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Prison sentence for benefit cheat

By John Hirst

Prison sentence for benefit cheat

A benefit cheat from Cornwall has been jailed for 18 months.

Michael McQueen from Penwarne Farm, Mawnan Smith, swindled more than £51,000 from the Department of Work and Pensions(DWP), Truro Crown Court heard.

McQueen was receiving disability living allowance, incapacity benefit, income support, housing benefit and council tax relief while working full time.

This hardly comes under the serious and violent categories and there is no risk to the public, therefore was a custodial sentence really necessary? If he serves 12 months, it will cost the taxpayers at least £30,000. This seems to me like a waste of money. Then there is the likes of the expenses cheat Derek Conway who was not even charged for his criminal conduct. Even if every benefit cheat was caught the amount fiddled would only be a drop in the ocean compared with what our MPs cheat on expenses!

Full post as published by prisonlawinsideout on January 08, 2009 (boomark / email).