Benefit cheat stole £70,000 over five years
A benefit cheat who pocketed more than £70,000 has been given 100 years to pay back the cash.
For more than five years jobless Caroline Wilton ripped off taxpayers by claiming money she wasn't entitled to.
But despite being found guilty of fraud she's only been ordered to repay just 14 a week.
This means it would take at least a century to pay back in full the amount she illegally took from the state.
And the single mum-of-three is only repaying the cash through benefits she still receives.
Today pressure groups branded it a disgrace.
Susie Squire, campaigns manager for the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: 'This is a total disgrace and a blatant abuse of the benefits system.
'This woman has taken advantage in the worst possible way and the taxpayer has been asked to pick up the bill. It seems that even now, after she has been sentenced, it's the innocent taxpayers that are being punished.'
Wilton, 44, of Middle Street, Southsea, claimed income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit on the basis she was a single mum supporting her three young children.
In reality she was living with her partner, who was the father of the three youngsters, and was also in full-time employment.
Wilton deliberately did not tell Portsmouth City Council or the Department for Work and Pensions her partner was living with her.
She then used the weekly benefits of about 250 to pay for daily living expenses.
But in 2005 the authorities received an anonymous tip- off. Inquiries revealed she had pocketed 73,294 between December 2001 and February 2007.
She denied that her partner had been living with her.
But a jury found her guilty of four counts of benefit fraud after a trial at Portsmouth Crown Court.
Referring to her repayments, which were worked out by the city council and Department for Work and Pensions, Judge Gareth Cowling said: 'You're paying some money back but you are never, ever going to pay it all back so the public will be at a loss.'
Judge Cowling handed her a 12-month suspended prison sentence as well as a three-month curfew, which means she will have to remain at her home between 9pm and 6am every day.
He added: 'The authorities probably tell me you should go straight to prison.
'I won't take that step, primarily because it would have a very significant impact on your three children and your 20-year-old son.'
BENEFITS NOW
Since the prosecution was brought against Wilton she has split up with her partner.
As a result she now gets benefit legitimately.
This is estimated to amount to more than 150 per week not including child benefit or child tax credit.
At present 12.95 is deducted from her benefit pay packet per week, of which 5 goes to Portsmouth City Council and 8.95 goes to the Department for Work and Pensions.
Authorities are restricted in what they can get back
The authorities are restricted in what they can claw back from benefit fraudsters.
And there is no rule to prevent a person who has been convicted of benefit fraud from claiming again if it is a legitimate claim.
Tony Nicholas, Portsmouth City Council's head of revenue and benefits, said: 'We always assess a resident's ability to pay when recovering debt but we want to recover overpayments like this as quickly as possibly.
'But government regulations restrict the rate at which we can recover the overpayments and, even in the case of benefit fraud, the maximum we can claim back is 12 per week.'
At court, councils and the Department for Work and Pensions can begin confiscation proceedings against defendants if they have significant cash or assets that can be seized.
But this does not normally happen when a defendant is on benefits.
A spokesperson from the DWP added: 'We will make sure they pay back the money they have stolen and seek to ensure any proceeds from their crime are confiscated, too.
'Where confiscation does not happen the debt will remain as outstanding and we will seek to recover the debt as an individual's circumstances change.'
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