£60 fine for £6,000 Otford benefit cheat

An Otford benefit cheat who illegally claimed over £6,000 in benefits has been successfully prosecuted by Sevenoaks District Council and the Department for Work & Pensions.

Mark Taylor of Hale Lane, Otford, appeared before Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court on Tuesday 19 October 2010 where he pleaded guilty to three charges of benefit fraud.

In Court, Mr Taylor admitted he incorrectly claimed Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit between February 2009 and December 2009. Mr Taylor signed off Income Support in December stating he had started full-time work. Fraud teams investigated Mr Taylor and found that he had actually started work in February, and had continued to claim benefits for the 10 months.

As a result of his actions, Mr Taylor incorrectly received £5,746.05 Income Support, £343.34 Housing Benefit and £103.37 Council Tax Benefit, an amount totalling £6,192.76.

Mr Taylor was given 100 hours of unpaid work to help his local community and a Community Punishment Order. He was further ordered to pay £60 towards prosecution costs.

Both the Department for Work & Pensions and Sevenoaks District Council are actively seeking the repayment of all overpaid benefit.

A £60 fine and 100 hours of unpaid work, in exchange for over £6,000 certainly stings as many of us are feeling the pinch of cuts and preparing to lose child benefit and frontline services. Does the punishment fit the crime in this instance? What would you consider a just sentence?