Porkies!
£20,000 welfare cheat claimed he was too sick for ‘walkies’... while he ran dog-training firm
A BENEFITS cheat who claimed he was too ill for ‘walkies’ was caught running a dog-training business.
Paul Johnson was handed disability payments of more than £20,000 over nearly three years after insisting he ‘couldn’t walk more than 20 metres’ – about 65ft.
The 53-year-old claimed he had to use a walking stick and be accompanied when outside in case he fell; that he needed assistance when going to the toilet; and that he could not manage stairs.
He even exaggerated his conditions during a home visit by a health worker, a court heard.
Johnson, of Tarleton, Lancashire, said in one statement: ‘I struggle to stand for any period of time due to the pain in my left knee. I struggle to get in and out of showers. I fall a lot.’
But investigators who put Johnson under surveillance and monitored his Facebook page discovered that he was working as a HGV driver as well as running his own company, Mere Brow Dog Training Academy.
He collected disability benefits over a period of two years and ten months, which included a £5,500 lump sum as a backdated payment.
Recorder David Temkin said he accepted Johnson was now remorseful, but added: ‘These benefits are designed to help people with long- term health issues and disabilities so they can cope. While, undoubtedly, you did suffer a number of ailments, nevertheless you made dishonest representations relating to your lungs, knees and general mobility.
‘Your Facebook profile was monitored and revealed the extent of your lies. Your physical capabilities were far better than you had stated.
‘The fact is investigators watched as you walked unaided distances of 800 yards. One investigator never saw you using a stick or having a carer with you.’
Preston Crown Court was told that when Johnson was first caught, he gave the excuse that his claim form for the Department for Work and Pensions was filled out by someone else, whom he had paid £1,000.
Mr Temkin added: ‘Even if you didn’t complete it, the words were yours and the lies were yours. If it’s true that you and another person conspired in this way, it has the potential to aggravate your position. The fact you say you paid £1,000 demonstrates you knew you were in for some significant financial reward, though I accept this was not actually proven.’
Johnson pleaded guilty to dishonestly making a false statement and was sentenced to ten months in prison (suspended for 18 months), given a curfew and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. No repayment order was made in court but it is understood the DWP may seek to get the benefits repaid.
A DWP spokesman said: ‘Only a small minority of benefit claimants are dishonest, but cases like these show how we are catching those who cheat the system and divert taxpayers’ money from those who need it.
‘We are determined to catch those fraudulently claiming benefits by following up on tip-offs, undertaking surveillance and working with local councils.’
‘Your Facebook was monitored’