Legal News
Benefit fraudster narrowly escapes jail sentence (3 February 2014)
Date: 03/02/2014
A woman from Crawley, who illegitimately claimed in excess of £23,000 in housing benefits, has narrowly escaped a jail sentence after being given a community order and told to undertake unpaid work.
Forty-year-old Amanda Holmes pleaded guilty to falsely claiming benefits over a 12-month period at Crawley Magistrates Court last week. Holmes claimed £22,994 by using a property in the Three Bridges area of Crawley to create a false tenancy agreement.
The court heard that Holmes knew that the property was owned by her ex-partner and father of two of her children but she went ahead with the false claims to ensure she received housing benefit, which she was not entitled to otherwise.
She also fraudulently obtained income support amounting to £196.35 from the Department of Work and Pensions after she failed to notify authorities that she had since moved in with her partner, Raymond Smith. The housing benefit overpayment will now be paid back to the local council, though arrangements have not yet been made.
Leader of Crawley council, Councillor Howard Bloom said: “The council takes a very serious view of people who obtain benefit when they are not entitled to it. We are committed to detecting and prosecuting people who commit benefit fraud. Any claimant whose circumstances change should contact us immediately.”
Duncan Lewis' Crime Department includes a team of expert fraud solicitors with extensive experience in areas such as tax and benefit fraud, corruption and advance fee fraud. Our team is available 24/7, 365 days a year.