A tip-off by a member of the public helped uncover an £18,000 benefit fraud.
Wayne Gillespie, 49, of Surrey Road, Huntingdon, was jailed for six months by Huntingdon magistrates last Tuesday (January 7) after he pleaded guilty at a hearing in December to four charges of benefit fraud.
Gillespie had been claimed housing and Council Tax benefits as well as Job Seekers Allowance at his previous address in Walnut Tree Drive, Huntingdon, between 2010 and 2012 as a single, unemployed man.
However, a member of the public told the authorities that Gillespie’s wife lived with him at Walnut Tree Drive and that they both worked.
An investigation by Huntingdonshire District Council revealed that the wife had been resident throughout the time Gillespie claimed benefits and that she had worked. Gillespie was also found to have worked for part of the period.
When interviewed by HDC officers, the couple denied any wrong-doing but prior to a trial Gillespie changed his plea to guilty.
He had falsely claimed £18,450.
INFORMATION: You can report fraud on the council’s confidential hotline on 01480 388188.
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