BENEFITS CHEAT FACES PRISON (From Warrington Guardian)

BENEFITS CHEAT FACES PRISON

A BENEFITS cheat is likely to be sent to prison after being found guilty of 'cold-blooded' fraud at a cost of £60,000 to taxpayers.

Julie Andrews was convicted of eight counts of false accounting following a re-trial at Warrington Crown Court.

The court heard that Andrews, aged 48, of Bramshill Close, Gorse Covert, stated she was not working when filling out claims forms for incapacity benefit and income support on behalf of her blind husband, Stephen.

The offences dated back as far as 1992.

She was, in fact, employed as a sales negotiator for Wimpey Homes, where she earned around £52,000 in the financial year 2002-2003.

Judge Gareth Edwards QC told Andrews on Thursday: "You have been very rightly convicted on overwhelming evidence of cold-blooded fraud that went on for years.

"I cannot think of any way other than imprisonment to deter others from committing that offence.

"I am considering a confiscation order against your assets so that monies that were wrongly obtained can be returned to the public purse."

Andrews, who is on unconditional bail, will return to Warrington Crown Court on December 3 to be sentenced.

At her original trial earlier this year, she was found guilty of one charge of false accounting, not guilty of another charge of false accounting, and was acquitted on a charge of false declaration.