Smallthorne fraudster Tina Belfield's £45k benefit claim made on bogus son
FRAUDSTER Tina Belfield claimed she was the mother of a relative's child to pocket at least £45,000 in a 10-year benefits swindle – after her own baby died.
The 36-year-old, pictured, first submitted her benefit claim in 1999 when she was pregnant.
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JAILED: Tina Belfield
After her daughter was stillborn Belfield then substituted her dead child with a relative's son on her paperwork to continue to receive the benefit.
The cleaner went on to claim £45,061 over the period which dates back as far as Department of Work and Pension records stretch.
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But bungling DWP staff repeatedly failed to spot Belfield's deception – despite a disparity in the dates of birth between the two youngsters.
Now Belfield, of Community Drive, Smallthorne, has been jailed for six months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
The court heard Belfield's claim was reviewed six times by the DWP.
Nicholas Tatlow, prosecuting, said: "In December 1999 the defendant made a proper claim on the basis that she was expecting a child.
"In March 2000 she failed to notify the department that her child had sadly been stillborn.
"Instead she claimed to be the mother of a boy that was a real child, but not her's. On March 24, 2000 the department received correspondence from the defendant to the effect that she had had a child.
"In April 2000 a review form was submitted in which she named the child, giving a date of birth of March 1999."
The court heard the DWP failed to notice the disparity in the dates of the children's birth.
Belfield, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to failing to notify the DWP of a change in circumstances.
When interviewed by the police in 2010, she gave no explanation why she had claimed the boy was her son.
Heather Drew, mitigating, said her client had been psychologically damaged by losing her daughter.
"She went through a very emotional and stressful experience," she said. "Although there is no diagnostic mental heath issue, a doctor said she would have been psychologically affected by this.
"Perhaps she felt she wanted to have a child and it was put down on the form, then it went on too long and she couldn't turn the clock back.
"It's something that she doesn't ever seem to have got over. She continues to visit the grave of her baby, and she also lost her partner in 2008."
The court heard if Belfield had submitted an honest claim as a single person, she could have legitimately received around £25,000 in benefits during the period of the fraud.
Jailing Belfield, Judge Mark Eades said: "You deliberately made a false claim in respect of this boy. You had no right to claim for him at all.
"You knew when you entered his name on the form that it was a false claim, and you kept the pretence up for a long time.
"I take the view that such blatant dishonesty must mean an immediate custodial sentence."
Comments
by DirtySock
Thursday, March 07 2013, 5:30PM
“tagged up in 6 weeks on a 45k deception crime DOES pay comical sentence...”
by richardhannay
Thursday, July 26 2012, 2:57PM
“I am giving up on the Sentinel. What is the biblical injunction? "Let he who is without sin amongst us let he cast the first stone" in the case of the Sentinel that would mean dropping Cauldon Low quarry on the Sentinel's offices in Etruria. The Sentinel is part of a tax avoidance group as part of the Daily Mail group that roots its tax affairs through Bermuda. It has the gall to regularly parade benefit fraudsters when it ad other organisations don't pay there fair share”
by stanley10
Thursday, July 26 2012, 12:51PM
“What sort of person when "grieving" for their dead child then tries to cash in on that child by claiming it was alive. he has got to be one of the most despicable people on the planet.”
by Tonyjohnt
Thursday, July 26 2012, 11:15AM
“Yeah asif1979 - if we apply ourselves, how poor do you think we can make her? Such a pity we dispensed with trial by ordeal.”
by asif1979
Thursday, July 26 2012, 11:00AM
“shouldnt they repo all the stuff in her house and maybe her house to pay back whats shes stole?.”
by promax
Thursday, July 26 2012, 8:04AM
“I.m all fired up ready to go to work.Had a cracking sleep.I only counted 15 sheep or were they dogs.I know they were black.But i know i had to thread carefully.”
by Johntoe
Thursday, July 26 2012, 12:17AM
“AHH there we have it then,”
by promax
Wednesday, July 25 2012, 11:58PM
“SNORE.SNORE,SNORE, SNORE,BORE, BORE ,BORE, BORED”
by Johntoe
Wednesday, July 25 2012, 11:43PM
“promax
So, I am of no importance to you eh? So how come you have been following me around from thread to tread, making abusive purile childish comments as well as snide hints that I am either a benefit cheat, a tax dodger, a drug dealer, or all three?,
Without of course, having the spine to directly accuse me,
YOU DEMAND that I answer your questions about my private finances and how I earn a living, and when I do, you make further snide and abusive comments, (telling me where to place my paintbrush for instance) You then have the audacity to say I am "obnoxious" and that I am abusing YOU,!!!!
an example of your snide comments about benefits in a totally unrelated story on this site
http://tinyurl.com/d5hllxk
PLENTY here to be going on with,
http://tinyurl.com/cs8476w
a few samples,
Nothing about the bankers then.Change the record HELP springs to mind. About that dog you sold me.see-POSTMEN GET BITTEN."
by promaxSunday, July 22 2012, 4:47PM
"What about the black dog you sold me called JOHNknee,it's got one TOE MISSING"
by promaxWednesday, July 25 2012, 5:34PM
"Give him the benefit of the doubt.Things are not always black and white as they Claim to be"
AND,
http://tinyurl.com/ch3a38c
by promaxWednesday, July 25 2012, 4:08PM
"To all who asked the question,THE NONE ANSWER, IS THE ANSWER.That.s the only conclusion you can come to.If all of these cases ,that have been in the press.how many would have come to light.If someone had not grassed them.It makes you wonder if you are not better off living in the sticks where there is not to may people around you..keep everything at arms length,so to speak.TAXI'"
Last one there's plenty more, these are just a few examples
http://tinyurl.com/c6qpmeo
by promaxSaturday, July 21 2012, 9:12AM
"I've just had another dog and named it Johnknee after the owner i brought it off.His name was Johntoe.I thought,What a knn***..He needs castrating,he was the runt of the litter.No good for breeding.The dogs alright though..I just hope he does not suffer through lameness..He likes a drink of beer and does a bit of sniffing. I'm on about the dog now,not this Johntoe,who i had the dog off.although now thinking about it.Johnknee is sitting there looking at me,lapping it up.He did have this thing for lollipops,i just put it down to, it must have sucked where he lived.So now when the postman comes,he puts his hand in the freezer for 10 mins, so he does'nt get bitten."
Now, what was it you were saying about abusive and obnoxious?
BUT PLEASE feel free to do as I have done, copy and paste these "abusive and obnoxious" comments I've made towards YOU,
and please include the ones where I hint at you being a criminal.
Now, of course, there IS the distinct possibility that you have some form of learning difficulty, or other 'problems'
and if that IS the case, then please, accept my apologies,
If it's not, then I would advise that, when one finds oneself in a hole, digging deeper is NOT the best way out,
Goodbye,”
by promax
Wednesday, July 25 2012, 11:28PM
“THREADBARE END OF.CHANGE THE RECORD”