A benefits fraudster who claimed she was too ill to wash herself has been ordered to cough up over £10,000 of taxpayer cash after being caught pole dancing.
Angela Elizabeth Clare, 45, had raked in £28,000 in benefits for her health issues, which apparently rendered her unable to perform simple tasks by herself.
But as she continued to collect the cash, she was caught out online.
The 45-year-old had been posting videos of herself pole dancing – including clips of her doing the splits and hanging upside down – on social media in order to advertise her classes.
The 45-year-old failed to declare thousands of pounds to the DWP
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In order to claim the benefits, Clare had claimed she was “unable to cook for herself, needed assistance washing and bathing, and required constant monitoring to take her medication”, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
Ross McQuillan-Johnson, prosecuting, said there was a “marked difference” between her claims and the footage she had uploaded online.
The court was shown screenshots of her social media posts and heard how she also freelanced as an on-call instructor for yoga classes – beginner-level lessons for which were charged at £60 per person.
But it wasn’t just the pole dancing money which Clare had been taking in on the side.
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The 45-year-old had won £30,000 from the Postcode Lottery in 2021 – and failed to tell the Department for Work and Pensions as much.
In total, Clare illegally claimed some £28,867 in Personal Independence Payment, Employment and Support Allowance, and housing benefit between 2016 and 2022.
A judge heard the claims were initially genuine – but she failed to notify the DWP that her health had improved enough to take up the hobby.
Clare, from Abersychan, just outside Pontypool in Gwent, pleaded guilty to two counts of dishonestly failing to notify the DWP and local Torfaen Council of a change in her circumstances.
Clare was told to pay up at a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Cardiff Crown Court
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Adam Sharp, defending, said the 45-year-old was left “utterly ashamed by what she had done”.
He said Clare had repaid some of the benefit cash, and added that she still had a number of underlying and serious medical conditions, including the loss of a breast and the requirement of a stoma bag, as well as long-standing mental health issues.
Recorder Robin Rouch sentenced Clare to 18 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, as well as a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
At a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, the court heard Clare had benefitted from £27,412 in taxpayer cash – but held assets worth £13,176, which she has been told to pay within three months.
Source Agencies
