Britain: A Nigerian couple who tried to claim £3.8 million in a benefits scam using 1,400 stolen identities have been jailed for a total of almost 10 years

Adeola Thomas, 38, assisted by his partner, Abimbola Abiola, 34, managed to pocket £87,000 after submitting almost 2,500 handwritten applications for tax credits and benefits. The pair spent the money on designer clothing and electrical items including a 50-inch plasma television. Thomas, an illegal immigrant, was jailed for seven years while Abiola, also a Nigerian national with leave to remain in Britain, received two-and-a-half years. The judge also indicated that both Thomas and Abiola should be deported at the end of their prison terms.