New Addington benefit cheat jailed

By gdavies

By Gareth Davies

gareth.davies@essnmedia.co.uk

A care assistant has been jailed for scamming taxpayers out of more than £21,000 in benefits.

Kathleen Payet, 52, was jailed for eight months at Croydon Crown Court on Tuesday, after admitting ten charges of fraud over a period of four years.

Payet, of King Henry's Drive, New Addington, started work at the Bolingbroke Hospital, Battersea, on March 1, 2002.

In 2003, she lied to claim housing benefit, jobseeker's allowance and council tax rebates.

James Fletcher, prosecuting, said the mother of three regularly filled in renewal application forms confirming her original statement that she was unemployed.

He explained: "She was interviewed on December 17 last year and she said she had stopped working for the NHS in 2003 and had been looking after her children and grand-children.

"She was further interviewed on January 24 and made a statement saying she had never worked for the NHS."

Payet ended up receiving a total of £21,401 to which she was not entitled. There had so far been no repayments.

Philip Rubery, defending, said the money was spent entirely on her three children and her daughter's four children.

He said: "She didn't have an extravagant life-style. She had not been earning enough to support her family and her daughter had debts of £20,000."

The judge, Mr. Recorder Heathcote Williams QC, told Payet: "This was a deliberate fraud from the outset and you obtained a substantial amount of public money".

Councillor Gavin Barwell, cabinet member for resources and customer services, said: "Once again this successful prosecution proves that benefit fraud does not pay.

"People may think that they will get away with it but there is no escape - if you are breaking the law, you will be found out and you will have to pay the consequences.

"Benefits exist for people in genuine need, those who abuse the system in this way will not be allowed to get away with it."

Anyone wishing to report a fraud should telephone the fraud line on 0800 328 9270.