Benefit cheat swindles £3,418 (From Runcorn and Widnes World)

Benefit cheat was living with her landlord, court told

3:36pm Thursday 7th February 2013 in News By Barbara Jordan

A BENEFIT cheat who failed to declare she was living with her landlord, swindled £3,418 from taxpayers, a court has heard.

Wendy Holloway, formerly Wendy Beckett, aged 48, of Main Street, Halton Village, failed to tell Halton Council that she shared a property in Grangemoor with her landlord, who was working full time.

She admitted two offences of benefit fraud at Runcorn Magistrates Court on January 29, and was sentenced to 80 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £214 costs.

Beckett applied for housing benefit and council tax benefit in September, 2011, saying she was renting a house in Grangemoor.

Weeks later, the council’s benefit’s section received a letter from the landlord of the property confirming that Beckett was renting the full house for £85 a week as he was working away.

An investigation was mounted after an anonymous phone call alleged Beckett was engaged to her landlord and that they planned to get married in August, 2012.

Beckett admitted that she had been in a relationship with her landlord, Graham Holloway, since Christmas, 2011, and had failed to notify the council and Department for Work and Pensions.

Her claim for income support was cancelled from December, 2011, to July, 2012.

She had received an overpayment of £1,258 income support and £2,160 housing benefit.