Disability benefits cheat who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro & won 2 triathlons
A BENEFITS cheat pocketed £7,000 in disability payments while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and winning two triathlons.
Ex-paratrooper Mark Lloyd, who injured his back serving in Afghanistan, also went wingwalking, enjoyed a skiing holiday in the Alps and completed gruelling canoe and powerboat races.
Lloyd, 33, known to pals as “Action Man Mark”, told officials “excruciating pain” meant he couldn’t walk more than 50 metres. They fell for his lies and awarded him £141 a week.
But while pocketing taxpayers’ cash he took part in sports across the globe. It took him just five days to scale Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest peak, while raising cash for charity
A judge was shown photos of him with a guide next to the 19,000ft mountain.
Lloyd, medically discharged from the Army in 2011, was also snapped winning an HSBC sponsored triathlon in 2015.
Prosecutor Chris Evans said he exaggerated his condition to claim money from 2014.
He added: “You’d be forgiven for thinking this was two different people from hearing about his condition and then hearing about the type of activities he was undertaking.
“He said he needed a walking aid and on a bad day could not bend and reach his knees.
“He claimed he can only walk between 20 and 50 metres, can’t walk on uneven ground and has pain walking long distances.”
The court heard that while claiming Personal Independence Payments Lloyd also took part in the World Powerboat Championships in Malta and completed a 125-mile canoe race from Devon to Westminster.
District Judge Martin Brown said he “blatantly lied about the severity of his condition”.
He added: “This is a man who feels that as an ex-paratrooper he deserves every penny he gets.”
Lloyd, from Pontypridd, South Wales, was found guilty at Merthyr Tydfil magistrates court of fraud. He will be sentenced next month.