Kim Mason, 36, of Bluebell Close, Rush Green, got the settlement in 2003 and kept it in an account in her name, held on behalf of her daughter. Since moving to the privately rented property in January 2003 she had been claiming council tax and housing benefit based on her entitlement to income support. The £40,000 sum should have been declared on her benefits claims form.
Barking and Dagenham Council’s benefit fraud team started an investigation after receiving an anonymous tip-off in 2008. Mason was interviewed under caution and said she was holding the money on behalf of her daughter. However, an independent tribunal found that she had a beneficial interest in the capital sum, meaning it should have been declared.
After several adjourned court hearings a trial was held at Basildon Crown Court on 15 May 2011. Mason pleaded not guilty but was convicted by the jury after a three day trial. She was convicted of two counts of dishonestly failing to report a change of circumstances - one to claim income support from the Department for Work and Pensions and the other relating to housing benefit from Barking and Dagenham Council.
The total loss to the public purse was £38,906.41, spread between September 2003 and November 2006. This is broken down as £13,149 of income support, £23,453.93 of housing benefit and £2,303.48 of council tax benefit.
On 4 July, again at Basildon, she was sentenced to a six month custodial sentence suspended for a year. She was given a three month tagged curfew order requiring her to be at home between 8pm and 7am (10pm on Wednesdays).
Cllr Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenues and Benefits, said: “For the benefit system to work fairly, it’s important that everyone who applies makes a full and honest declaration of their means. If any sum of money is kept secret it is highly likely that this constitutes benefit fraud, which is a criminal offence.
“Our benefit fraud team always follows up on information which is passed to them by members of the public. As a council we take very seriously our legal duty to do everything we can to prevent fraud. Of course, we also have a duty to the honest residents of the borough to protect their council tax.”