A pensioner living at Darlow Drive, Stratford-upon-Avon has recently been found guilty of a £43,000 benefit fraud.
Dennis Hopwood falsely claimed Pension Credit and council tax benefits over eight years, despite him and his wife receiving money from a family business.
At Coventry Crown Court last week he pleaded guilty to one count of cheating the public revenue between 6 October 2003 and 20 May 2012 by receiving £27,710 in Pension Credit, to which he was not entitled. He also admitted evasion of liability by deception between 1 October 2005 and 20 May 2012 when he falsely claimed £15,538 council tax benefit.
Mr Hopwood received a 10 month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, after the judge branded his behaviour 'thoroughly dishonest'. He was told he had narrowly avoided being sent to prison because of his early guilty plea, genuine remorse and repayment of the £43,248 benefits.
Stratford-on-Avon District Council officials worked with the Department for Work and Pension in the investigation bringing the offences before the Court.
Mr Hopwood has repaid the full £15,538 of council tax benefit back to Stratford-on-Avon District Council.
Cllr Maurice Howse, Enterprise, Housing and Revenues says: “This case demonstrates that council tax benefit overpayments can accumulate over a period of time, to produce a significant amount of debt, if claimants do not properly disclose their circumstances. The defendant had wrongly claimed Pension Credit and council tax benefit and the offence rightly caught up with him in the end, despite many years in receipt of the benefits."
