Tearful mum avoids jail over £33k fraud

A BENEFIT cheat who defrauded the taxpayer out of £33,000 has avoided prison.

Mum-of-two Stacey Hardy claimed benefits as a single mother for four years, despite living with her husband Denis.

The 29-year-old received a 20-week sentence, suspended for two years, yesterday, after being found guilty of two counts of fraud.

Hardy, of Rowan Court, Blythe Bridge, wept throughout the sentence hearing, after being told she faced the prospect of immediate custody.

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But magistrates agreed to suspend the sentence after hearing how prison would affect the defendant's young family.

Prosecutor Steve Knowles told the court that Hardy had started legitimately claiming income support in August 2006, but later started co-habiting with Mr Hardy.

Mr Knowles said: "The condition of receiving the benefits was that any change of circumstances had to be reported to the Department of Work and Pensions. Mrs Hardy and her partner, Denis Hardy, were living together as husband and wife. That change in circumstances was not declared to the department."

Hardy also received council tax and housing benefit from Stafford Borough Council, but did not inform the authority of her change of circumstances.

She denied cheating the system, saying that Mr Hardy was only spending two or three nights a week at her home.

But Mr Hardy's wages were paid into his wife's bank account, and he bought food and gifts for his children. Magistrates found Hardy guilty of two counts of failing to notify of a change of circumstances.

The fraud relating to income support was from November 2006 to March 2011, while the fraud relating to council tax and housing benefit was between August 2007 to March 2011.

Shaun Kellett, mitigating, said his client had been of previous good character, and had never even been arrested for an offence before this case. Mr Kellett said: "The benefits were not fraudulent from the outset. The defendant and Mr Hardy were in a relationship. They had a baby, but the relationship ended, and she went to live with her father. She registered her claim as a single parent.

"She then moved to another address, and lived there with her husband, but my understanding is that he wasn't living there seven days a week, 365 days a year.

"The defendant did not live a lavish lifestyle, which is an important mitigating factor. Their property had a television, a bed, and that's about it."

Mr Kellett added: "She has two children, aged two and six. Mr Hardy recently had a stroke, and doesn't know if he would be able to take care of the children on his own."

In addition to the suspended sentence, the magistrates handed Hardy a 24-month community order, and ordered her to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £200 towards prosecution costs.