£59k Wallington benefits fraudster spared jail (From Your Local Guardian)

£59k Wallington benefits fraudster spared jail

7:10am Wednesday 9th December 2009 in

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A benefit fraudster from Wallington has escaped jail despite illegally claiming nearly £60,000 since 2003.

But Jane Amor, of Hurricane Road, will have to pay back at least £100 a month for the next 50 years to settle the debt.

The 37-year-old dinner lady appeared at Croydon Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to benefit fraud at a previous hearing.

Miss Amor racked up the amount between 2004 and 2009.

Judge John Anderson said: “I’m not going to send you to prison although this offence does cross the custody threshold. Understand this Miss Amor, you have come very close to prison.

“Had the circumstances been different I would have had no difficulty imposing a more serious punishment.

“I give you credit that this began as a legal claim until your co-habitee moved in but this was not a sophisticated operation, that is quite clear.

“I’m quite satisfied that the chances of you reoffending again are slim.”

The £59,000 figure quoted in court was a result of Miss Amor swindling £32,000 worth of income support, £21,000 in housing benefit and £6,000 in council tax.

Councillor Tim Crowley, Sutton Conservatives finance spokesman, said: "This woman has defrauded the hardworking Sutton taxpayer like a parasite for five years to the tune of nearly £60k.

“Paying back £100 a month will not cover the taxpayers' cash she has sucked from the public purse.

“I would have preferred a stiffer penalty to send out an unambiguous message to fraudsters and bogus benefit claimants: don't even think about it.

"Some estimations show it costs British households £100 per year each, with the total UK cost thought to be near the £3.5billion mark."

Chloe Barton, defending Miss Amor, said the case had a “huge and devastating impact” on her client.

She said: “Miss Amor is very sorry and says the main reason she loves working is to keep her out of the house.”

Miss Amor was handed a two-year supervision order and must complete 150 hours of unpaid community work.

But the judge decided that pursuing further court costs of £350 would be fruitless.

Councillor John Drage, executive member for resources at Sutton Council, said: “It is simply not acceptable for anyone to claim for benefits they are not entitled to as it takes away valuable resources from those who really need it.

"As this case shows, benefit cheats are caught and brought to justice.”

Sutton Council has a team dedicated to investigating benefit fraud and works closely with the local police.

Since April there have been 20 successful prosecutions locally resulting in the repayment of over £300,000 of public money.

If a member of the public has any suspicions about benefits being claimed fraudulently they should contact Sutton Council on 020 8770 5687.

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