Woman used fake claim for cash con
A NEWMARKET woman claimed more than £8,000 in housing and council tax benefits after tricking council officials with a false tenancy agreement, a court has heard.
Samantha Lines, 44, of New Cheveley Road, admitted failing to notify Forest Heath District Council of a change of circumstances at West Suffolk Magistrates’ Court, Bury St Edmunds, on Thursday.
Elizabeth White, prosecuting, said that between July 2010 and August last year Lines, who works as a steward at the Cheveley Road Club, received £8,543 in benefits after declaring on a housing claim form that she lived on her own.
But after information was received that Lines had left the address in August, council officials questioned her former landlords about the tenancy agreement.
The court heard that the original agreement highlighted that Lines and her then partner Damien McBride had signed a contract for a joint tenancy.
The landlords also said that the signature on the form, used by Lines to claim the benefits, was not theirs.
During an interview with council staff in November, Lines claimed that she had been pressured into getting the cash by McBride, despite knowing that she was not entitled to it.
Lyndon Davies, mitigating, said: “In many ways Miss Lines is the victim of this case. She was forced to come back from Spain, following her husband’s death, due to financial problems.
“She got into the relationship with Mr McBride as she felt she needed someone to look after her, but she soon realised it was a mistake. She accepts presenting a false tenancy document. It was something she was forced into by her partner so he could avoid paying rent.”
Magistrates ordered Lines to attend a women’s emotional well-being programme as part of a 12-month supervision order, and to pay £300 towards court costs.
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