High Court Judge Exposes £7m Home Office Claim Fraud via Go-Karting and Gym Videos

POLICY WIRE — London, UK — A High Court judge has revealed that a Sri Lankan national who sought a multimillion-pound settlement from the Home Office for alleged detention injuries was filmed engaging in physical activities despite claiming he needed constant round-level care.

In a ruling issued on Friday, Mr Justice Mansfield determined that Vengadeswara Raw Gopalakrishnan “deliberately fabricated” details regarding a severe long-term psychiatric condition. The claimant insisted that time spent in immigration detention between September 2013 and February 2014 left him unable to work or leave his home without assistance.

While Gopalakrishnan was pursuing more than £7 million in compensation, the Home Office presented evidence earlier this year suggesting he does not currently suffer from a serious mental health issue and likely never had one in the first place.

The judge highlighted video evidence provided by the department, which showed Gopalakrishnan driving a vehicle and participating in a sixty-minute workout session at a gym.

Gopalakrishnan had claimed he lacked the mental capacity to manage his own legal case, instead relying on Reena Mathew, who was introduced as his voluntary caregiver.

Evidence showed that Gopalakrishnan and Mathew had been partners for over ten years and raised three children together, leading the judge to conclude they “acted together” to advance the fraudulent demand for damages.

Labeling the 12-year drain on public resources and court time as scandalous, Mr Justice Mansfield ordered Gopalakrishnan to reimburse the Home Office for all legal costs incurred during the defense of the case.

The judge noted that the claimant either invented or vastly exaggerated his symptoms in coordination with Mathew to secure a multi-million pound payout that lacked any factual basis.

Mansfield observed that if the story of Gopalakrishnan’s life being destroyed were true, it would be tragic, and Mathew’s supposed devotion would be inspiring.

Records show Gopalakrishnan arrived in the UK in 2010 and stayed after his student visa expired in 2012. Although an asylum bid was rejected in 2013, he was released from custody on medical grounds and granted indefinite leave to remain in 2023.

In April, Mathew told the court that Gopalakrishnan’s health had only improved slightly and he still required daily support to perform basic tasks like cooking, attending appointments, or managing finances and housing.

However, Home Office investigators tasked with monitoring Gopalakrishnan between May and June of this year captured him taking his children to school and eating at restaurants. Digital records also placed him in a go-karting event.

Mr Justice Mansfield stated that Gopalakrishnan offered no explanation for these discrepancies, concluding that the man “knowingly participated” in providing false accounts and feigned behavior to extract government money.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)