£56k benefit thief jailed

A Bedfordshire woman has been jailed for over seven months after fraudulently claiming over £56,000 in benefits.

Rebecca Gerrard, from Bedford, pleaded guilty to 15 charges of benefit fraud despite originally entering a not guilty plea.

From December 2001 to October 2008 Gerrard falsely claimed a total of £36,639 in Income Support and £21,521 in Housing and Council Tax Benefit.

A joint investigation carried out between investigators at Bedford Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) commenced after the DWP received an anonymous allegation from a member of the public and established that Gerrard had not told Bedford Borough Council that she was married, continuing to claim Income Support and Housing and Council Tax Benefit as a lone parent.

Luton Crown Court heard that Gerrard originally claimed benefit as a lone parent in July 1993 but failed to notify the authorities that she had been living with her husband at several addresses in Bedford since 1994 and the birth of her second child who was born in 2000.

On the 23rd November she attended Luton Crown Court and was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison.

Councillor Shan Hunt, Portfolio Holder for Revenues and Benefits at Bedford Borough Council said: "Benefits are there to support people in genuine need. For almost 8 years this person has defrauded the benefits system of more than £56,000. Bedford Borough Council works hard to support genuine claimants and this sentence reiterates the message that people who steal from the taxpayer can expect to go to prison."