Plymouth mother £20k benefit cheat spared prison term
A MOTHER who falsely claimed almost £20,000 in benefits has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Kimberley Calvert, aged 29, pocketed three types of payment over more than two years while failing to declare she was living with a man, Plymouth Magistrates' Court heard.
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A district judge said he had thought 'long and hard' about sending her to prison for the 'sheer amount of money' involved. She was overpaid £19,286.
But Nigel Hodkinson said the offences were not complex and he was 'not sure' what an immediate jail sentence would achieve.
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Calvert was given a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, on condition she does 220 hours of unpaid work.
She is already paying back the money she claimed and was ordered to pay £100 towards prosecution costs.
Calvert, of Derwent Avenue, Efford, admitted four counts of making false statements to the authorities to gain benefits.
She failed to declare she was living with a man on forms for income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
Calvert also admitted two counts of obtaining money transfers from the Department for Work and Pensions and Plymouth City Council by deception.
John Major, prosecuting for the department, said she was wrongly paid £19,287 from January 2007 to September 2009.
He added she had submitted claims as a single mother but started living with the man in January 2007.
Mr Major said she had failed to declare the change of circumstances.
Ken Papenfus, for Calvert, said she had been unsure that the relationship with her partner would last.
He added she had 'historically been a victim of domestic violence over some period of time'.
Mr Papenfus said she was trying to maintain her independence 'in a strange way'.
He added: "She has been haunted night and day by the prospect of going to prison. She has increased the amount she has been drinking to try and cope."
Mr Papenfus said Calvert, who has a young child, was very remorseful.
Comments
by nick113
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 7:26PM
“@balwinpw. But those MP's who put in fraudulent claims (as opposed to those that were within the rules however unreasonable) did go to jail. It is Ms Calvert who is getting off lightly.”
by baldwinpw
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 5:38PM
“When politicians seem to get away with putting in false claims, why would it be right to send her to jail and not them. Otherwise we are back to double standards of them and us.”
by micromarke
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 5:19PM
“Here we go again.Dishonest thief on a major scale "Gets away with it".CRIME DOES PAY!!.”
by breezerrosie
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 5:16PM
“S funny how people think that if benefit cheating stopped we'd all somehow be better off. Same way of thinking is if all shoplifting stopped prices would come down. I think not.”
by jaygeek1
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 4:47PM
“Crime pays well !
I find it hard to believe a lot of the tripe that falls out of solicitors mouths, the way they embelish the truth to put their client in the best possible light is tantamount to perverting the course of justice.
As a hard working tax paying member of public I am disgusted that not real sentencing occurred here. For our £19,286 we will get 220 hours of work which equates to £86.77 per hour. I don't think I will be getting value for money here, where do I complain ?”
by BS_Hater
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 4:28PM
“@Bodhisattva83
£19,286 might be nothing to you! but to most people its a small fortune or a years salary, at the least its a chunk of the tax we all work hard to pay.
Now expand your mind a little and realise that many many people across the country are doing this and it probably adds up to as much if not more than banks etc are 'stealing' from us.
These stories, sentences etc send a message out and if we could stop all these thieving losers we could see a large cut in our tax contribution. I seem to remember seeing somewhere that benefit accounts for more than 40% of the tax revenue (sure someone out there must have the correct figure?).”
by Bodhisattva83
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 10:12AM
“compared with how much money the banks,supermarkets and SouthWestWater are stealing from us £19,286 is nothing. love the way our attention is always put on silly people like this so we have someone else to blame/be angry towards when we should really focus on the real evils being forced upon us.
Stupid desperate woman like this give people on benefits a bad name when most are in real need of help.”