Benefit cheat claimed nearly £30k in benefits

A benefit cheat gran has been hauled before the courts for pocketing handouts after failing to declare she owned a house.

For years, Marion Pearson got housing benefit and council tax benefit she was not entitled to, as the owner of a property which ended up being worth £230,000.

A court heard the 77-year-old received an overpayment of just less than £30,000.

Now Pearson, from Newcastle, has been given a suspended prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court.

The court heard Pearson had started claiming the handouts in 2006 after arriving in the North East from Essex after fleeing an abusive relationship.

Someone else filled the forms in for her and the section about assets was left blank - and the authorities did not review the position until 2017.

The claim for housing benefit was dishonest between 2006 and 2017 and for council tax benefit from 2006 until 2013.

Liam O'Brien, prosecuting, said: "The dishonesty was when she completed the review paperwork she dishonestly failed to declare she owned a property in Harlow, Essex. At the time it was worth £130,000 but at the end of the period it was worth at least £230,000. What is clear is that at the end of the period she had equity of about £100,000 available to her in that property."

The court heard the house has been occupied by her daughter throughout the period.

Pearson, who has six previous convictions for dishonesty, the last of which was in 1993, admitted dishonestly claiming benefits.

She was sentenced to four months suspended for 12 months.

Judge Robert Spragg told her: "You admitted owning the property and explained your daughter lived there and was paying the mortgage and would inherit it when you died. You felt sorry for your daughter. You have tried to get back that property and there have been some civil proceedings. Now you are having to pay rent and council tax, you are in financial difficulties and need to get the money from that property."

Jonathan Cousins, defending, said Pearson had been unable to secure the property to sell due to "technicalities she didn't comply with" and she has instructed solicitors to help.

He added: "She issued a notice to quit the property to her daughter which expires today and she waits to see what her daughter will do."

Mr Cousins said Pearson came to the North East to flee an abusive relationship and initially spent time in a refuge. While there, the initial form to claim benefits was filled out by someone else, who did not complete the section about assets.

He added: "The likelihood is she was simply not asked those questions by the housing officer who completed the form. When the form was then completed, the existence of the property was not disclosed and there were no other forms after that until 2017."

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