£30,000 benefits cheat escapes jail (From Daily Echo)
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£30,000 benefits cheat escapes jail
8:00am Thursday 14th February 2013 in Crime
Benefits cheat escapes prison
A BENEFITS cheat who claimed more than £30,000 by pretending his partner wasn’t living with him has escaped a jail term.
Stephen Chalk lied about the woman moving in six years ago so he wouldn’t lose his income support.
Southampton Crown Court sitting in Winchester was told how Chalk had rung the Department for Work and Pensions in February 2005 to inform them that his partner was moving into his home in The Drive, Totton.
But after being told his income support would be stopped, the following month he called them back, told them she hadn’t moved in and had left him, and his money was reinstated.
The court heard that until he was found out, Chalk received an overpayment of £32,436.26 which included housing and council tax benefit.
The court was told Chalk pleaded guilty to benefit fraud.
In his defence the court was told 63-year-old Chalk, was suffering poor health and suicidal thoughts.
The court also heard the woman “was not and had never been a lover, but a companion, carer and friend” who was not living with him fulltime.
Handing him a 12-month prison term suspended for 18 months, Judge Guy Boney told Chalk he deserved to go to prison immediately but it was being suspended because he was now paying the money back, albeit over a long period of time.
Comments(23)
sotonboy84
says...
9:00am Thu 14 Feb 13
So what if he was suffering from poor health and suicidal thoughts. In what way is that linked to him to inform the benefits department that his partner is moving in and when he learns his benefits will be rudcued he calls back and lies and say she isn't?
Benefit scum.
Subject48
says...
10:00am Thu 14 Feb 13
THEKILLER
says...
10:02am Thu 14 Feb 13
Plum Pudding
says...
10:02am Thu 14 Feb 13
His actions were undoubtedly criminal, borne of a combination of perhaps greed and high overheads etc.
And whilst those actions are criminal, I also believe that the amount of money sloshing around in the system that is claimed as "benefit" is equally criminal, especially that, as a tax payers, it has come from our collective pockets. And even more so, that £32,400 can be paid out over a period of 6 years without any meaningful checks that would have revealed this fraud. Infrequently see the proud boasts of different public bodies that they have brought fraudsters to court for having claimed often eye-watering amounts over long periods. I see no reason for those boasts, I would rather see what should have been humble and frank admissions of their failure to carry out proper checks and what surely amounts to carelessness and profligacy with taxpayers hard-earned cash!
sotonboy84
says...
10:05am Thu 14 Feb 13
Plum Pudding wrote:Couldn't agree more.
£32,436 is an awful lot of money, even over 6 years it works out at £5,400 a year. That is more than my daughter earns as an apprentice... His actions were undoubtedly criminal, borne of a combination of perhaps greed and high overheads etc. And whilst those actions are criminal, I also believe that the amount of money sloshing around in the system that is claimed as "benefit" is equally criminal, especially that, as a tax payers, it has come from our collective pockets. And even more so, that £32,400 can be paid out over a period of 6 years without any meaningful checks that would have revealed this fraud. Infrequently see the proud boasts of different public bodies that they have brought fraudsters to court for having claimed often eye-watering amounts over long periods. I see no reason for those boasts, I would rather see what should have been humble and frank admissions of their failure to carry out proper checks and what surely amounts to carelessness and profligacy with taxpayers hard-earned cash!
Subject48
says...
10:14am Thu 14 Feb 13
sotonboy84
says...
10:24am Thu 14 Feb 13
Subject48 wrote:And you can probably pass some of the blame to the balcks, gays, Jews and disabled!!!!!
havent you heard UKIP, its the romanians fault!!
DJ Teh
says...
11:12am Thu 14 Feb 13
sotonboy84 wrote:No thats the BNP you numpty
Subject48 wrote:And you can probably pass some of the blame to the balcks, gays, Jews and disabled!!!!!
havent you heard UKIP, its the romanians fault!!
Subject48
says...
11:17am Thu 14 Feb 13
aldermoorboy
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11:26am Thu 14 Feb 13
Subject48
says...
11:29am Thu 14 Feb 13
Pandoragolden1
says...
12:44pm Thu 14 Feb 13
Subject48 wrote:couldnt agree more and yes I do work full time and did so even when my children were very young and I was a single parent I havent ever been much better off then on benefits
and if there isint enough work to go around you can die in a slum. vote tory.
Tenderhearts wife
says...
1:48pm Thu 14 Feb 13
a person who receives support, advantage, or the like, from another or others without giving any useful or proper return, as one who lives on the hospitality of others.
Why did it take the benefits agency 6 years to catch him out? My Dad is 74 and still works part time, because of this he cannot get any help at all with his housing costs or council tax etc, in fact they awarded him £11.00,Yes £11.00 a week and then 2 weeks later took it back off of him. he has worked paying taxes into this country since the age of 15yrs old and there are lazy,sponging,lying scumbags like this who have an interest free loan for the rest of his bone idle life. make him work in the comunity sweeping streets,cleaning public toilets etc to pay back the society that he has robbed!
mark.baker
says...
3:20pm Thu 14 Feb 13
Eric_Cartman
says...
3:44pm Thu 14 Feb 13
Outside of the Box
says...
3:45pm Thu 14 Feb 13
aldermoorboy wrote:Would that be work in places like DWP who has seen staff slashed by this Tory government attack on the civil service, benefit cheats will always be there, however with less staff to check (even if 6 years unchecked is far too long) claimants information, cases like Mr Thieving Chalk will only increase.
If you work or want to work vote Tory, if you want the tax payer to keep you vote Labour.
Tenderhearts wife
says...
6:04pm Thu 14 Feb 13
mark.baker wrote:I salute you Mark! thats the spirit, been there and done it myself, its all about pride and self worth. Good luck with the work and may more come your way.
I was on Job seekers but start a part time job Saturday. The job pays £74 a week, Job seekers pays £71 a week. I am only £3 better off, but it gives me a reason to get up in the morning and am hoping it will help me get something full time so i can pay my rent and council tax. It is people like this that give the unemployed a bad name :(
thinklikealocal
says...
9:21pm Thu 14 Feb 13
Tenderhearts wife wrote:Here, here, I hope this is the start of better things for you.
mark.baker wrote: I was on Job seekers but start a part time job Saturday. The job pays £74 a week, Job seekers pays £71 a week. I am only £3 better off, but it gives me a reason to get up in the morning and am hoping it will help me get something full time so i can pay my rent and council tax. It is people like this that give the unemployed a bad name :(I salute you Mark! thats the spirit, been there and done it myself, its all about pride and self worth. Good luck with the work and may more come your way.
mark.baker
says...
12:03am Fri 15 Feb 13
thinklikealocal wrote:Thanks :)
Tenderhearts wife wrote:Here, here, I hope this is the start of better things for you.
mark.baker wrote: I was on Job seekers but start a part time job Saturday. The job pays £74 a week, Job seekers pays £71 a week. I am only £3 better off, but it gives me a reason to get up in the morning and am hoping it will help me get something full time so i can pay my rent and council tax. It is people like this that give the unemployed a bad name :(I salute you Mark! thats the spirit, been there and done it myself, its all about pride and self worth. Good luck with the work and may more come your way.
j.brooks14
says...
8:03pm Fri 15 Feb 13
jjayjay
says...
11:50pm Fri 15 Feb 13
aldermoorboy wrote:what if your disabled that dont give to **** about them
If you work or want to work vote Tory, if you want the tax payer to keep you vote Labour.
Rob Apostrophe
says...
10:53pm Fri 22 Feb 13
Queen Victoria says...
8:15am Thu 14 Feb 13