Suspended sentence for £7.5k benefit cheat (From Echo)

Suspended sentence for £7.5k benefit cheat

1:20pm Tuesday 9th February 2010 in

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A BENEFIT cheat who claimed £7,500 had her jail sentence suspended at Basildon Crown Court.

Michelle Samuels, 31, of Yardley, Basildon, admitted producing false documents, failing to declare her partner was living with her and failing to declare earnings from her job to claim the housing benefit in less than a year.

Samuels was handed a six- month prison sentence, suspended for two years, a one-year supervision order and was told she must pay the full amount of overpaid benefit back.

Basildon councillor responsible for resources, Phil Turner, said the council was determined to “claw back” cash from benefit fraudsters.

He said: “Anyone who thinks benefit fraud is somehow a lesser crime is foolish.

“It is totally unacceptable hard-working families may suffer because of those who think they can take what doesn’t belong to them.

“At the same time, we are dedicated to protecting the public purse, so will prosecute cheats and claw back everything they owe.”