A cheating couple fiddled thousands of pounds in benefits for being unfit to walk - while running a stud farm with nine horses.
Horse-loving Nicolas Arnold, 57, and wife Mair, 56, wrongly claimed state benefits for a host of health problems leaving them housebound.
But a court heard the couple were caught on camera busy at their country stables - mucking out, carrying food buckets and tending their nine Arabian horses.
Fraud investigator Garth Jones said the pair told benefits staff they were 'virtually unable to walk' but were running their Blackbridge Arabians stud farm.
He played an 18-minute DVD of surveillance showing the couple carrying hay and food buckets and mucking out the animals.
Mr Jones said: 'As you can see, neither of them are displaying any difficulty with their mobility.
'In fact, they were running an operation called Blackbridge Arabians, specialising in Arabian horses.'
The couple have bred champion Arabian horses after entering competitions around Britain - and the animals are sold for thousands of pounds.
The Arnolds were paid more than £6,000 in disability benefits after saying they suffered from conditions including diabetes and heart problems.
Husband Nicolas wrote on claim forms that 'words could not describe' how tough his life was.
He claimed he 'could barely walk' as he battled diabetes, hypertension, heart arrhythmia, sleep apnea, depression, severe back problems and impotence.
And wife Mair said 'chronic fatigue and depression' meant she slept up to 20 hours a day.
Prosecutor Jonathan Holmes said the couple had both been receiving benefits payments for their care and mobility allowance for nearly 15 years.
He said: 'Nicolas also received the highest rate of allowance related to care, claiming he needed round-the-clock attention, including help using the toilet.'
But their fraud was uncovered in an undercover surveillance at their stables hidden away in the countryside in the Garw Valley, near Bridgend, South Wales.
The court was shown the DVD of nine months of surveillance showing the pair working hard in their stableyard.
The couple failed to appear in Bridgend magistrates' court but were found guilty in their absence of fraudulently claiming more than £6,000 in allowance payments over nine months - after they'd been claiming for nearly 15 years.
JP John Hughes said the evidence was 'overwhelming' and adjourned sentencing for the couple to attend in a hearing next month - but warned they could be jailed.
The couple, of Pontyrhyl, Bridgend, were yesterday still advertising online for Blackbridge Arabians.
One horse lover said online: 'I just want to say a huge thank you to Nick and Mair for such an enjoyable day yesterday at Blackbridge Arabians.
'I have never visited before and I can honestly say the quality of all their horses is amazing. I would highly recommend anyone to visit.'
2 comments:
I am so pleased that these two have been caught. It was well known in the Arabian Horse world that they were benefit fraudsters. I reported them 3 years ago after they told me they were claiming these benefits and had been for years, even though they were looking after horses and running a stud every day. I thought nothing was being done. I just wish that they had been tried for the full 15years and not just 9 months as they have stolen much more than £6,000.
Yes totally agree. They would swan around at shows being all friendly when all the time they were just low life criminals. Once their curfew is over I hope they don't ever have the bared faced cheek to turn up at any shows. They won't get a warm welcome...and him a Judge as well. I hope the AHS makes a formal statement about taking that away as well.
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