Community order for Monmouth £10,000 benefit fraud man

John Sharpe, of Monnow Keep in Monmouth, yesterday pleaded guilty to three allegations of failing to notify Monmouthshire County Council of a change in circumstances when he took up additional employment which would have affected the benefits he received.

Sharpe fraudulently received £9,237.45 in housing benefit, £581.71 in council tax and benefited from £743.24 in the Welsh council tax reduction scheme between September 2011 and November 2014 Sharpe received the overpayment, totalling £10,562.40, after he took up an extra 18-hour a week job as a cleaner at Haberdasher's School in Monmouth which he did not declare to the local authority.

At Cwmbran Magistrates Court yesterday, magistrate chairman Paul Phillips ordered Sharpe to serve 120 hours of community service as well as paying £210 in court costs and surcharge.

Sharpe has already been paying back Monmouthshire County Council the overpayment he received and will continue to pay £10.95 a week until the remaining balance of £9,113.77 is paid.

Sharpe received the overpayment of housing benefit between September 12, 2011 and November 30, 2014, an overpayment of council tax between September 12, 2011 and March 31, 2013 and a council tax reduction between April 1, 2013 and December 16, 2014.

Ioan Gealy, prosecuting on behalf of Monmouthshire County Council, told the court: “The defendant applied for a housing and council tax benefit in April 2009 and started at a certain income.

“Five years later, fraud officers noted from a computer data match that his income had increased since the original application.

“In interview he said he had failed to declare a second job as a cleaner.”

Sharpe’s defence barrister said the 51-year-old, whose original job was as a cleaner at Co-op, had previously declared a change in circumstances when he was involved with a partner.

Magistrate Mr Phillips said: “The number of hours reflects the seriousness of the offence.”