Benefit cheat's two-year fiddle

Published on 7th June 2007 in News

A mother-of-five has been publicly branded a thief by a judge after illegally pocketing £10,500 in tax credits for two and a half years.

Dawn Lifsey (46) claimed her marriage was in crisis and she was hard up despite working in a care home and being reunited with her husband who was earning up to £16,000 a year, Hull Crown Court was told.

Mrs Lifsey, who risked a maximum jail term of seven years, hung her head in court in shame after pleading guilty to falsely claiming family tax credits from April, 2003 to November, 2005.

The white-collar fraudster claimed she was single parent for more than two years when she was reunited with her husband. She had falsely boosted her income by £3,000 a year.

Her grim face at being exposed turned to relief after she was told she would not be sharing a cell in a women's prison.

Recorder Jonathan Rose told her that although offence was against taxpayers she was just as bad as a benefit fraudster.

Ordering the grandmother to 13 children to stand he said: "Every taxpayer in this room or shopper you pass in the street is your victim. You are stealing from everyone. If you have a little more than you are entitled to, then you are a thief. That is what you are.

"It gives me no pleasure to see a woman of your age, of previous good character, in court today. But you have got here all by yourself. Not by a minor aberration, but by a deliberate decision to steal from me and everyone that pays taxes.

"The final figure that you stole was £10,000. If you were given that money in your hand you would say that it was a vast amount of money."

Mrs Lifsey, of Highgate in Balne, will face an asset recovery investigation following the scam.

Barrister for HM Customs and Excise James Bourne-Arton said although the claim had started out legitimate in 2001 she did not notify the change in circumstances in 2003.

He said the application form made it perfectly clear that changes in circumstances should be notified and any failure to do so was a criminal offence.

He said Mrs Lifsey had been overpaid tax credit to the tune of £10,500 as a lone parent when at the time her husband earned between £10,500 and £16,000 as a railway worker.

He said she claimed that although she was still married she did not live with her husband. She said they had split up four or five years ago and she had no idea where he lived. Mr Bourne-Arton said investigators found records of their employment which gave the same address and when one moved, so did the other.

Defence barrister Andrew Semple said she spent her working life as a carer and her husband was in a low-paid job. He said she had met her husband-to-be at the age of 14 but in around 2000 their marriage hit a rocky patch and they split up. He said it was then she completed forms for tax credit which ultimately ended in the criminal prosecution.

He said: "She has lost her job since investigations for this offence began. It is difficult to get a job with a pending case not knowing the outcome of a criminal conviction." He said the shame of the offence had left her depressed.

Jail term would have been a punishment 'richly deserved'

Recorder Rose said he could not be criticised if he had jailed Mrs Lifsey. He added: "I have no doubt it would strike you with horror if I were to give you a prison sentence. I could pass that sentence and not be subject to criticism."

He said because she had pleaded guilty he considered what good would come of jailing her other than giving her the punishment "she richly deserved".

He ordered that Mrs Lifsey should complete 150 hours of unpaid work for the community.