Woman obtained £20,000 benefit

A 52-year-old Warrington woman obtained more than £20,000 in benefit by failing to declare that her husband was living with her.
Ann Duckworth, of Denver Drive, Great Sankey, obtained the money over a five year period, Knutsford Crown Court heard.
She pleaded guilty to failing to making a false declaration to obtain benefit and was given a six month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
Duckworth was also ordered to carry out 120 hours unpaid community work and repay the overpayment, along with £350 costs.
The court heard the woman obtained £19,375 Housing Benefit and £989 Council Tax benefit, making a total of £20,364.
After the hearing, Adrian Webster, the council’s benefits manager said: “Benefit cheats are not just defrauding the Government, but their own tax paying neighbours and communities. With the new methods of data matching we are using, the obvious message to benefit cheats is – ‘you will be caught’.”