UK: Benefit cheat gets a pay rise

Story here. Excerpt:

'Britain's farcical benefits system was exposed yesterday after a cheating mother was told she can now claim twice as much rather than go to jail.

Joanne Gibbons, 23, fiddled £3,140 in income support while holding down two jobs, a court was told.

But after she was caught it was revealed the shop assistant mother-of-one was entitled to claim £130 a week – £64 a week more than the amount she was swindling the taxpayer.

During her court appearance even her lawyer admitted: “This case is extraordinary and perhaps an indictment of the benefits system.”
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Matthew Sinclair, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It beggars belief that somebody going to the lengths of making fraudulent claims would have actually received more in benefits had they been honest about their situation. It just goes to show that the current system is broken and doesn’t provide the right incentives for claimants to go back to work.
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“Immediately after the fraud was found the income support stopped and her benefits were adjusted. Miss Gibbons was then entitled to make a claim for family tax credit and child benefits.

“She’s now receiving £130 per week – £64 more than she was fraudulently claiming in the first place.

“Her fraudulent behaviour was in effect saving the Government money. It is the most ridiculous mitigation I have ever had to bring before a court.”'