More benefit frauds

Irene Wellington from Maidenhead has been jailed for 20 weeks after illegally claiming £11,916 in benefits.

Beverley Seals from Ilkeston, a lollipop lady and brownie pack leader, claimed £4,382 council benefit after keeping quiet about her job, and was ordered to carry out 150 hours community work and pay £150 prosecution costs to the council.

James Smith from Birkdale, who claimed to have an 'enlarged heart', took more than £34,000 in disability benefits ... while running a scrapyard. He has been jailed for 10 months.

Aaron Hendricks, from Letchworth Garden City, claimed £2,161 in tax benefits from North Herts District Council (NHDC) he was not entitled to. He was fined £300 and ordered to pay £600 towards the council's costs and a £15 victim's surcharge.

By contrast a Leyland fraudster has been ordered to pay back £3,400 after using false papers to claim benefits. Lorraine McCallum claimed the cash between December, 2006 and October, 2007. He will be subjected to a 24-month supervision order - so hardly a punishment at all.

Saeed Delnavaz from Hanwell, who scammed more than £38,000 in housing benefits, has been jailed for a year and ordered to pay £2,500 costs. He had been fraudulently claiming benefits whilst living in a rented property in Ludlow Court, Park Road East, Acton, and renting out the property he bought in Hanwell in 2005 - as well as working as a deliveryman. He had also been receiving hundreds of pounds each week from his father in Iran to pay towards his general living expenses since 2004. The court did not accept Mr Delvanaz's repayment offer of £100 per month and a confiscation hearing has been set.