Suspended sentence for benefit cheat
A woman who falsely claimed more than nine
thousand pounds in benefits has been given a six week prison
sentence, suspended for twelve months. Magistrates also ordered the
58 year old to do two hundred hours of unpaid work.
58 year old Pamela Carwood of Park Street,
Kidderminster, pleaded guilty to three charges of dishonestly
claiming benefit. She failed to declare to Wyre Forest
District Council a bank account, in which she had in excess of
£40,000.
Mary Morgan, prosecuting for Wyre Forest
District Council, told Kidderminster Magistrates Court that Pamela
Carwood had made claims for benefit and initially only declared one
bank account. Information was received from the Housing Benefit
Matching Service that she had received interest for an account that
appeared not to have been declared. Officers from the Council’s
Benefits Fraud Section identified the account and interviewed Ms
Carwood. She admitted she had the account and that she had failed
to declare it.
As a result between 16th March 2007
and the 21st February 2010 Carwood was paid £399 in
Council Tax Benefit and £8,657 Housing Benefit to which she was not
entitled.
Pamela Carwood was also ordered to pay
£522.50 towards the costs of the investigation and
prosecution. She will have to repay the overpayment in
full.
Councillor Nathan Desmond, Wyre Forest
District Council’s Cabinet Member for Resources and Transformation
said,
“Wyre Forest District Council has a
confidential Benefit Fraud hotline for reports of suspected false
claims – 01562 732658. Anyone wanting to speak to someone in person
can call 01562 732638, during office hours. Emails can also be sent
from the automatic link in the
Fraud section of the Council’s website.
Issued on - Tuesday 31st May 2011