Benefits cheat ‘invalid’ played in marching band

A benefits cheat who said she “was virtually unable to walk” was caught when investigators discovered she was a drummer in a marching band.

Rhona Vessey, who claimed £6,251.04 in disability benefits, told the Department of Work and Pensions she “could only walk 20 metres without getting out of breath” and “felt anxious if people looked at her”. But she was observed carrying and playing the drum for a band after a tip-off.

Vessey, 50, of Little Eaton, Derbyshire, admitted fraud and was handed a 10-week community order at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court yesterday.