£35,000 benefits cheat spared jail
ABENEFITS cheat who fraudulently pocketed more than £35,000 while failing to declare she was living with her partner has avoided jail.
Denise Turner, of St James Close, Haslingden, claimed employment support allowance (ESA), housing benefit and council tax benefit over a fiveyear period between 2011 and 2016 despite living with her partner in Accrington who was in full-time employment.
Burnley Crown Court heard how when the 53-year-old was confronted by investigators she told them that he was no longer her partner.
However, when she was presented with evidence that they were still together, she ‘admitted to being dishonest’.
Turner pleaded guilty to three counts of benefit fraud and was given an eight-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months, with a 16-week curfew and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
Thomas Clarke, prosecuting, said the dishonest ESA claims to the Department for Work and Pensions spanned March 2011 to January 2016. The court heard how Turner was legitimately in receipt of means-tested ESA from 2009 and was entitled to receive ‘maximum housing benefit and council tax benefit’ from Rossendale council.
However, Mr Clarke said the benefits were ‘paid on the basis that she declared any change of circumstances affecting the amount of benefit or entitlement’.
Stuart Kaufman, defending, said Turner ‘expresses remorse’ for her actions and has no previous convictions. He said that she had ‘no chance of success and would always get caught’ and had ‘cooperated with the investigation’.
Mr Kaufman said: “It’s obviously a large amount of money over a long period of time.”
Sentencing, Judge Jonathan Gibson said: “Frauds like this are frauds upon the public. Taxpayers, I’m sure, are angry when they hear about people who claim benefits to which they are not entitled.
“People who have to use public services of all kinds are also angry because it means there’s less money available for other things for which the public purse has to pay. While those claims were honest at the outset they stopped because you were caught and indeed you tried to lie about it in your interview until you were presented with evidence.
“You had ample time to stop these claims, which you didn’t.”