Sentence delay for cheat

THE case of a preoperative transsexual who admitted cheating £12,000 from the benefits system has been adjourned for four weeks.

Janet Williams, of Newport Street, Coppice, failed to declare a string of casual jobs while claiming incapacity benefit and was overpaid a total of £11,898 between April, 2004, and July, 2007.

At her previous appearance before Oldham magistrates last month, Williams, said she had suffered mental-health problems as a result of a pulmonary embolism — a blood clot in the vessels which connect to the lungs — in 2003.

The 50-year-old, who has lived as a woman for 31 years, also said she was voluntarily paying the money back and asked for a community order instead of a jail sentence. The matter was adjourned until July 12 for a mental-health report to be compiled.

Williams told magistrates that she had tried to co-operate with the Department of Work and Pensions in all ways, and that any mental-health issues would not impede her ability to carry out a community order.