Helen Green successfully raked in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) from the DWP.
DWP benefits cheat who claimed £25,000 in PIP jailed after photo emerges
A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) cheat who fleeced £25,000 by claiming to be housebound has been jailed – after she was caught running a 10k. Helen Green successfully raked in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) from the DWP.
But she was caught lying about being housebound after footage emerged of her working out at the gym. Ms Green claimed she suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis in every joint and a slipped disk.
But she was caught running a 10k and has now been jailed. The 49-year-old told the DWP she could barely feed herself, she rarely left the house and could not even walk for more than five minutes without crutches.
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But photographs from a 10k showed her competently pounding the pavement without any crutches. Ms Green was also caught on security footage at the gym taking part in Zumba, Body Combat, Body Pump, Core Blast and Spin classes.
Shrewsbury Crown Court was told Green was accused of falsely claiming £42,013 but her guilty plea to an amended charge of £25,244.
The DWP was alerted to her deceit via a tip-off to their fraud line and launched an investigation.
Labour Party Minister for Transformation, Andrew Western said: “This is a slap in the face to taxpayers and the genuine claimants who depend on PIP to live their lives.
“Helen Green wasn’t just burning calories at the gym, she was also peddling lies and our investigators caught up with her.
“Let this be a warning – you can’t outrun the DWP.” Mandy Tobias of the Crown Prosecution Service added: “Helen Green pretended she had limited movement, but instead was a regular runner and active in gym classes.
“She did this for her own greed and lined her pockets with fraudulently obtained money.
“The Crown Prosecution Service presented strong evidence thanks to the investigation work of the DWP showing Green’s deception, resulting in her guilty plea.”