Video exposes benefits cheat who pocketed £36k

Benefits cheat Mark Gittings told the Department of Work and Pensions he was only able to walk a short distance and needed constant care.

But this image show the brazen fraudster arriving for work clutching a large bag, before strolling 150ft to the offices of the job he claimed he was unable to do due to his condition.

The Department for Work and Pensions supplied these pictures and video footage to the Express & Star after Gittings admitted cheating the tax payer.

Gittings admitted pocketing £36,000 in bogus incapacity claims over eight years when he appeared before magistrates in Sta-fford.

Gittings, of Hawthorne Road, Wimblebury, Cannock, had told his doctors he needed to be cared for by his wife six to seven days a week due to problems with his legs and hips, the court heard.

He also said he needed help getting in and out of bed.

Gittings had been paid thousands of pounds in disability living allowance despite taking up a physically active job as a delivery driver. He kept his medical problems secret when he started working at TNT Delivery in 2003.

Miss Claire Beddow, prosecuting, told the court last week that his job application stated he was "hard working and reliable" but he had failed to tell them of his disabilities.

He had last seen his consultant about his movement problems in 1998 and wore callipers, but stopped wearing them and special shoes as they were uncomfortable, and did not tell social security of the change to his circumstances.

Miss Beddow said his job involved lots of loading and walking up stairs.

Gittings, aged 41, admitted a charge of failing to notify change of circumstances to social security.

The Department of Work and Pensions said his bogus claims totalled £36,384 between April 2003 and May this year.

Department of Work and Pensions minister Lord Freud, who has responsibility for combating benefit fraud, said: "Benefit thieves are costing the taxpayer almost £1billion per year."

Gittings will be sentenced on Friday at Stafford Magistrates Court.