Social worker jailed for £90,000 benefit fraud

A social worker who claimed to be unemployed was found guilty of over £90,000 in benefit fraud and sent to prison for eight months, leaving behind her new born baby.
 
Maxine Wilson, of Cricklewood, falsely claimed housing and council tax benefit for more than eight years after being granted three years unpaid leave by Hammersmith and Fulham Council to study a degree back in 1997.
 
During her three years of study, Wilson was entitled to full benefits.
 
In May 2000, just before returning to full time work with Hammersmith and Fulham, Wilson got part time employment with British Airways (BA).
 
Despite a pay increase when resuming work with Hammersmith and Fulham - taking her salary to £32,000 - on top of the benefits she was falsely receiving, Wilson carried on working part time for BA by taking paid sick leave and using her annual holiday entitlement.
 
This added just under £6,000 to her annual income which she kept up for over eight years resulting in a total overpayment of income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit amounting to £96,870.55 during the period June 2000 to February 2009.
 
Maxine Wilson pleaded guilty to benefit fraud and was given an eight month custodial sentence by Harrow Crown Court.
 
In passing sentence the His Honourable Judge Hearn acknowledged that Ms Wilson was a person of previous good character and a mother of four dependent children, the youngest of which was three weeks old (at the time of sentencing), but felt that due to the gravity and duration of fraudulent activity a custodial sentence was appropriate.
 
Simon Lane, Brent Council's Head of Audit and Investigations, said: "No one is exempt from our investigations.
 
"No matter how long it takes for us to find benefit fraudsters you can be assured that the council will do everything in its power to seek them out. Anyone who is in receipt of benefits is regularly reminded to notify the council when there is a change of circumstances and is urged to do so."