30 July 2010A Swanley woman who claimed over £5,000 in benefit that she was not entitled to was successfully prosecuted at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (16 October).
Mrs Antonia King, 37, of Wisteria Gardens, Swanley pleaded guilty to three charges relating to offences under section 111A of the Social Security Administration Act 1992.
An investigation, conducted jointly by Sevenoaks District Council and the Department for Work & Pensions, established that Mrs King had falsely claimed Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit for a nine month period during 2006, by failing to declare to the relevant benefit authorities that she was in work.
As a result of her actions Mrs King received £2,443.42 in Housing Benefit, £735.75 in Council Tax Benefit and £1,888.88 in Income Support which she knew she was not entitled to.
At court, Mrs King was sentenced to a community order for a period of 12 months, during which time she must carry out 80 hours of unpaid community work. This was reduced from 120 hours because of her early guilty plea. Mrs King was also ordered to pay half of the legal costs of £50.
Sevenoaks District Council has taken appropriate action to secure the repayment of the Housing Benefit debt.
Cllr Brian Ramsay, the Council's Cabinet member with responsibility for finance, says: "Anyone committing benefit fraud should be aware we are on their case. Money that is claimed fraudently is money that could be spent on important local services and we will do everything we can to ensure that valuable tax payers' money is not wasted in this way."
If the public wish to report any instances of benefit fraud they can do so, in confidence, on the Council's 24 hour benefit fraud hotline on 01732 227445.
