Following a day-long trial at Huntingdon Magistrates Court last Thursday (June 26) Lillian Freeman, 31, of Sapley Park, Huntingdon and Mark Taylor, 27, of The Whaddons, Huntingdon, were each found guilty of benefit fraud.

The investigations were part of a new hard-line on benefit cheats being taken by Huntingdonshire District Council, who investigated 400 cases last year.

Freeman was sentenced to a 12-month supervision order and ordered to pay £250 costs after claiming £8,136 support as a single parent while Taylor was living with her.
Taylor received a two-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £250 costs to the council.

Leigh Turnbull, 37, of Silver Street, Buckden, was given an 18-month supervision order and required to pay £400 costs after admitting two counts of failing to declare her partner was living with her for four years while receiving housing benefit and council tax benefit of £12,818.

And following a data-matching exercise with the Department of Work and Pensions and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, Matthew Abblitt, 31, of Field Road, Ramsey, was charged with claiming housing benefit and council tax while working.

The magistrates heard that he was claiming benefits while receiving job seekers' allowance. When he signed off job seekers in March 2007 he did not inform the council that he was in work.
This resulted in overpayments of £1,212 and he was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £1,050 compensation and £200 costs to the council.

Joao Moliero, 52, formerly of Park Road, Ramsey, was also caught for claiming £1,319 benefits while working through the same data-matching scheme, and given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £1,176 compensation and £260 council costs.

>> If you know someone who is claiming benefit when they are not entitled to it you can contact the Fraud Investigation Team on 01480 388480 or call the 24 hour confidential Fraud Hot Line on 01480 388188.

>> Read more in this week's Town Crier, out on Thursday, July 3.