Staffordshire benefits cheat claimed £18k after 'forgetting' children were in care
A benefits cheat wrongly claimed £18,000 after failing to disclose her two children had been taken into the care of the local authority.
The mother, from Ettingshall, claimed the money over nearly two years and told Wolverhampton Magistrates Court she had spent it on furnishing her flat and buying children's clothes in anticipation of their return.
She pleaded guilty to being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent payment of tax credits and dishonestly failing to notify changes that would affect entitlement to child support.
The court heard she had 'dishonestly claimed a significant amount', but her claims were not dishonest from the outset and she had already started to pay the £18,000 back through benefit sanctions.
She was then ordered to abide by a curfew that restricts her from going out between 5pm and 5am on Friday and Saturday evenings for six months, as well as being fined £160 and told to pay the £18,000 back.
The money was collected between December 2011 and November 2013.
Miss Maggie Meakin, prosecuting, said the mother's initial explanation for continuing to claim the benefits was that she 'forgot' to inform HMRC her children had been taken into social care.
Defence solicitor Mr Martin McNamara said the money was spent on clothing and furnishings for a flat she had moved into shortly after the children were taken into care.
He added that this was done in the hope they would one day return to her, where they would then have everything they need.
However, District Judge Graham Wilkinson said he was 'not convinced' by this explanation at all.
He said: "You knew when the court made a family order and you knew what that meant.
"There is always a chance children will be given back into the care of their parents but I don't believe for a second you have spent £18,000 on refurbishing a flat."
On the mothers curfew sentence, Judge Wilkinson said: "A message has to be sent out that this is unacceptable, so I will be effectively taking your weekends away.
"People who steal from the tax payer will continue to be dealt with severely because they contribute to the billions of pounds that accumulates over the country in false claims.
"People like you make it easier for others to tar all people who claim benefits with the same brush.
"The vast majority of these people on benefits are struggling to make ends meet.
"They look for work and are honest about their situation, but you drag those people down with you," he added.
