£32k benefits cheat narrowly avoids jail

Mother of three Amanda Richardson, of Clayhill Crescent, Newbury, defrauded the system for more than five years, Newbury magistrates heard on Thursday, January 9.
It will take her decades to repay the sum at the agreed rate of £100 per month, the court was told.
Helen Waite, prosecuting on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), said Ms Richardson had claimed widow’s benefits after her estranged husband died.
But later on she deliberately concealed the fact that she was living with a new man and continued to claim thousands of pounds in benefits which she knew she was not entitled to, the court heard.
Ms Richardson admitted dishonestly failing to notify the DWP she was living with Lester Page as husband and wife, knowing it would affect her entitlement to benefit, between April 19, 2005 and April 26, 2010.
She further admitted committing the same offence between March 8 2011 and August 28 2012.
Ms Waite said the total sum Ms Richardson had fraudulently obtained was £32,186.23 and that she had agreed with the DWP to repay it at the rate of £100 per month.
She reminded magistrates that their sentencing guidelines recommend a starting point of 26 weeks’ imprisonment for such an offence committed over a significant period of time and added: “It is further aggravated by the dishonestly element.”
Aisling McDowell, defending, said that her client and Mr Page had been living together but that she had returned to the family home to nurse her estranged husband during his final illness.
She added: “She has had her fair share of tragedy.”
Ms McDowell said her client, who had resumed her relationship with Mr Page after her husband’s death, had entered an early guilty plea and was already making repayments.
She went on: “She just wants to make things right.”
Magistrates told Ms Richardson she had committed serious offences which passed the custody threshold.
They said they would impose a suspended sentence with unpaid work requirement but adjourned sentencing for reports to be prepared.