Blackwood man was not entitled to £36k in benefits (From Campaign Series)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting CAM to 80360, or email
us
Blackwood man was not entitled to £36k in benefits
3:10pm Saturday 23rd March 2013 in News
A MAN who benefited by more than £36,000 in housing benefit, council tax and income support after failing to notify a change in circumstance was given a two-year conditional discharge.
Andrew Jinks, 42, of Brisbane Court, Blackwood, had been making claims lawfullly since 1991 but they became fraudulent when financial investment he had made matured, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
Jinks, who had a guide dog in court, appeared for sentencing after pleading guilty to two counts of failing to notify of a change in circumstances.
Prosecuting Eugene Egan said one charge was in relation to Jinks benefiting by £8,567 of housing benefit and £4,749 of council tax over a three year and eight month period. The second charge was in relation to Jinks benefiting by £23,562 in income support over a period of four years and two months.
The total loss to public funds was £36, 879.35.
Investigations showed Jinks had £11,000 capital in a Lloyds bank account, £17,000 in a Scottish Widows account and £14,000 in a Phoenix Life account.
Jinks, who has no previous convictions, made full admissions when interviewed.
Representing him, Andrew Jones said Jinks had repaid the housing benefit and council tax.
He said he had tried to repay the income support and had £14,000 ready to pay immediately and would be able to repay a further £3,000 by the end of July.
Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Eleri Rees ordered for these payments to be made and said a magistrates' court order would be made regarding the rest of the payment owed.
Comments(11)
scraptheWAG
says...
7:06am Sun 24 Mar 13
scraptheWAG
says...
7:37am Sun 24 Mar 13
willow181
says...
9:37am Sun 24 Mar 13
Keith Barnett
says...
10:09am Sun 24 Mar 13
Llanmartinangel
says...
11:29am Sun 24 Mar 13
willow181 wrote:Whoah!! Steady on. I entirely believe you. Mind you, you are right in that any minute now there will be a few along telling you it's all a myth cooked up by the Daily Mail and the rest of the Tory press and that the real villains are the ones who try to keep their money from the taxman after they've earned it, even if they are doing so legally.
Dont start me off on this Countries benefit system it stinks! I have worked since sixteen now in my forties never claimed a penny was not fortunate enough to have children have managed to buy my own house and put a bit by but girls I went to school with who have had a few children never worked a day in there lives have nice homes holidays and wont have to pay for there care when they get old I will work till im sixty something then when I cant stay in my own house will be forced to sell it to pay for my retirement if I get sick tomorrow or need to make a claim I wouldnt get a penny system only rewards the shirkers and the people from other countries who seem to have so many rights that I dont system stinks! and before you do gooders start replying this is my opinion not up for discusson I have had my rant I will now get off to work on a Sunday too !
daydreamer31
says...
2:01pm Sun 24 Mar 13
Llanmartinangel
says...
2:46pm Sun 24 Mar 13
daydreamer31 wrote:Agree with that. It was the comments about the broken benefit system I was commenting on. For my part, I'd increase payments to the genuinely disabled and take it from elsewhere in the stupid system.
Give the guy a break .Hes blind it was a probably just an innocent mistake. He is paying it all back . when you can't see it must be very hard to keep up with paperwork etc . He's been through enough and in my opinion there are far worse things that people are doing. He got a conditional discharge so he must have had good mitigation which the judge accepted. just more disabled bashing by the media
Dai Rear
says...
4:30pm Sun 24 Mar 13
Llanmartinangel wrote:Been on welfare since he was 20 but had already put by 42K in the first 20 years of his life. Was he in a Boy Band or what? And good mitigation is barely needed. Sentencing Guidelines are infinitely more lenient for those who defraud all of us than for those who defraud an individual or a club. But I suppose you'd say that if someone was defrauding a club they'd keep remembering they had 42 K whilst those who defraud us all can easily let that elude them.
daydreamer31 wrote:Agree with that. It was the comments about the broken benefit system I was commenting on. For my part, I'd increase payments to the genuinely disabled and take it from elsewhere in the stupid system.
Give the guy a break .Hes blind it was a probably just an innocent mistake. He is paying it all back . when you can't see it must be very hard to keep up with paperwork etc . He's been through enough and in my opinion there are far worse things that people are doing. He got a conditional discharge so he must have had good mitigation which the judge accepted. just more disabled bashing by the media
scraptheWAG
says...
10:34pm Sun 24 Mar 13
Why do the disabled actors get above that of jobseekers if they are as ill as they claim they should get less!!!
county mad
says...
12:02pm Mon 25 Mar 13
24 Jr garage for booze tobacco and refer to the benefit as " my wages". I cannot afford booze or the time off to drink it. Most galling is these are young fit people who think that I am mug for working! They can pay 7 quid for the fare plus the booze and baccy and some are on their phone arranging drugs quite normal behavior for the benefit underclass.
MR DUDLEY says...
12:40am Sun 24 Mar 13