Moral corruption of the welfare state
These attitudes have not been identified as benefit fraud, but they are so wrong.A mother who blames benefits cash for making her fat has been branded a disgrace.And separatelyLifelong sponger mum...
View ArticlePrison for £32k benefit fraud
A woman filled in benefits claims forms making no reference to living with her husband of only a few weeks. Claire Louise Chapplow went on to receive £32,360 in combined benefits over the following...
View ArticleSuitable court sentence for council tax cheat
Too often we have to complain of light sentences given by courts. Here's a sentence that fits the crime.A woman who fiddled council tax discounts for four years has appeared in court following an...
View Article£40k benefit thief mother effectively gets no punishment
A benefit cheat who stole £40,000 was spared jail because she has six children – and now, she has been allowed to skip her community service as well.Trudy Nelder, who claimed to be a single mother when...
View ArticleYes, sentences for benefit thieves are light
The Daily Mail here is reporting on sentences passed on benefit thieves. Really this is no surprise. Newspapers keep reporting that a convicted benefit thief has been "spared jail" when the reality is...
View ArticleMore light sentences for benefit fraud
Yesterday we discussed light sentencing for benefit fraud. Today we look at three fresh examples (h/t to Dave for his contributions).First, Samantha Buckley from Richmond, who helped herself to more...
View ArticleJudge: benefit fraud sentence does not deter
The latest in a short series of posts about inadequate benefit fraud sentences. Here is a remarkable case. The Judge herself describes the sentence she is allowed to impose by the Sentencing Guidelines...
View ArticleMore light sentencing for benefit fraud
More on sentencing for benefit fraud, continuing this week's series. Tracy Johns, the "agoraphobic" who travelled the world on £50,000 of falsely claimed benefits, has been jailed for a year. So she'll...
View ArticleAnother meaningless benefit fraud sentence
Here we have a couple of low-lifes who have got away without any real punishment.A couple who won £250,000 on the lottery have been found guilty of falsely claiming more than £42,000 of benefits.Alfred...
View ArticleLight sentence for £20k benefit fraud
She stole almost £20k of our money, and has to do 40 hours of unpaid work. A derisory sentence.A benefit fraudster who cheated the taxpayer out of nearly £20,000 by not telling officers she was working...
View ArticleCouncils announce benefit fraud numbers
Nearly £400,000 has been recouped from benefit cheats from parts of Staffordshire. Benefit fraud investigators in Burntwood and Lichfield have carried out 219 investigations in the past year. There...
View ArticleMan falsely claimed housing benefit for two years
A man who claimed housing benefit on a property for more than two years after he moved out has been given a suspended jail sentence for benefit fraud. A court heard that former Newbold Verdon resident...
View ArticleJail for repeat benefit fraud offender
A woman who falsely claimed more than £26,000 in housing and council tax benefits from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea was sentenced to six months in prison at Hammersmith Magistrates'...
View ArticleTeensiest of benefit fraud sentences
An Accrington businessman who lived in an imposing Grade Two listed 'Hall' claimed £39 a week housing benefit despite owning three other properties, one of them valued at £400,000.Blackburn magistrates...
View ArticleBenefit thieves jailed
A Southminster mother who didn’t declare she had remarried after the death of her husband has been jailed for four months for stealing more than £100,000 in benefits. Elaine Kingstone claimed £33,787...
View ArticleMilton Keynes targets social housing fraud
Tenants illegally sub-letting their homes are being targeted by Milton Keynes Council in a bid to free up dozens of properties for needy families, reports the Milton Keynes Citizen.A study from The...
View ArticleSuspended sentence for £140k benefit thieves
A couple have received suspended sentences after pleading guilty to falsely claiming more than £140,000 in benefits.Raymond and Georgina Wood, who are aged 79 and 75, of Lincolnshire, recently pleaded...
View Articlellegal immigrant claimed £26,000 in benefits after being told to leave the UK
A Kenyan fraudster living in Birmingham stole more than £26,000 in benefits – after being denied permission to stay in the UK, reports the Birmingham Mail. (h/t Dave)Lucy Mbugua had already been...
View ArticleStiff sentence for £1,119 benefit fraud
A funeral director who falsified a tenancy agreement and bank statements has been given a suspended prison sentence. Funeral director Andrew Francis, who runs funeral services in Swaffham and Watton,...
View ArticleStoke-on-Trent recovers 75 properties in a year
The Stoke Sentinel is reporting that almost 1,000 benefit cheats were shopped by their neighbours in just 12 months. (h/t Dave)Between April 2013 and March 2014, a total of 1,457 people were reported...
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