A tosser and a fraudster
November 19th, 2011 at 9:59 am by David FarrarThe Herald reports:
A welfare fraudster who travelled the world for two years courtesy of the taxpayer has taunted Social Development Minister Paula Bennett in an online video. …
Freedom left for Australia in April 2009, but his benefit payments were not stopped until last January, allowing him to visit Europe, the Balkans, Britain, Africa and Asia.
He received nearly $28,000 in benefit payments over two years.
He contacted the Weekend Herald by email, drawing attention to the video. He said he was in the Netherlands, and would return to New Zealand eventually.
He was “indifferent” to prosecution.
I’m not indifferent to it. I’m all in favour.
He says that when he first claimed the $90-a-week benefit while living in Hawera, it was not enough to live on.
If he is claiming it is $90/week, he is again lying. If you are aged over 25 it is $201.40 net a week or $225.03 gross.
In the video, Freedom admits he fraudulently filled out a tenancy agreement to claim a greater benefit of $290 a week, but claims it was only in exasperation with Work and Income.
I admit I punched Mr Freedom in the face 27 times, but it was only in exasperation with him being a doofus.
Ms Bennett said it was the National Government’s Future Focus reforms – which required all who had been on the dole for a year to reapply – which cut Freedom’s payments.
One of the many reforms Labour fought against.
Related posts:
- Another case of benefit fraud
- Large welfare families
- $86,000 a year for 15 years on the benefit
- Welfare savings
November 19th, 2011 at 10:07 am
David I think you meant to say $201.40 net per week, not $20.140.
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 10:11 am
They should seek extradition of this clown once he is in a country that has the appropriate treaty. He is an arrogant arse and a fraudster who needs to be made an example of.
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 10:16 am
Jeez – for a few seconds I thought this heading may have referred to the leader of one of our minority parties….
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 10:17 am
Don’t worry Mr Freedom. Labour and the Greens will look after you. They really do love you and will succour and cherish your absolute right to suck off the public tit, lie, cheat and steal till the cows come home. A thought though – while you were bleeding the taxpayer, did you give any thought to those who really do need help from what is really a limited source and who stand to be coloured by your own dishonesty? Or are you a singularly selfish, greedy arsehole with a monumental sense of entitlement?
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 10:19 am
And a question for Sue Bradford and others – was the termination of this benefit “beneficiary bashing”?
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 10:24 am
And why exactly are the Herald giving this guy any oxygen?
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 10:27 am
so this loser makes a video, no one looks at it. so he has to contact the herald and say “look at me look at me”. not realising hes helping paula bennett by once again showing the benefits of the new rules she bought in?
no wonder hes unemployable.
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 10:27 am
This prat is just the tip of the iceberg- there are thousands more parasites like him fleecing the hard-working New Zealand taxpayer….
And to think- Labour and the Greens would happily tax us more so they could throw more money at Mr ‘Freedom’ to fund his overseas travel…
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 10:36 am
Erego the need for greater policing of ALL beneficiaries eh ?
turning already stressed case managers at WINZ into private investigators, truant officers and punishment detail overseers.
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 10:47 am
I would prefer it if we just didn’t allow this guy back into the country.
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 10:55 am
I thought this was going to be a post about Chris Carter
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 11:05 am
Petrus Van Druten aka Peter Freedom will eventually make a mistake and be caught by Interpol where he will be extradited to New Zealand to face fraud charges. When this happens he can expect no mercy from the courts in terms of name suppression and also in terms of the penalties for his type of offending, which will include reimbursement of the funds he openly admits to defrauding.
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 11:06 am
Ha I thought this was about Winnie!
Cant the Govt just flag this pricks passport with a “please detain” notice?
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 11:19 am
I watched his video.
He was very self serving and appears to be just saying it was all the Govt’s fault. If he had realized they were still paying him a a month or so after leaving NZ and he had told Winz to stop paying him everything would be fine. He goes and attacks Paula Bennett for not doing her job. Well I think she is doing her job quite well since under labour he would still be getting NZ Taxpayer funds.
This man is a fool. Does he not realize that everything he says will be taken down in evidence and used against him. A prosecutor will just love playing this to a judge during trial and sentencing. The good thing is he is still alive and in good health so he may be able to pay us back before he retires.
He is also a fool because he is making himself even less employable. Even a toilet cleaning job requires a person you can trust. Should a future employer search for him on google they will find his name and thus he will not get a job.
Final question has anyone here gone and frozen his NZ bank accounts in case he still has funds in New Zealand.
One final note, in his video he notes that he has a Dutch passport and makes no mention of a NZ passport. So sorry DavidC no detain notice.
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 11:23 am
Paula has the knack Of gettIng great enemies. That labour part welfare slag was another. Go Paula
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Maybe the Dutch government can pay back his benefit overpayment and he can stay there for the rest of his days – having him back in NZ will only cost the taxpayer more money one way or another!
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
What a dick. What’s wrong with walking to a job? You do it until you have saved or budgeted to afford transport.
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Just one of the many.
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 4:22 pm
Revoke his passport. Just don’t let the person back into the country. Lets see how he survives on his own.
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Yes I was fairly sure he would speak Dutch and have a Dutch passport knowing some of his relations as I do.. He just exploited the slack systems. What he says about Paula is all true. Hope he enjoys his freedom.
Vote:I doubt whether anyone writing here would walk two hours to work and back..Talk is cheap.
November 19th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Sorry Joana- Are you actually defending this thieving asshole???
By the way- I walk to work every day….takes me almost an hour (A hell of a lot cheaper than paying for parking in Auckland)
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Being from the big smoke of Hawera I heard a story about the tosser, he owed money for some work…the person who was owed the money suggested he might like to pay up or those pillars of society, the BPs might be popping around to say hello. Surprisingly he paid up…Got me thinking, maybe the govt should offer to send the boys round…
Vote:November 19th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
joana
He was told to walk for one week until his first pay packet.
Vote:November 21st, 2011 at 12:51 pm
test
Vote: