Police officer ‘fraudulently claimed benefits’ on break

A POLICE officer fraudulently claimed housing benefit and income support while on a career break – despite earning income on a rental property, a misconduct hearing has heard.

Former PC Kelly Ann Jones, of South Wales Police, applied for the benefits while on a career break from the force between 2012 and 2016.

A panel sitting in Bridgend heard how Ms Jones made a fraudulent claim for housing benefit to Pembrokeshire Council on February 5, 2012. She received £4,312.16 that she was not entitled to, and later claimed a further £4,011.30.

When making the claim, Ms Jones claimed she was not the owner of any property, despite the fact she owned a house in Barry, which she received rental income from. Ms Jones also failed to declare the full extent of her bank accounts.

On April 23, 2012, the hearing was told she made a second fraudulent claim for income support – and once again failed to disclose she owned a property which generated income and the full extent of her bank accounts.

A third fraudulent claim for housing benefit was made to Vale of Glamorgan Council in August 2013. Ms Jones failed to declare the ownership of her property in Barry and the fact she was receiving rent from a tenant, as well as the money in her bank account.

An investigation by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) later found that in August 2012, Ms Jones received a cash lump sum of £20,108.99. That money was deposited into a bank account held by her which she failed to declare. This resulted in her receiving the second overpayment of £4,011.30 between August 10, 2012, and October 30, 2014.

Ms Jones claimed the £20,000 was her children’s money, but the panel found the allegation that she failed to notify the DWP about her change in circumstances proven.

Ms Jones faced six allegations amounting to a breach of the Standards of Professional Behaviour following the alleged fraudulent claims.

A panel found allegations that Ms Jones made fraudulent applications for benefits on three occasions proved, and a fourth allegation that Ms Jones failed to declare over £20,000 in cash to the DWP were also proven.

The panel decided their findings amounted to gross misconduct. Ms Jones, who resigned from the force in June 2019, did not attend the misconduct hearing, but a representing officer informed the panel that Ms Jones denied all allegations against her.

The panel said Ms Jones would have been sacked had she not already resigned.

Ms Jones was also alleged to have told several lies in relation to an investigation into the fraudulent claims which was launched by the DWP in 2016 and later by South Wales Police in 2019.

Jones was alleged to have lied to the DWP in an interview in 2016, and claimed she told a staff member at Pembrokeshire Council about her property.

This allegation was not proven. Part of allegation five also alleged Jones lied about the same employee and claimed they advised her not to disclose all her bank accounts. This was not proven.

A further allegation that Ms Jones lied in the interview as she claimed she told a member of staff at the DWP about her bank accounts was not proven but an allegation that Jones lied about the fact she told the same member of staff about the property she owned was proven.

The sixth allegation Jones faced also related to lies allegedly told by Ms Jones in an interview with South Wales Police. Out of the six allegations in allegation six, all but one were found proven.

The presenting officer did not disclose whether Ms Jones was prosecuted for the fraudulent claims.

Ms Jones’ case has since been referred to the Police’s Barred list.