Suspended sentence and community payback for benefit cheat

A Windsor woman who fraudulently obtained almost £24,000 in housing benefit and council tax has been sentenced to 12 weeks in jail for the council tax offence and 16 weeks for housing benefit, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of community payback.

Tracy Couser, 46, of Manor Road, was sentenced at East Berkshire Magistrates' Court Slough on Tuesday 22 March. The maximum possible compensation order of £5,000 for the housing benefit offence and £2,382.39 for council tax was awarded. Ms Couser was also ordered to pay £300 costs. A repayment plan is already in place with the Royal Borough.

On 25 February at East Berkshire Magistrates' Court Maidenhead she had pleaded guilty to two offences of dishonestly failing to notify a change in circumstances contrary to section 111A(1)(a) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 and Council Tax Regulations 1992.

The investigation arose after a government data match referral revealed that Ms Couser - then living in Dedworth Road - had failed to declare that she had a working partner, Anthony Sanders, living with her.

As a result of the fraudulent claim, Ms Couser was overpaid £21,577.13 in housing benefit from 2 April 2007 to 8 March 2010, and £2,382.39 in council tax benefit from 2 April 2007 to 8 March 2010, a total overpayment of £23,959.52.

Cllr Richard Kellaway, lead member for finance, said: "This is a particularly large amount of money stolen from council taxpayers. Through the compensation order the court has ensured that if the money is not repaid then further steps can be taken.

"I would strongly advise anyone who has received overpayments to contact us as soon as possible so that the issue can be resolved."

The council's confidential and free Beat the Cheat line for reporting suspected benefit fraud incidents is on 0500 353300.

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