Hakin woman found guilty of benefit scam (From Western Telegraph)

Hakin woman found guilty of benefit scam

11:12am Friday 6th July 2007 in News

A Hakin woman has been convicted of fiddling more than £25,000 in benefits.

Jacqueline Dillane, 42, will be sentenced on July 27 after probation officers have prepared a report.

A jury at Swansea crown court returned unanimous verdicts of guilty on all charges against her.

Dillane, of Observatory Avenue, received working tax credits in three consecutive years by claiming she was a single mother living alone.

Nicholas Gage, prosecuting, said Dillane made false claims about not having a partner, about how much she earned and about payments she made for child care.

Between April 2003 to April 2006 she received £25,500. If she had told the truth she would have been entitled to only £1,640.

Mr Gage said Dillane made false claims that she was a single mother of three living alone. She told the Benefits Agency she had married Richard Dillane but they had separated after only two months.

In fact, Mr Dillane was working in the North Sea and although he was away for long periods he was still "resident" at the house in Observatory Avenue.

Mr Gage said there were "numerous" documents to show that Mr Dillane was living at their home.

Loans were applied for in joint names and they had a joint bank account, he said.

On a job application form she stated she was married and living with her husband and he paid the insurance on her Peugeot convertible.

"It was a sham, for her financial advantage," he said.

The jury was told that the scam extended to child care. Dillane was awarded £1,200 to help pay for child care but did not spend the money on a registered child minder as the rules required.

Dillane had denied seven charges of fraudulently obtaining benefits to which she was not entitled.

Dillane told the court that, in certain circumstances, it had been beneficial to pretend that she was still married and living as part of a normal couple.

She claimed this had been mis-read by the authorities to mean she was not entitled to the benefits she claimed.