An Altrincham man was convicted of dishonestly obtaining almost £50,000 in benefits after it was discovered that the woman he claimed was his landlady was actually his partner.
Henry Lemon, of Brien Avenue, claimed a total of £47,519.44 in housing benefit, income support, employment support allowance and jobseekers’ allowance between June 2007 and September 2014.
The 59-year-old had received the benefits on the basis that he was a single, unemployed person, and he had declared he was renting a room on Brien Avenue from his landlady.
However, a joint investigation by officers from Trafford Council and Jobcentre Plus found he had worked for periods of time during his claim and that his landlady was actually his partner and that there was no commercial tenancy in place.
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Lemon, who had entered a guilty plea on each of the seven counts he had been summonsed for at a previous hearing, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and given a five-month curfew order between the hours of 8pm and 6am.
Trafford Council and Jobcentre Plus are recovering all of the monies that were obtained as a result of the offences.
Executive Councillor for Finance, Councillor Patrick Myers, said: “It is unacceptable that anyone thinks they can submit a fraudulent claim and get away with it.
“The Council has repeatedly warned benefit claimants they must be completely truthful about their personal circumstances. People receiving money to which they are not entitled will be identified and face prosecution.”
