Benefits cheat back on benefits

A CABBIE who dishonestly received more than £21,000 in benefits after claiming he was too sick to work is back on benefits.

David Briddon (60) was given an eight-month suspended prison sentenced by Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday.

The court heard that Briddon, of Dale Square, Royton, was now in receipt of benefit again because of deteriorating health, but he was required to pay back what he had wrongly claimed.

Briddon, a single man, will have to wear an electronic tag for three months as part of a nightly curfew and was banned from driving for three months. He was also sentenced to 80 hours’ unpaid work in the community, and told to pay £500 in prosecution costs.

Briddon was awarded council-tax benefit and housing benefit by Oldham Council on the basis that his only other income was incapacity benefit. His claim was at first genuine when he was diagnosed early in 2005 as suffering from a heart disease and asthma.

But for a period of 21/2 years starting in 2007, investigators found he was well enough to regularly earn a living as a private-hire driver, while still claiming benefits.

Briddon had accrued significant debts, and used his private-hire earnings to supplement his benefit payments.

Briddon admitted three separate charges of failing to notify the authorities of a change in his circumstances.

Michelle Brown prosecuting, said Briddon had held a private-hire licence since December, 2006, and had worked for a number of private-hire firms including Crompton and Royton Cars and Delta Cars.

Apart from his taxi work, Briddon had also worked at Mecca Bingo between October, 2005, and May, 2006.

Ms Brown said that when challenged about what he had done, Briddon at first denied working.

He said he applied for a private-hire licence in case he found he could work, but later admitted what he had done, explaining that he needed to pay off debts.