Benefit fraudster avoids jail (From Basildon Recorder)
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Benefit fraudster avoids jail
11:31am Wednesday 17th October 2012 in News By Jon Austin
A MAN has been given a suspended sentence and been ordered to pay costs of £250 after pleading guilty to Housing and Council Tax benefit fraud.
James Ellis, 31, of Southview Road, failed to declare his partner was living with him and that she was working.
From 17 May 2009 to 20 March 2011 he falsely claimed £7,787 in Housing benefit.
He also claimed £1,714 in Council Tax benefit from 17 May 2009 to 15 March 2011.
The case was heard at Basildon Magistrates Court on Monday 15 October.
Stuart Sullivan, cabinet member for resources, said: “This man has a flagrant disregard for the law by dishonestly dipping into the public purse.
“The Magistrates commented in respect of both offences that there had been quite a degree of planning and that this was fraudulent from the outset.
“They said there had been significant loss of money from the public purse and the offences were committed over a significant period.
“Let this be a lesson to would-be benefit cheats. You will be caught and made to pay back every penny.”
Comments(9)
Ironman
says...
12:18pm Wed 17 Oct 12
£200 and a 'suspended' is probably a good deal against a £9000+ haul.
Basildon.lad.21
says...
12:29pm Wed 17 Oct 12
Nebs
says...
1:44pm Wed 17 Oct 12
perini
says...
1:49pm Wed 17 Oct 12
EthanEdwards
says...
3:43pm Wed 17 Oct 12
Basildon.lad.21 wrote:Thats a very poor lesson to have learnt and at such a young age..
Top man. Living by the book dont really get you anywhere in life now adays, and the government is absolute sh!t. Shame that this man was caught, but glad he didnt go to prison.
Read this
http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Karma
Basically if you do habitually do bad things eventually it catches up with you.
Rollocks
says...
7:13pm Wed 17 Oct 12
I feel sorry for him I wonder what Karma has in store?
Nebs
says...
11:20pm Wed 17 Oct 12
Rollocks wrote:Maybe he will become a professional rugby league player.
Karma will find him
I feel sorry for him I wonder what Karma has in store?
http://wwos.ninemsn.
com.au/article.aspx?
id=8544396
Tone-Fu
says...
4:26pm Thu 18 Oct 12
I don't think demonising people is a productive use of the media. Instead we should be using it to expose the MP's and policy makers that enjoy opulent lifestyles at the cost of the tax payer and work towards a better quality of life for tax payers - including a living wage.
Son of Stropmag says...
11:56am Wed 17 Oct 12
Of course the truth is that the vast majority are not caught.