Punishment for benefit fraud

AsknAnswer2

You can be sentenced to prison for as little as £2,500 for up to 6 weeks. The likelihood of this depends upon the facts of the case.

The length of sentence can increase as the figure fraudulently claimed climbs.

It's in the sentencing guidelines

andyandflo

AsknAnswer2 wrote: »

You can be sentenced to prison for as little as £2,500 for up to 6 weeks. The likelihood of this depends upon the facts of the case.

The length of sentence can increase as the figure fraudulently claimed climbs.

It's in the sentencing guidelines

Hi that makes sense - thanks.

The way the other poster put it was that even with fraud of £20,000 there was no guarantee of prison.

Yes, for fraud, any amount should be considered for prison. It's not the theft of money that matters, it's the loss to others that actually need it.

kmart87

Hi All,

I have been summoned to MAGISTRATES COURT in May for benefit fraud.
I will and have held my hands up about doing this, but to be honest, was very naive regarding what I was getting myself into.
Myself and my partner split up in July 2009, when i began claiming IS and CTB and HB. After 3 months of not seeing him at all, he gradually began staying at my house for 2-3 nights a week to permanently residing in my property again in September 2010. to cut a long story short I had 2 investigations under caution in which in the 2nd one I admitted fully what I had done, and realised that not declaring this was illegal. I owe just under 5000.00 which I am preparing to pay back as of the 1st April (due to financial struggle have had to pay off other debts first), and I just want to know what is going to happen to me... am I likely to go to prison? and will they make a decision on the day. I am a mother of 1 and am now working full time, up to date with all repayments on everything and am genuinely scared about what is going to happen. I just want closure on it now, I know I have done wrong but just want to get on with it. Help please!!

M00se_2

way to raise an old thread - 18 months old

sorry no idea, have you got a solcitor ?

oh and be prepared to get a hard time off some members, not the most sympathetic forum ive come across.

least you`ve put your hands up to it, chin up

Chrissiew

I don't think you will get a prison sentence but I'm not a legal eagle! Having kids used to prevent going to prison but not any more as women used to do wrong things then plead that the kids would suffer if they got sent down, now the judge would just say leave them with a relative or they would go to foster care until the mum was released.

You held your hands up to it in the end so that should go in your favour I guess. I can understand that you will be worrying yourself sick over this and nothing anyone can say will stop that worry.

Soapn

sorry, but when it comes to BREAKING THE LAW and claiming for stuff you shouldn't, then being niave in my books= downright stupid.
I hope you do go to prison, you STOLE, thiefs should be made to pay for what they have done, and as a deterrent to other wannabe THIEFS.

BigAunty

ceecee1 wrote: »

...
BUT - that's not your question - I'm not an expert on deprivation of capital, however if your dad was to go into a nursing home (and I have in the back of my mind that the council can look back 7 years - but I could be very wrong on that) they will certainly look at how his money has reduced.

...

I'm not aware of any time limit when it comes to local authorities looking into deprivation of capital. Suggest the OP looks at the info about care homes/assets on the Age UK or similar Elder charity websites.

robbies_gal

wot happened in the end op i know its an old thread but am jsut interested

Notmyrealname

kmart87 wrote: »

I owe just under 5000.00 which I am preparing to pay back as of the 1st April (due to financial struggle have had to pay off other debts first), and I just want to know what is going to happen to me... am I likely to go to prison? and will they make a decision on the day. I am a mother of 1 and am now working full time, up to date with all repayments on everything and am genuinely scared about what is going to happen. I just want closure on it now, I know I have done wrong but just want to get on with it. Help please!!

Wrong way round. The money owed to the DWP is a priority debt and takes precedence over all other debts. And it is a debt which does not disappear with bankruptcy nor can it be statute barred.

Depending on the level of deception and lies, they may send you to prison. They may not. However you lied in the first investigation, only holding your hands up in the second so its not looking good.

chris1973

oh and be prepared to get a hard time off some members, not the most sympathetic forum ive come across.

Yes, funny that. I imagine most of those nasty unsympathetic people that you refer to are just coming to the end of another long working week, perhaps they may have just finished a 12 hour shift for an ungrateful boss to find a huge pile of bills on their doorstep to make it all worthwhile!, or perhaps they are about to start a long night shift on a ward wiping backsides and mopping up puke.

Maybe, just maybe these heartless beings, simply take umbrage at reading about those who have led the life of Riley at their expense and who have essentially committed fraud in order to be able to do it. I'm sure that those genuinely on benefits will also be as forgiving as you, after all its people like that who ruin it for them and the many other genuine hardship cases, and whose pre-meditated actions are making it doubly difficult to claim for a long term illness or disability.