A benefit cheat escaped a jail sentence on Thursday after sponging nearly £22,700 of hand-outs from the Royal Borough of Windsor.
Childminder Carol Henwood, who shared her Woodlands Park home with her husband Graham, lied to council officers saying that she was a single parent living alone, meaning she was paid thousands in housing and council tax benefits.
But the mother, who the judge said was living a 'fraudulent way of life', was snared for the four year fraud after a benefits verification officer visited her home.
Judge Mary Mowat sentenced her at Oxford Crown Court to 51 weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, and 200 hours of community service. She has already agreed to pay back the council in the region of £30 a week.
"I could send you to prison for something like nine or even 12 months but you are a lady of good character. You are now managing to pay back the money you obtained, albeit in small bits," she said.
Jacqueline McIntosh, defending, said that there was no indication Henwood was living a 'lavish lifestyle'.
The reasoning of Judge Mary Mowat is bizarre. Mrs Henwood is not "a lady of good character". She's a thief who stole money from taxpayers for four years.
She will effectively be paid over £100 an hour for her community service.
If we're lucky we'll see annual reductions of £1,500 on a debt of more than £22,000 - and that's without taking account of interest.
If this is how judges sentence, no wonder government wants more stringent guidelines. Judge Mary Mowat has failed in her duty.
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