This is Sara Stirling, who claimed £9,939 in disability benefits while managing both a college course and a boat-building business, but said she had made "an 'honest mistake". The money has been repaid.
She had applied for Severe Disablement Allowance in August 2000 because of arthritis, despite being 'the brains' behind Working Sail, a small yacht-building firm she ran with her husband. And in 2003 she was headhunted by Falmouth Marine School to write and manage a new Level 3 boat-building course – but did not inform the DWP until she applied for a maternity benefit in 2007.
According to the local paper she screamed at the jury when they found her guilty - more.
Judge Wassall imposed a six-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months, plus a two-month home curfew from 6pm-midnight monitored by electronic tagging. He refused a request for £1,000 prosecution costs because she has no money.
0 comments:
Post a Comment