Piffling sentences for benefit fraud mothers

Paula Moxon from Barnsley admitted single person fraud of £10,204. She was fined a mere £100 on each of two charges and ordered to pay costs of £320 plus a victim surcharge of £15. She is also paying back all the benefit she has received since 2005, which will take her many years to repay, the court heard.

Lee-Anne Jennings from Southampton claimed nearly £50,000 in income support as a single parent for almost five years, even though her husband had moved back in with her after a temporary separation.

Because of poor health, she received an 18-week sentence, suspended for 18 months, and 150 hours community service at a charity shop one day a week. She is paying the stolen benefit payments back voluntarily at a rate of £9 a week, which will take 106 years.

• These people do it for the money. So hit them in the pocket. It was money that motivated them, and a financial penalty will help to deter them.
  
  Benefit thieves should have to repay twice what they've stolen, and should not be eligible for any further benefits – including tax credits - until they have. A confiscation order should be automatic and immediate.
  
  If you don't punish people who are convicted of an easy crime, the offence will continue to look attractive.