£48,000 benefits cheat
A SCROUNGER who claimed she was too ill to work received £48,000 in benefits over seven years – despite having a full time job.
Patricia Veasey, aged 55, of Atlantic Road, Low Edges, earned up to 1,200 a month at nursing homes in Sheffield, and even took 10 qualifications, while claiming incapacity, housing and council tax benefit.
Sheffield Crown Court heard Veasey, aged 55, was signed off work with chronic obstructive airways disease in June 1998.
Yet the following year she started full time at Bowshaw View Nursing Home in Low Edges, and worked there for a year.
A year later she left and took a job at Dalewood View Care Centre in Woodseats and stayed there until 2006.
Prosecutor Simon Pallo said in the seven years she was on benefits Veasey was asked numerous times to fill in new claims forms – and each time stated she was not working.
The Department for Work and Pensions caught up with her in July 2007 – and she made full confession, claiming she was in a lot of debt, he added.
Judith Seaborne, defending, said Veasey's claim had not been dishonest at the outset.
But Judge Alan Goldsack QC said it was a serious benefit fraud which would have meant jail – if it hadn't been for the two-year delay in bringing the case to court.
He told Veasey: "Even criminals are entitled to be prosecuted within a reasonable time. Two years is totally unreasonable for anyone to have hanging over them with the fear and in your case, expectation, that you will be sent to prison.
"Because of the delay I am going to suspend the sentence."
Criticising the Department for Work and Pensions, he added: "Why it takes so long to bring a straightforward case to the court I don't know, unless the DWP is chronically overworked or incompetent."
He sentenced Veasey to 40 weeks' jail, suspended for one year, and 200 hours of unpaid community work.
The court heard she is repaying the incapacity benefit at 2 a fortnight and the other benefits at 13.20 a month.
After the hearing Vernon Sanderson, DWP fraud investigator, said there were lessons to be learned.
He added: "I wouldn't accept we were an incompetent department. In this case I accept things did not go as quickly as they could. We have a tremendous amount of work pressure at the moment because of the economic downturn."
What do you think? Add your comment below.
BUY ONLINE: Buy The Star - Monday to Saturday - for local news, sport, features and ads. Sign up on line by clicking here.
READ MORE
Main news index
Your letters
Features
South Yorkshire's environmental news
Kids Zone
More business news
More Rotherham news
More Doncaster news
More Barnsley news
Latest sport
Email to a friend
Print this page- Sheffield school massage sessions under fire
- SHEFFIELD UNITED: Blades told to turn on style in bid to regain second place: Urges Danny Wilson
- A tough-talking TV show has put the spotlight on a Sheffield restaurant. Julia Armstrong went to see what has changed...
- Biobank study will add to knowledge
- Fleetwood Mac, Sheffield Arena - REVIEW AND SLIDESHOW
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
