A woman and her estranged son are immersed in a courtroom dispute over a family estate. After Stephen Moore was written out of his parents will, he successfully challenged the move in 2016, claiming his father, who now lives in a care home and has advanced dementia, repeatedly promised the estate would all be his
A man from Renfrewshire has admitted claiming benefits on his mother’s behalf that she was not entitled to. Stewart Connelly who was authorised to act on behalf of his mother, Amelia Connelly, failed to disclose all her savings. He told Renfrewshire Council she had a bank account which contained £6,367 in savings, but she actually
An ex- Tory councillor who claimed he could not even wash his own hair was secretly filmed hauling away tables at a summer fair. Albert Pounder, 74, illegally claimed £10,422 in Disability Living Allowance from 2014 to 2016 and £467 housing benefit in 2016. Preston Crown Court heard he failed to notify the Department of
A woman who claimed £144,977.88 in benefits she was not entitled to over a six-and-a-half year period has avoided jail. Pauline Donaghy, 42, was handed a 12-month prison sentence, which was suspended for two years and she is now paying back £25 a week. Belfast Crown Court noted it will take around 100 years to
Over £296,000 in benefits were claimed fraudulently or in error over the past year from West Dunbartonshire Council. Their corporate fraud team identified the money as part of 228 referrals from members of the public, 199 of which had grounds to be investigated. 15 cases have been passed on to the procurator fiscal which has
A 63-year-old woman was in court for an £11,000 benefit fraud. Marie Lawson was overpaid £11,169 over a two-year period between May 2014 and March 2016. Lawson claimed employment support allowance for herself and her husband from October 2013. The benefits were paid out on the condition that she did not work more than 16
A Hyndburn landlord has been given a suspended prison sentence after failing to check an unsafe boiler and gas. Steven Ladell, from Great Harwood, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive after serious faults were uncovered at a house in King’s Lynn last year. One of his tenants had approached housing standards officials at
A 70-year-old man has been sentenced after wrongly claiming almost £20,000 in benefits, assisted by his wife who was herself a benefit fraud investigator. Paul Stevens told the Department for Work and Pensions that he needed help bathing, dressing, cooking and getting in and out of bed. Stevens claimed he was in constant pain, needed crutches to
A landlord has been banned from renting out rooms after he took advantage of vulnerable tenants. Robert Crow, 69, is accused of letting his tenants live in filthy and dangerous conditions and failing to carry out basic maintenance. The court heard water was left leaking through lights and tenants lived with an insanitary kitchen and
A 72-year-old man has avoided jail after claiming almost £25,000 in State benefits. Martin Oliver falsely claimed the benefits while working as a lorry driver and building a house on a plot of land he owned. Oliver pleaded guilty to four offences of dishonestly failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions and his