Two stories that illuminate the double standards of a system tougher on the poor than on the rich

She was a poor Scottish cleaner who confessed to benefits fraud of £25,000 and got seven months in jail. He is a wealthy property dealer whose father hid a six-figure sum from the taxman … and paid a small penalty.

At the end of a week in which the misconduct of Swiss bankers and their clients has been laid bare, the examples below reveal a tale of two cases exposing the double standards of a system that is far harsher on those who can’t afford expensive advisers than on those who can.

• This article was amended on 16 February 2015 to clarify that the figure for benefit fraud is based on figures from both the Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC.







