Another complex financial scenario, although this one and the BBL cock-and-bull story make a bit more sense than the one about the mortgage equity
Magistrates certainly pretty lenient on him in the financial sense, though.
Taxi driver sentenced for claiming £7,200 in Universal Credit fraud
https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/25777353 ... dit-fraud/
A TAXI driver claimed more than £7,000 in unentitled Universal Credit over a three-year period, a court heard.
Gergely Tomasovszky, of Meadow Close, Burton-in-Kendal, pleaded guilty to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit payment when he appeared at South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court in Barrow.
Prosecutor Lee Dacre said the 43-year-old submitted a joint online claim for Universal Credit on April 7, 2020, declaring he had savings of £6,000 through other investments or capital.
“The declaration information stated the defendant had to contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) straight away if there was a change in circumstances,” Mr Dacre said.
“Over a period of months, the defendant amassed savings of £85,000 which was above the legal threshold limit of £16,000.”
The court was told Tomasovszky wrongly claimed £7,203.79 in benefits between April 7, 2020, and July 6, 2023.
Mr Dacre said the DWP were working with the defendant to recover the money.
In mitigation, defence solicitor Trystan Roberts said his client was ‘fully ashamed of himself’.
“He has no previous convictions and pleads guilty to the offence at the first opportunity,” Mr Roberts said.
“It is clear, he was open and honest with the DWP during his interview.
“He was going through difficult times in 2020. He is a married gentleman with two children. He was worried about their livelihoods during COVID.
“He put in a legitimate claim for Universal Credit but fairly soon after he came into capital from family members in Hungary and Poland. He did not declare the money and he should have done.
“Having been prosecuted, he has worked hard to recoup the money. He is a taxi driver and has been working 70 to 80 hours per week in order to repay the money to the DWP.
“He is taking some responsibility now. I suspect he will lose his taxi licence as a result of this conviction. He is probably going to have to find other employment in due course. He will do that because he has a great worth ethic.”
Magistrates formed the view the defendant was not dishonest from the outset.
They ordered him to complete 130 hours of unpaid work in punishment as part of a 12-month community order.
Court costs of £85 and a £114 victim surcharge were also sought.
