Swansea dad worked as taxi driver while falsely claiming benefitsA DAD-OF-ONE has avoided prison after falsely claiming £29,838 in benefits.
Raymond Byron Protheroe, 49, of Rhodfar Brain, Ravenhill was found guilty of five charges after a four-day trial at Swansea Magistrates' Court.
Wayne Forty, 38, of Heol Dal y Coppa, Llansamlet was jointly convicted of one charge of fraud by false representation along with Protheroe.
Protheroe was also convicted of two charges of failing to notify a change in circumstances and two of making a false statement.
Swansea Magistrates' Court heard Protheroe had failed to declare he had more than £54,000 in bank accounts and that he was working as a taxi driver.
John Allchurch, for the prosecution, said Protheroe failed to tell both the Department for Work and Pensions and Swansea City Council he had held a Lloyds TSB account since 1984 when applying for housing and council tax benefits. He also failed to declare the money when renewing his claim in 2006.
Mr Allchurch said: "It is the prosecution case that by failing to declare the bank account he was being dishonest."
He said investigators found bank statements showing amounts being paid in that Protheroe could not account for.
"There were significant amounts going into his bank account that could only be money being paid to him," Mr Allchurch said.
Protheroe had said he was working just 16 hours a week and was being paid £85 weekly, something Forty corroborated in an employers certificate he signed.
But between April 2007 and November 2008 investigators found an unexplained £27,368 was paid into his account — which they say was wages.
Forty told investigators he had known Protheroe for "donkey's years". and investigators proved the pair were heavily involved in business together.
The court was told Forty had bought a car which was later registered and insured in Protheroe's name and the same car was then named in the taxi application made by Protheroe.
Mr Allchurch said: "When he signed the certificate he knew the information was false and he was compliant in fraud."
The court was asked to step away from an immediate jail term because Protheroe had a heavily pregnant daughter who had special needs and he helped with her care.
Forty, a self-employed mechanic, was said to be an "industrious" man.
Protheroe was given an 18-week sentence, suspended for 18 months. He was told to complete 280 hours unpaid work. Forty was given a 12-month community order and told to complete 120 hours unpaid work. Both were told to pay £500 towards prosecution costs.
Tal Davies, investigations manager for Swansea Council, said: "As this case proves, there is no hiding place for benefit cheats because people who steal benefits are picking the pockets of law-abiding taxpayers.
"In the last financial year alone, more than £1 million worth of benefit fraud has been uncovered in Swansea.
"This is another good result, but our work to tackle benefit fraud continues."
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