Benefits thief stole from employers too

An anonymous call to the benefit fraud hotline uncovered a litany of crime that has resulted in a jail sentence for a St Annes woman.

Preston Crown Court heard that Danielle Henwood had claimed £1,691 in Council Tax Benefit between 2008 and 2009 – money she was not entitled to as she was working full-time.

Further investigations by Fylde Council and the DWP showed that Henwood had also wrongly claimed Income Support of £11,138 in the same period.

Henwood also pleaded guilty to 24 accounts of theft against her employers from whom she had stolen more than £20,000.

The court sentenced her to 18 months in jail and ordered her to repay the monies owed to Fylde Council and the DWP.

Councillor Karen Buckley, Fylde Council’s finance chief, said:

This woman was earning more than £700 per week and was still taking money from hard-pressed tax-payers – a disgrace.

No citizen minds supporting people in unfortunate circumstances, but people get furious when they have to support cheats.

Fylde Council works with Preston Council and other organisations to check that claims are legitimate and we will not hesitate to seek judicial punishment for those who are cheating their neighbours.

This is one of the worst cases I have become aware of and everyone should be grateful to the person who passed on their suspicions to the benefit fraud hotline.