Benefit cheat was paid £13,000 (From Warrington Guardian)

Benefit cheat was paid £13,000

A BENEFIT cheat, who falsely claimed more than £13,000 has been ordered to complete unpaid work in the community.

Leonard Hill, of Jubilee Avenue, Padgate, defrauded Warrington Borough Council and the Department of work and pensions (DWP) of thousands of pounds by failing to declare a change in circumstances, he also admitted one count of false accounting during a hearing at Warrington Crown Court on Monday.

Between December 2001 and March 2004, he defrauded the borough council of council tax benefit and housing benefit totalling £7,309.26 and the DWP of £2,735.40 in income support and £3,131.54 incapacity benefit.

He received 140 hours community punishment order for each count, to run concurrently and will be pursued by the relevant bodies for the overpayment in full.

People in Warrington can give information about alleged fraudsters free and in confidence on the National Benefit Fraud Hotline 0800 854 440.