Jogger found guilty of £67k disability swindle
Benefits fraudster caught doing 5k runs
A BENEFITS cheat covertly filmed doing 5k training runs after claiming she could barely walk has been found guilty of conning taxpayers out of £67,000.
Annette Bond was warned she could be sent to prison after a jury took just half an hour to find her guilty at Perth Sheriff Court.
Bond spent nearly a decade, from around April 1, 2009, until November 27, 2018, claiming “enhanced” benefit payments due to conditions she claimed made it difficult for her to stand or even get out of bed.
But a fraud investigation team set up secret surveillance to capture her running near-5km circuits from her home up to four times a week
After the jury returned a guilty verdict, Sheriff William Wood deferred sentence for the preparation of social work background reports and granted Bond bail.
He said: “Given the duration of the deception by omission and the amounts involved, I need to consider whether a custodial sentence might be appropriate.”
The jury heard how the 49-year-old silversmith spent nearly 10 years conning taxpayers out of £67,062.50 by claiming her mobility was severely impaired by multiple sclerosis.
Department for Work and Pensions fraud investigator Scott Hodge, 54, told the court the team parked in view of Bond’s home and filmed her running the same route three times in a 10-day period in 2017.
He said: “We used an internet website to ascertain the distance. The estimated distance run was 4800 metres – just short of three miles.” He added Bond completed the run in 27 minutes without support from anyone and had not been unsteady on her feet.
In her own evidence, Bond admitted running around four times a week but claimed the investigators happened to catch her during a fitter period.
The jury found her guilty of failing to tell the DWP about a change in her condition which meant her support needs and physical ability had improved.
She will be sentenced next month.