Woman jailed for benefit fraud after using false name to get council house

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Local Government

A woman has been jailed for 16 months for defrauding Southwark Council of more than £34,000 in benefits after using a false name to obtain a council tenancy.

Simonie Murray, aged 33, used several false identities and made benefit claims in the names of Therese Smith and Denise Skilbeck from March 2009 to the sum of £34,435. She fraudulently obtained the council tenancy in Peckham using the name Therese Smith.

An investigation was started after a vigilant member of Southwark Council staff in the benefits team recognised Miss Murray, who had visited the council's offices to make a claim. She was recognised as a checkout operator in a local supermarket, and using the name Denise Stilbeck.

The case was sent to Camberwell Crown Court, where Miss Murray pleaded guilty to 11 counts. She was sentenced to 16 months which included three months for a previous conviction for benefit fraud in 2010, which had been brought by the Department for Works and Pensions.

Passing the sentence, the Judge described Miss Murray as committing "a serious series of offences which provided a loss of opportunity to others".

Speaking after the case, Councillor Richard Livingtone, cabinet member for resources at Southwark Council, said, "This conviction sends a clear message to anyone who thinks that it is acceptable to defraud the council, the public purse and families on the housing waiting list. It is not.

"We're facing unprecedented cuts to council funding resulting in extremely challenging times financially, so every penny counts towards the services we need to provide. We are fully committed to investigating fraudulent claims and achieving convictions through the courts."