£70k benefit fraudsters avoid jail

This was a deliberate, large long term fraud against taxpayers. But the couple avoid jail ... because they have young children. They should have been jailed one at a time.

A couple from Lower Earley who conned the council out of more than £70,000 in benefits over two years have escaped a jail sentence so they could look after their young children.

Debra Phillips, 40, and Phillip Seaward, 39, of Chatteris Way, were handed suspended sentences and unpaid work orders at Reading Crown Court.

Phillips had been illegally claiming housing benefit, council tax benefit and income support by telling Wokingham Borough Council she was a single parent renting a property from her landlord Seaward, but the pair are in fact married and living as a family.

Wokingham Borough Council investigators also found Seaward was running his own mini coach company and that the couple had been using the illegally claimed benefits to pay their mortgage.

Sentencing the pair on Thursday, February 12, Judge John Wood said: “This was a calculated deception of the authorities from day one.

“If you did not have young children you would be walking down those steps and imprisoned for 18 months each.”

Phillips and Seaward both admitted dishonestly making false representations with a view to obtaining housing benefit, council tax benefit and income support from July 2005 to September 2007.

The pair stole £31,941.50 in housing benefit, £2,627.43 in council tax benefit and £37,556.25 in income support.

Seaward also admitted dishonestly allowing documentation to be produced which he knew to be false.

They were sentenced to 51 weeks, suspended for two years, and were ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

They are also paying back the money stolen from taxpayers to the council.

htp Dave