Woman falsely claimed £18,000 benefits (From Warrington Guardian)

Woman falsely claimed £18,000 benefits

A BENEFITS cheat who claimed incapacity benefit while she was working for the borough council has appeared in court.

Carol Mercer, of Lander Close, appeared at Warrington Crown Court on Friday where she admitted false accounting and obtaining property by deception.

Although she faced four charges in court, she also asked for an additional 112 offences to be considered.

The court was told that the overpayment relates to incapacity benefit she claimed between May 1998 and June 2004.

The matters came to light while an investigation was under way. Shortly after a look into her circumstances was started, the investigating officer received a phone call from the defendant who admitted she had been working in a number of jobs, including as a cleaner for Warrington Borough Council.

Judge David Hale was told she had been overpaid £18,071 and had paid £571 back.

He said that, as a result of medical evidence presented to the court, he would not send her to prison.

She was instead ordered to complete a community punishment order of 120 hours for each of the four charges she faced in court.