Benefit cheat swindled £12,000 while subletting flat

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Local Government and also in Finance

A benefit cheat swindled nearly £12,000 in Housing Benefit whilst subletting her flat.

Miss Lisa Kensington-Wright, 40, was found unanimously guilty by the jury of four counts of benefit fraud at Isleworth Crown Court yesterday.

In total Miss Kensington-Wright was overpaid £11,772.60. This included Housing Benefit of £8,875, Council Tax benefit of £419 and Income Support of £2,478.60 which she will now be required to repay.

Between August 2009 and February 2010 Miss Kensington-Wright, formerly of Finborough Road, SW10, sublet part of her flat for £995 per calendar month whilst fraudulently claiming that her Housing Benefit was her only source of income.

She instructed her ‘tenants’ to pay their rent directly into her bank account.

Following a tip-off from two members of the public, Council investigators managed to track down one of her ‘ex-tenants’ who was willing to provide evidence, including tenancy agreements and rent receipts.

In sentencing Miss Kensington-Wright to 20 weeks in custody, suspended for two years, and a three month curfew between 9pm and 7am, His Honour Judge McDowall said: “...you owe the public a great deal of money and their finances have suffered because of people like you making claims for money you are not entitled to.”

Councillor Warwick Lightfoot, the Royal Borough’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “I’d like to thank the members of the public who alerted us to Miss Kensington-Wright’s fraud.

“It’s unacceptable for people to abuse the benefits system and I urge anyone who suspects fraud to get in touch so that we can investigate.”