Benefit cheats ordered to repay £20k

Two women have been found guilty of fraudulently claiming benefits.

Bedford Magistrates Court

The fraud was discovered by Bedford borough Council as part of their partnership work with the National Fraud Initiative.

This is an annual exercise where information from the council’s benefit records is matched with data from other organisations.

Following this work, Bedford Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions established Miss Lund-Conlon had failed to declare that she was a full time student in receipt of bursary payments.

She appeared at Bedford Magistrates Court on Tuesday, August 24, and pleaded guilty to three charges of failing to disclose information. As well as having to repay the benefits, Miss Lund-Conlon has been sentenced to 60 hours of community service.

Miss Dorota Wolkowicz, 29, of Guilas Close, Bedford submitted false letters and documents in order to illegally claim £5,996.61 of Housing and Council Tax Benefit.

The investigation began when a Local Authority Visiting Officer raised suspicions about Wolkowicz’s circumstances with the Fraud Investigation Team.

Wolkowicz appeared at Bedford Magistrates Court on Thursday, August 26, and pleaded guilty to two counts of benefit fraud.

On top of having to repay the overpaid benefit, the magistrates sentenced Wolkowicz to a two year conditional discharge and ordered that she pay £100 towards the council’s costs.

In sentencing, the magistrates reasoning was that she be given credit for the full admission at interview, an early guilty plea and the fact that she had already repaid a considerable amount of her overpayment.