Jailed: £70k benefit cheat who lived a lavish lifestyle
AFORMER student nurse who fraudulently claimed more than £70,000 in tax credits lived a “lavish” lifestyle, enjoyed holidays with her husband, underwent plastic surgery and took out a joint finance loan for a Timeshare property in America.
Tammy Ann Gunter, 41, claimed tax credits after declaring she was a single person, made false claims for student finance and an NHS bursary and forged a letter purporting to be from HMRC, Merthyr Crown Court was told.
Yesterday she was jailed for two years at the court after pleading guilty to one count of being knowingly concerned in fraudulent activity undertaken with a view to obtaining tax credits, one count of forgery and four counts of fraud. One count of fraud was ordered to lie on her file.
Her husband Neil Mark Hart, 45, was sentenced to six months imprisonment after pleading guilty to one count of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence, believing it would be committed.
The court was told Gunter lived a “lavish” lifestyle, had undergone plastic surgery in eastern Europe, while the couple, of Central Avenue, Cefn Fforest, near Blackwood, who married in June 2009, had enjoyed holidays to Las Vegas in 2011 and Florida in 2013 – and also took a joint finance loan for $30,000 for a Timeshare property in America.
The court was also told they operated an unlicensed dog breeding business.
Prosecutor Nuhu Gobir said: “She’s also known by her married name, Tammy Hart, and she uses her maiden name in her dealings with public bodies.”
He said: “The defendants were already in a relationship and had been living together as a family since 5 December, 1997.”
In relation to working tax credits, garage and convenience store worker Gunter claimed tax credits between January 2007 and August 2016.
Mr Gobir said: “Tammy Gunter made a claim that she was a single person working at least 16 hours per week.
“She stated that she had two children and no other income.
“The defendant dishonestly maintained she was single. She enjoyed a lavish lifestyle.” Gunter £76,008.63 in tax credits.
In September 2011, Gunter applied to Student Finance Wales in relation to a three-year criminology and law degree at what was then the University of Glamorgan.
“She stated on the application form she was single”, Mr Gobir said.
When information about her marital status was requested, Gunter was “not forthcoming” and her claim was rejected.
She received £21,396 as part of her studies for the criminology degree, which the court heard she was entitled to.
On December 16, 2014, Gunter applied for funding from NHS Wales Students Awards Services for the year 2014/15 in relation to a full-time three-year adult nursing degree at the University of South Wales, where she gave her marital status as separated.
Mr Gobir said: “She made no reference to her previous funding. This defendant was assessed as an independent received student.” On September 23, 2014, Gunter applied for bursary funding for the nursing degree as an independent student.
Mr Gobir said: “She stated that she was separated and was a single parent with two dependent children.”
She received a bursary of £2,193.24, while her course fees for the 2014/15 academic year were paid – at a cost of £7,352 – which she would have been entitled to.
On 1 April, 2014, she submitted documents to Caerphilly council, with a letter purporting to be on HMRC-headed paper which claimed to indicate that she had notified HMRC that she had married and Hart had moved into the same property.
The letter raised suspicion with a member of staff who had concerns about its authenticity due to matters including spelling errors and it being inconsistent with other HMRC letters.
The court heard that if the letter had been accepted as genuine, the defendant would have received £24,593 between 2011-2014.
The court heard Hart had tried to assist his wife by providing a false address to Merthyr Tydfil council. He contacted the local authority in April 2014 and said he lived in Bedlinog, and said he had done so since the previous year.
Mr Gobir said: “The prosecution case is that Neil Hart lied about his address to assist Tammy Gunter with the application.”
The court heard Gunter also failed to declare a theft conviction from 2000 when applying to be a carer. She worked in the position for several months in 2013 before leaving.
Mr Gobir added: “The total loss to the public purse in effect is £87,450.
The joint investigation begun in January 2015, led by NHS Counter Fraud Service Wales, and involved the Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC.
A hearing is scheduled to take place on February 28 next year regarding a Proceeds of Crime Act application.