Ipswich resident Mahmut Dagdelen sentenced for council house fraud that cost authority £158,000

An Ipswich resident has been convicted of social housing fraud which cost an authority £158,000.

Mahmut Dagdelen, of Braziers Wood Road, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday, having been found guilty of five counts of fraud on April 7.

These related to false housing applications plus an additional two for Right To Buy bids.

Ipswich Borough Council’s corporate fraud team had been investigating Dagdelen for the offences, which took place over a six year period, the court was told.

They found he had been applying for social housing while privately renting a home in Ipswich.

His applications falsely stated his household income was less than £15,000 per year and that he and his wife did not have the means to afford private lodgings.

Dagdelen also applied for temporary housing under the guise he and his family would soon be homeless.

Between April 2017 until January 2018, he was given temporary accommodation before renting a three-bedroom council house.

The fraud came to light 13 months later when Dagdelen submitted an application to buy the same property under thew Right to Buy scheme.

Investigators found he had secured a mortgage and had savings to fund the purchase. It was later found he already jointly owned three commercial properties in Ipswich, bought outright in 2016, which Dagdelen had failed to declare.

If found out, he would have been expected to rent privately.

After the fraud was discovered, the borough council told Dagdelen to leave the property, which he did in July 2023, with the home being given to a family on the housing waiting list.

In total, his activities cost the authority £158,000.

In addition to his sentence, Dagdelen was ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and pay £5,418 in costs to Ipswich Borough Council.

In the wake of the verdict, Cllr Alasdair Ross, from the borough council, said: “We would like to thank our dedicated Corporate Fraud team for investigating this long and complex case and their work in bringing this case to justice at Ipswich Crown Court.

“Dagdelen’s fraudulent activities are unacceptable, and his dishonesty prevented much-needed housing being given to families who have a genuine need.

“We must continue to ensure social housing is given to those who need it most and we are encouraging the public to support us in doing so by reporting any suspicions to us.”