By Anthony Young-
A benefit cheat who escaped the law for seven years by returning home to Czechoslovakia has been arrested and jailed at Nottingham Crown Court.
48 year old Jaroslav Gavi failed to show up in court in August 2010, after pleading guilty to fraudulently claiming taxpayers’ money to help him care for children.
Gazi also admitted breaching his bail conditions granted on July 26, 2010. He received a month’s prison sentence in addition to two weeks for benefit fraud . Gazi was under the false illusion that he had escaped the law, only to find himself being held to account several years later when visiting Britain in what was intended to be a quick in and out trip.
Recorder Jason Macadam said: “I am quite sure you came to see your family or for some other such reason.
“The courts are plagued with people who don’t attend and who cause chaos and unhappiness to witnesses, those who represent them and those who prosecute.”
Gazi had applied for a crisis loan in 2009, saying he was carer for dependent children and had accommodation problems. He was handed £220. When a second application was made, civil servants paid him £320.
Going to jail for an offence committed years ago is always a painful experience, but the law never forgets an offence for which punishment has not been served. Gavi had planned a short visit of two weeks in Britain, but will now have to buy a fresh ticket back to Czechoslavakia if he wants to return there, or could choose to stay in Britain once he has served his jail term.
The benefit cheat who had claimed to need money to care for children, instead used most of the money for his own personal gratification, eventually slipping out of the country with saved British pounds which would translate to a lot more money in Czechhoslovakia. He suffered a heart attack in Czechoslovakia, but survived it, and had been recuperating for some time. Gavi was visiting Britain to see some member of his family , during which he planned to seek better treatment to attend to his ailing condition.
DANGEROUS
His arrest and subsequent jail sentence could be dangerous for his hart, but the eye of media.com has heard that any medical assistance he needs will be given to him whilst in prison. Breaching bail is a serious offence and never goes without eventual punishment. Those who believe they can escape punishment indefinitely are blissfully ignorant of the way the law works. The system keeps a record of all offending individuals who have run away and escaped justice, and never gives up on catching them however long it may take. It will now be very difficult for him to ever get a proper job in the U.K once he is CRB checked, leaving him with the somewhat inevitable option of returning back to Czechoslavakia where he will face the shame of his conviction, though there is the possibility that he may attempt to hide his prison conviction from his family back home.
TOUGH
Gavi will find UK prison tough when he realises he has been thrown in to mix with a bunch of wolves in Prison. British prisons like many prisons all over the world, are overcrowded and filled with dangerous criminals on drugs and severe mental health issues. Most prisoners try to form alliances with various groups and gangs of criminals; recluse criminals struggle to fit in or escape some form of harassment. His heart condition will call for extra care and provision, but even the shame of his imprisonment and the fact of being locked up in a cell for almost 24 hours will be an unbearable experience for him. Gavi has previously never been to jail in the UK, and there is no knowledge of whether he has been jailed in Czechoslovakia before. One month is not a very long time compared with the sort of prison sentences many inmates get, but it will be long enough for him to learn a hard lesson and reflect on his actions seven years ago. He will come out one month wiser than previously, and hopefully keep a low profile for the rest of his life.