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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Benefit cheat must pay back £10k

Benefit cheat must pay back £10k

HESSLE: A benefit cheat has been ordered to pay back almost £10,000.

Diane Ransom, 51, of Boothferry Road, was also given a 12-month conditional discharge at Beverley Magistrates' Court.

Ransom admitted making false statements in order to obtain housing, council tax and income support benefits.

She submitted a claim in March 2009 stating that she was single and that her landlord was Tony Clisby.

Investigators discovered the couple were in fact married.

Ransom will also have to pay £400 costs, as well as £9,808.50 in housing benefit, council tax benefit and income support she received from March 2009 to February last year.

Andy Hardy, East Riding Council's fraud investigation manager, said: "This was a deliberate act intended to fraudulently obtain money from the public purse.

"Those who choose to deliberately obtain benefits dishonestly should be aware that it is only a matter of time before they are brought before the courts."

Comment: I cannot help wondering when expenses fiddling MPs and members of the House of Lords will be required to pay back what they fraudulently claimed?

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