Benefit claimants in court

Two people who failed to declare they were living with their partners, leading to a total of £14,177.35 of housing benefit being claimed to which they were not entitled to, have been convicted of fraudulently claiming benefits.

Both claimants pleaded guilty at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday of last week and each was sentenced to 12 months conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs to Ashford Borough Council of £651.

Emily Piggott, 26, of Romney Road, Ashford, failed to declare that her partner David Ward was living with her at the property. The overpayment occurred between January 2013 and July 2014 and totalled £9,681.47.

The case was discovered by housing benefit officers, when checks were made and appeared to link the couple together.

In a second case heard the same day, the court heard that Keith Harris, 49, of Portland Close, Ashford, had also failed to declare that he lived with his wife, Helen Harris.

A fraudulent housing benefit overpayment that occurred between January 2013 and April 2014 was calculated at £4,495.88.

Cllr Neil Shorter, Ashford Borough Council’s portfolio holder for finance, budget and resource management, said: “It is right that we take benefit fraud seriously.

“Cases such as this, where we are able to achieve a successful conviction, hopefully act as a deterrent to others.

“We will prosecute and the courts take the severity of benefit fraud into account when sentencing. Our message is clear – people fraudulently claiming benefit are stealing money from public services and we will not let them get away with it.”