Benefit fraudsters convicted

5:31pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

TWO fraudsters who between them conned Selby District Council out of nearly £6,000 in benefits have been brought to justice.

Council bosses successfully prosecuted Christine Pilcher and Doris Lucas after the pair claimed council tax benefits they were not entitled to.

District council bosses have warned scammers that anyone claiming money fraudulently will be caught and prosecuted.

The message came after Pilcher, 57, of Elston Place, Selby, pleaded guilty at Pontefract Magistrates Court to fraudulently claiming £4,413.81 in council tax benefit.

She was given a conditional discharge for one year and ordered to pay £250 solicitors' costs and £300 towards the cost of the investigation.

She had been charged with eight offences over a four-year period.

Pilcher had failed to declare to the council the five bank accounts, shares and a regular income from her ex-partner she had at her disposal. She produced documents to dishonestly claim the council tax benefit between February 2002 and June 2006.

In the second case, Pontefract magistrates heard Lucas, 64, of Osgodby Nurseries, Cliffe Road, Osgodby, pleaded guilty to fraudulently claiming £1,510.03 in council tax benefit. Lucas was conditionally discharged for one year and ordered to pay £250 solicitors' fees and £200 towards the cost of the investigation. She had been charged with four offences after making false statements to the district council by failing to declare money in a bank account. She produced documents to dishonestly claim £1,510.03 between January 2002 and August 2005.

In both of these cases the district council was alerted to irregularities in the claims when a national benefits data match was run. Early indications showed that Pilcher and Lucas were in receipt of undeclared interest. Further investigations were carried out and the relevant bank accounts were located.

Coun Gillian Ivey, the district council's social board chairman, said: "The benefits system is in place to ensure that those people who genuinely need help can receive the financial support they require, but sometimes we find that people try and misuse the system.

"Selby District Council takes the issues of benefit fraud extremely seriously because it impacts on all council tax payers.

"We'll continue to do all we can to track down and prosecute those people who give us false details or fraudulent information in order to claim benefits they're not entitled to. I'd like to thank the benefit fraud team for their hard work in putting together the evidence in order to successfully prosecute in these two cases."

If anyone suspects benefit fraud in the Selby district, they can contact the district council anonymously on 01757 292230.

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