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10 May 2007
Welsh Comic Cautioned for Stealing Ex-Home Secretary’s ID
He’s not a proper criminal, it’s all Channel 4’s fault.
Arron Bennett has spoken of his “shock” at being locked in a police cell for 12 hours after "stealing the identity" of former cabinet member Charles Clarke.
Arron, the self-proclaimed "only Jewish/Welsh comedian on the
circuit" was working on a one-off programme on ID theft for Channel 4 to be shown next week.
"In the programme, I easily steal the ID of several members of the general public," the comedian told Western Mail.
"However, it was decided that I should attempt to steal the identity of a politician to prove my point. I was a little bit dubious about it but Channel 4 said it was in the public interest so there should not be any repercussions."
Having successfully applied for Clarke’s birth certificate and then used that to obtain a driving license with his own photo on, Arron told the Home Office what he had done, only to be arrested and cautioned six months later.
The Port Talbot-born comedian was chosen by 4 to front the programme after being a victim of ID fraud himself.
He told Western Mail that his arrest was &
as traumatic as finding my identity had been stolen in the first place."
In a quote the Daily Express would be proud of Arron has said: "Ironically, when my identity was stolen and I tracked down the fraudster myself, nothing was done,"
How Not To Lose Your Identity debuts on May 15 on Channel 4 at 11pm.
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