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Middlesbrough dad jailed for benefit fraud of almost £32k
A TAXI driver who fleeced the taxpayer out of almost £32,000 in benefits over a three-year period has been jailed.
Andrew Lennon raked in a total of £31,884 from the state without telling the authorities he was a self-employed taxi driver, paying no tax on his earnings, between May 2005 and August last year.
Now, ironically, because of his crimes he is no longer seen as fit to drive a taxi and is living entirely off benefits, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Judge John Walford told him: “Not to send you immediately to prison would be an affront to all those honest, hard-working people who struggle to make ends meet without resorting to crime.
“It would also act as a tacit encouragement to others who might be tempted to act dishonestly and cheat the benefits system.”
Middlesbrough dad Lennon, 46, was overpaid £19,751 in income support, £9,514 housing benefit and £2,618 council tax benefit over three years, said prosecutor Michael Hill.
During that period Lennon rented three taxis from three owners. He was registered as a taxi driver with a hackney carriage licence since 1997. He claimed benefits since 1998.
His fraud came to light when Middlesbrough Council cross-referenced his taxi licensing and benefits data.
Lennon, of Cinderwood, Thorntree, a single dad of previous good character, admitted seven benefit fraud charges - six of failing to notify the council and the Department for Work and Pensions of a change in circumstances, and one of making a false representation.
The last charge related to a “verification visit” to his home in July 2006 where he was asked questions and signed a declaration.
When arrested and interviewed, Lennon said he had been a “fool”.
He said he kept no record of his taxi takings and paid no tax or national insurance on them. He has since paid back almost £500 of the benefits.
Robert Mochrie, defending, said Lennon was sorry and had endured a “difficult ride” in the last decade with the deaths of his partner and his mother.
He said: “The money was not used to fund some lavish lifestyle or anything of that nature. It was used simply to make ends meet.”
The judge jailed Lennon for 15 months, saying he had a chance to come clean in 2006 but kept lying and only confessed when he had to.
A Middlesbrough Council spokesman said the sentence highlighted the serious consequences of benefit fraud, adding: “If you are stealing money from the public purse there is no hiding place. If you are getting away with it now we will catch up with you.”
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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin
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