’t have so much pride.


24 posted on 06/05/2013 1:13:14 PM PDT by riri (Plannedopolis-look it up. It's how the elites plan for US to live.)
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To: Conspiracy Guy

We had a guy with no legs who used to come into the Firehouse to use the bathroom. The guy had a Monkey and used to sell pencils.

he traveled around on a platform with wheels and used a chunk of rubber to push himself along. He used the firehouse because the guys would lift him off his cart so he could use the toilet.

We played a lot of tricks on the guy and once we set off a firecracker and scared the crap out of his monkey.His monkey had a big funeral when it died (Not from the firecracker, from old age.) and he retired.

He had a home in Fla. and his wife picked him up in a Cadillac after his days work.

Oh!! Did I mention he also ran numbers.


25 posted on 06/05/2013 1:17:09 PM PDT by Venturer
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To: Little Ray

#11

‘The Man With the Twisted Lip’


26 posted on 06/05/2013 1:22:44 PM PDT by servo1969
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To: UCANSEE2
Punish him?

For what, excelling at capitalism?

Genuine capitalism doesn't involve fraud.

From the article:

After “work”, he went home to his smart council flat, in Fulham, west London. …
IIRC, a council flat is a taxpayer-paid housing benefit for the poor. Since he was making substantial income, he wasn't poor and his housing benefit was obtained by fraud.

I'd also presume that Britain has some sort of an income tax that he should have been paying on that (again, presumably) unreported income.

27 posted on 06/05/2013 1:23:41 PM PDT by Bob
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To: chae

No Kidding, most of these guys dress better than I do. And earn more too !!!


28 posted on 06/05/2013 1:26:59 PM PDT by refermech
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To: servo1969

That is the one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_with_the_Twisted_Lip


29 posted on 06/05/2013 1:30:09 PM PDT by Little Ray (How did I end up in this hand-basket, and why is it gettingthe so hot?)
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To: Venturer

Yep


30 posted on 06/05/2013 1:37:12 PM PDT by Conspiracy Guy (I voted Republican, no Conservative was on the ballot.)
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To: Olog-hai

Obviously, I have ZERO respect for this scammer, but consider, the British legal system is doing something about him, and showing a lot of indignation about him personally,
yet they continue to funnel millions of pounds to discontent radical Muslims, who, as a reward for Brit largesse, threaten to destroy the entire UK.I am not saying they’ve got their “priorities” backwards, exactly, but there is a clear reason
why they come down hard on this guy, while only pretending to wrestle with the much tougher nuts to crack, the Muslims living on the dole, and mouthing off aggressively in the Mosques.In psychology, it’s called “displacement”.


31 posted on 06/05/2013 1:37:31 PM PDT by supremedoctrine
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To: RJS1950

Yes it does.


32 posted on 06/05/2013 1:38:18 PM PDT by Conspiracy Guy (I voted Republican, no Conservative was on the ballot.)
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To: Bob

Yeah... My responses were sarcasm, but I didn’t label it that way.

Plus, I had time to read more in depth, and have since mentioned that I see the crime.

Thanks for filling me in on more of the details. I haven’t had time to read the article at the link.

My bad.


33 posted on 06/05/2013 1:42:28 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (The monsters are due on Maple Street)
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To: Olog-hai

I hate this so much. I wouldn’t care if they shot him. This just disgusts me to the core.


34 posted on 06/05/2013 1:43:27 PM PDT by A_perfect_lady
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To: Conspiracy Guy
Happens here more than you know.

AND it's not the only scam.

They have teams that sell 'novelty items' at intersections, such as kool-aid crystals in a straw, allegedly for some 'charity', which doesn't really exist.

They buy a carton 50 for a dollar, and sell them for a dollar a piece.

35 posted on 06/05/2013 1:45:53 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (The monsters are due on Maple Street)
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To: TexasCajun

What, art a Marxist?

He did more than merely hold his “hand out” looking for a handout. He used his dog to try to intimidate people as well. And he lived in a completely government-subsidized apartment that was worth well over $400K. Capitalists work for a living.


36 posted on 06/05/2013 1:48:34 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: AppyPappy

Yeah, I saw that.

I was being sarcastic and no one caught it. (and I didn’t do a /s, so it’s my fault).


37 posted on 06/05/2013 1:48:40 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (The monsters are due on Maple Street)
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To: Olog-hai
That's like here in New York city they say the bums rake in $200 a day which is at least $1000 a week no taxes. They had a story of a rookie cop last year who was foolish enough to buy a pair of shoes for a bum as the bum was walking around barefoot, and someone took a photo of it and it went viral. Then a few weeks later they found the same bum still walking around barefoot and not only that, living in an apartment paid for by the taxpayers. Hey why work when you can make pretend you're homeless with no shoes?

Anyway, and now another message from our brilliant media...


38 posted on 06/05/2013 1:48:47 PM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda (Someday our schools will teach the difference between "lose" and "loose")
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

I remember that story. The big “feel-good story” fizzled quickly.


39 posted on 06/05/2013 2:05:19 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai
One chooses to be intimidated!

If I bug you, can I get some cash from you?

I already said there was fraud for not reporting his income and being on welfare.

40 posted on 06/05/2013 2:14:36 PM PDT by TexasCajun
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