Barry woman jailed for 10 weeks for benefit fraud (From Barry And District News)

Barry woman jailed for 10 weeks for benefit fraud

7:40am Thursday 9th February 2012 in News By Chris Seal

A BARRY woman has been jailed for ten weeks after admitting defrauding the Department of Work and Pensions of more than £24,000.

Carol Ann Daines, of Broad Street, began claiming income support as a single parent of two children in 2002, but failed to notify the DWP of her change in circumstances when her partner moved in.

The DWP subsequently overpaid her £24,430.73 from October 2004 to December 2003, Cardiff and Vale Magistrates heard last week (February 3).

Daines, 42, appeared for sentencing on Friday, having changed her plea to guilty on the day of her planned trial last month (January 18).

DWP prosecutor Ian Williams told the court that Daines had failed to notify the DWP that she was living with her partner for five years and two months.

"When interviewed by officers from the DWP, she said that she was living with her brother and that he was staying there because of his financial problems," he told the court.

"She said that she could provide evidence of birth certificates. But they were not brother and sister or even related."

Daines told them he had been paying money into her bank account as he could not get one himself, and in a subsequent interview she said that he was in a relationship with another woman.

However, while the woman concerned said that she knew the man from his place of work, she said she had never been in a relationship with him and knew that he was living with his girlfriend.

The court heard that whilst Daines and her partner were living together he had also paid for the family to go on holidays to both Turkey and Spain.

Richard Williams, in mitigation for Daines, said: "She accepts her responsibility and wishes to apologise for the money claimed dishonestly that she was not entitled to."

He added that she was now working as a cleaner and that her benefits had stopped some time ago.

Sentencing Daines to 10 weeks in prison, District Judge John Charles said: "In times of financial difficulty, the government purse is not to be used as a means of topping up your account.

"Money was unlawfully obtained for a period in excess of five years.

"The cost is in excess of £24,000 and you tried to lie your way out of it."

DWP Minister for Welfare Reform, Lord Freud said: "We have a duty to the taxpayer and our customers to make sure that these vital benefits only go to those who need them.

"Benefit fraud takes money away from the most vulnerable.

"It is a crime and we are committed to stopping it by catching criminals at the front line, and making sure our reforms make the benefit system less open to abuse."