£20,000 Chesterton benefits cheat mum Sarah Sargeant spared jail
MUM-OF-THREE Sarah Sargeant, who cheated the state out of more than £20,000 benefits, has been spared an immediate jail sentence.
The 31-year-old, right, claimed income support together with housing and council tax benefits while living with her partner Andrew Holding, also known as Andrew Jones, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard yesterday.
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CHEAT: Sarah Sargeant.
Harpreet Sandhu, prosecuting, said the pair had a child together in 2003 and began to live together from the middle of 2007.
But Sargeant failed to tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the local authority they were living together.
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She failed to inform them of a change in her circumstances when in 2009 Sargeant made a fresh claim for income support and made no mention of the fact she and Mr Holding were cohabiting.
And in June 2010 she had another opportunity to inform the authorities about them living together.
But again there was no mention of it on the claim forms.
Sargeant, of Brittain Avenue, Chesterton, pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to notify a change of circumstances in relation to her claims for benefits and one charge of fraud, by stating information on a claim form was correct when she was living in the same household as Mr Jones.
In total Sargeant was overpaid by £21,464.42 in benefits.
The court heard the defendant is repaying the money at a modest rate.
Elizabeth Power, mitigating, said the claims were not fraudulent from the outset.
She added that the defendant has faced the shame and stigma of her offending in her own neighbourhood.
"She and her family have been shouted at and faced a torrent of abuse," said Miss Power. "It has had an effect on her family."
Miss Power said Sargeant is unlikely to appear before a court again and asked Judge Robert Trevor-Jones to draw back from passing an immediate custodial sentence.
The judge sentenced the defendant to five months in prison, suspended for 18 months, with 12 months' supervision and 160 hours unpaid work.
He told Sargeant: "Over a considerable time, 10 years or more, you have been in receipt of benefits.
"It began as a legitimate entitlement. That is money that does not simply grow on trees, it is money produced by people working and paying tax to the government and then it is distributed to people in need. But there came a time when you dishonestly received money to which you were not entitled."
Judge Trevor-Jones added: "There is little surprise when there is anger in the community when someone like you has been effectively stealing from them, because that is what it is.
"Many will consider you fortunate to avoid immediate custody."
Comments
by PaulF430
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 12:33PM
“I've got a Porsche, teehehehe.”
by hahaha9975
Saturday, September 29 2012, 4:17PM
“DJofTNE - how dare you cast aspersions, I came from chesterton, I have a 1st degree and have a very good job, and if you have been to chesterton of late you would see that pink tracksuits are so last year and the drink of choice for alcoholics is zeppelin cider so before you trap off with your uninformed opinion please check your facts you self righteous egotistical halfwit!”
by hahaha9975
Saturday, September 29 2012, 1:42PM
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion but when it starts to get personal it really just shows you to be the lowlifes. People do wrong and they are punished by the courts, the judge went to law school not you so don't say what you think should happen. Personal attacks are despicable, but hey ho let's see your photos and let's see if you are comfortable with what everyone has to say about you! Neanderthals”
by muzzer57
Saturday, September 29 2012, 12:19PM
“Yes James esp when these lowlifes come on here to rub our noses in it.”
by Johntoe
Saturday, September 29 2012, 10:56AM
“@ james77
You are spot on of course, But be careful, If you don't join in with the torch and pitchfork mob and their demand that she should be publicly flogged around the city walls before being hung drawn and quartered,
(Evethough you have clearly stated you do not in anyway condone benefit fraud, and believe that those found guilty of it should be punished,)
There are still those here (and one in particular) who will make snide posts in other comments sections about totally unrelated reports, accusing you of supporting benefit fraud,
What I find really funny is, that quite often the very same people who call for the return of the death penalty, the birch for adults, the cane for children, longer harsher and more brutal prison sentences even amputation of body parts for some crimes, are usually right at the forefront when it comes to warning us of the brutality of sharia law and it's imminent imposition on the British people ,
you would think they would welcome it!!,
OH, and don't forget to make some highly witty and intelligent remarks about the persons looks, their clothes, and where they live.”
by james77
Friday, September 28 2012, 9:42PM
“I don't want to be seen as overlooking her actions which I personally consider to be morally wrong but is there really any need for all the abuse??”
by muzzer57
Friday, September 28 2012, 1:50PM
“All that White Lightning takes its toll on body eventually Southernexile”
by Johntoe
Friday, September 28 2012, 12:17PM
“and I will stick my neck out here, and speculate that the possibility that this ladies 'aledged new job' is as a professor of English at a top university, is pretty much ZERO,
I don't know why I think that, just call it a hunch?”
by Johntoe
Friday, September 28 2012, 12:04PM
“I am now backing out of here as this debate has now become far to intellectual for me, I am WAY out of my depth,
That and the fact that as my first language is English mean that it's become difficult for me to follow the 'discussion',
Pardon? oh, ok, I will translate into 'chav speak' 4 u,
Wot i sed iz dat i carnt tell wot u ppl iz sayink cuz i dont talk like wot u all iz n dat makes it hard 4 me 2 no wot all u iz sain ya get me,”
by DJofTNE
Friday, September 28 2012, 12:00PM
“cHESTERTON. Don't tell me that the whole of Chess are in work, i know the area, i see the rotters on the streets all day in their pink tracksuits, walking out of the offy with 6 special brew's in tow, with 3 nippers looking far from clean behind them, this is the norm up that way, same as alot of areas in stoke. The government have let these people take the mick and they have taken with it both hands and thrashed it, its funny how they know what to claim down to a tee but cannot or more likey will not find a job. I blame the people who have let this happen, the system has been abused though and these people must pay the price, paying the price is not paying the money back at a stupid rate that will last forever and never get fully paid back,plus the fact the sum is being paid back with benefits, does'nt go down too well with me. Its wrong. If you own your own gaff, the benefits system will not help towards your mortgage if you end up out of work, but they will willingly pay a scroungers rent and bills and living costs for as many years as the scrounger wants, so if you have got off your backside and earnt a living and bought a house, expect no help, but do smack all your life, have no intention of working and the uk will fund your life forever. Once in this habit, the habit will never be broken, they then acutally believe that they are owed a living, the worst thing about it is, people who actually need the help, disable or whatever, they get refused benefits, how can this happen? It does and its what makes this city one of the worst to live in the uk. We as a country may lose more off business fraud but its this type of fraud that will eventually bring the country to its knees.”