Benefit cheat ordered to pay back £11,900

JANET WILLIAMS . . . failed to declare string of jobs

Fraudster had a string of jobs
A PRE-OPERATIVE transsexual who admitted cheating almost £12,000 from the benefits system has been given a community order.

Janet Williams, of Newport Street, Coppice, failed to declare a string of casual jobs while claiming incapacity benefit.

She was overpaid a total of £11,898 between April, 2004, and July, 2007, after failing to reveal she had worked as a warehouse operator, cleaner and a house keeper.

At a previous appearance before Oldham magistrates in May, 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 had asked for a community order instead of a jail sentence.

Chris Fallows, defending, told Oldham magistrates yesterday that Williams failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions was not an attempt to “feather her nest”.

He said: “She wanted to put her foot on the ladder and work gave her the intrinsic positive feeling to further her life and not be someone who was reliant on benefits.”

Mr Fallows said Williams had already started paying back the total amount owed, which was now below £11,000.

He said: “While it is not a significant reduction, it is a clear sign that Miss Williams accepts her part in the offence and her desire to put matters right.”

Graham Eckersall, chairman of the bench, said: “You must understand that benefit fraud is not a victimless offence.

“It impacts on every man, woman and child in this country.”

He said he had taken into consideration her guilty plea, her lack of previous convictions and the fact she had started to pay back the amount.

Williams was given a 12-month community order, a 12-month supervision order and a three-month curfew to run daily between 9pm to 7am.

Mr Eckersall said Williams must return all the money that was overpayed, and he ordered her to pay court costs of £250 at a rate of £5 a week.