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Conwoman ‘invented’ children
Friday 20th July 2007, 11:55AM BST.
A serial conwoman invented seven children to cheat the system out of £38,700 in tax credits during a “mind-boggling” scam which fooled the authorities for almost two years.
Posing as her own mother and later her daughter, greedy catering assistant Paula Hannant, of Perton, in South Staffordshire, simply phoned up Revenue & Customs with unchecked claims during a fiddle branded “frighteningly easy” by her own lawyer.
The 40-year-old was today starting a 16-month jail sentence for ripping off taxpayers – a fraud she persisted with despite being imprisoned for a year for doing the same in Durham.
Her swindle included:
* Falsely claiming her father Malcolm Metcalfe had started receiving disability allowance after phoning up benefits staff pretending to be her mother Margaret. Her claims were waved through and his tax credits went up.
* Boosted her handouts even further by saying her mother had adopted twins. As she had access to her parents’ bank account, she took the cash.
* Inventing another foster child months six months later.
* Making up a second set of adopted twins as her confidence grew.
* Masquerading as her daughter to claim she was caring for disabled twins after being released early from a 12-month prison sentence for a £58,000 fraud in Durham. Her scam spanned from July 2004 until March 2006. Yesterday at Wolverhampton Crown Court she admitted five charges of fraud. The court heard how in August 2001 she was conditionally discharged by magistrates for making lying to obtain benefits.
Jailing Hannant, of Jedburgh Avenue, Recorder Mr Edward Coke said: “Does nobody check these phone calls? She can just phone and say ‘We’ve adopted two twins and they are disabled’. I just find it absolutely mindboggling.”
Mr Ben Mills, who was defending, said that the scam had been “frighteningly easy and tempting” for Hannant, who was “utterly ashamed of herself”.
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Yet another example of the UK system, so easy to pay out to anyone (well, anyone except those who really need it).
I note she wasnt ordered to pay it back … she should be made to pay every penny back – even if it takes her for the rest of her life .. why should tax payers lose out ????
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Its a joke.
We take them to court ..prosectute them for fraud and as thieves becauset hats what they are and they dont pay it back and they dont serve a sentence.
ANYONE….who defrauds the benefit system should be sent to prison and then not given any benefits at all.
The council are as bad ask for help to prosecute people over housing fraud then dont make an example.The fraudsters wait a week or so and go back to doing it again!
PATHETIC
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I have just been made redundant for the first time in my life while i try for a job I have claimed for what I am entitled to its like trying to get blood out of a stone so how do some people get away withit
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WELL WHAT A STATE WE LIVE IN,BRING IN COMMUNISM LIKE CHINA !!!!!!!!!!
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Keith ,its simply my friend they have no morals,and have never had the to work in their life.
They were born scroungers,their parents didnt work and they think everyone owes them.
Its disgusting.If you havent worked then they shouldnt get any damn benefits.They paid bugger all in so they shouldnt get bugger all out.
Dont think Barclays give money out to freeloaders!!
Hope you find work soon.
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GAF, i know how you feel about people recieving benefits. I’m 19 and on jobseekers allowance. I’ve never had a job, but have been trying to get one for the past three years. I think its terrible the way that people that defrauds the system can get away with it for so long and can still get away without paying a penny back.
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Mark. I know its hard to find work the first time if you have no idea what you want to do or your capable of .However the saying be in work to find work is something people should remember.
Mark you could try working for free for a voluntary organisation..that sometimes leads to a job thats paid.Go to college retrain..get a vocation.You will find work love its there if you want it.Keep knocking at those doors..its about pride sense of value.You will get there.x
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What will we become when no-one has a job,because the people of China and India will all be in full employment.
Easy -we’ll become emigrants to their country when well get the same opportunities and benefits as them
I don’t think.
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im paula’s daughter and u lot are also a disgrace how can you all assume she was brought up wrong and that her parents (my grandparents) must have been scroungers and never worked in their life WRONG they did all their lives and in fact so did my mother since she left school so in future u need to check facts before jumping in and having your opinion..yea its shamefull what she done but she paid or it..u lot must have been brought up wrong to be able to think u have the right to judge people on something you know nothing about ur also shamefull to our community!
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