A benefit fraudster has avoided jail after he claimed almost £16,500 in benefits over five and a half years.
Wayne Gaines lied to assessors about not having any money when he applied for Universal Credit between 2018 and 2023, despite actually having up to £40,000.
Prosecutors at Newcastle Crown Court said the 50-year-old would not have been entitled to the benefit had he been truthful.
Gaines, from Consett in County Durham, was jailed for eight months, suspended for 18, with 300 hours unpaid work after he admitted fraud by false representation.
The court heard Gaines had to sign an online declaration saying he did not have any savings, investments or shares over the £16,000 limit when he first applied back in October 2018.
He also agreed with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that he understood he could be prosecuted if that was found not to be true or his situation changed.
Prosecutor Shada Mellor told the court that Gaines received about £16,450 from the DWP until July 2023 when his fraud was discovered.
Investigators reviewing his bank statements between 2018 and 2023 found his balance ranged from about £33,500 to just over £40,000, the court heard.
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In mitigation, the court heard he was "extremely remorseful" and had sold his car to repay £10,000, with money also being deducted from benefits since, reports the BBC.
Judge Penny Moreland said Gaines had "lied" in his initial application, adding: "This was a claim that was fraudulent from the outset and motivated only by greed."
He was ordered to repay an outstanding balance of about £6,300 to the DWP within 28 days.
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A benefit fraudster has avoided jail after he claimed almost £16,500 in benefits over five and a half years.
Wayne Gaines lied to assessors about not having any money when he applied for Universal Credit between 2018 and 2023, despite actually having up to £40,000.
Prosecutors at Newcastle Crown Court said the 50-year-old would not have been entitled to the benefit had he been truthful.
Gaines, from Consett in County Durham, was jailed for eight months, suspended for 18, with 300 hours unpaid work after he admitted fraud by false representation.
The court heard Gaines had to sign an online declaration saying he did not have any savings, investments or shares over the £16,000 limit when he first applied back in October 2018.
He also agreed with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that he understood he could be prosecuted if that was found not to be true or his situation changed.
Prosecutor Shada Mellor told the court that Gaines received about £16,450 from the DWP until July 2023 when his fraud was discovered.
Investigators reviewing his bank statements between 2018 and 2023 found his balance ranged from about £33,500 to just over £40,000, the court heard.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
- Benefits fraudsters exposed after loved-up holiday photos reveal they were lying about being single to swindle £50k
- Benefits fraudster dodges jail despite claiming £76,225 they were not entitled to
- Benefits fraudster swindled taxpayers out of £77k in five-year long Universal Credit scam
In mitigation, the court heard he was "extremely remorseful" and had sold his car to repay £10,000, with money also being deducted from benefits since, reports the BBC.
Judge Penny Moreland said Gaines had "lied" in his initial application, adding: "This was a claim that was fraudulent from the outset and motivated only by greed."
He was ordered to repay an outstanding balance of about £6,300 to the DWP within 28 days.
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