A WOMAN from Polruan who amassed savings of £41,271 in benefit payments to which she was not entitled has avoided prison after the court was told that she had lived so frugally she was "punishing herself".
Sheila Yardley, 55, of Greenbank, disabled and of previously good character, admitted four charges of making false claims for income support and housing and council tax benefit to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Cornwall Council, and one charge of failing to notify the authorities of a change in her circumstances.
At Truro Crown Court on Monday, Mrs Justice Sharp heard how Yardley had deposited the funds over a period between 2004 and January 2012.
For 11 years the benefit claims made by Yardley were genuine, but following a traffic accident and a subsequent personal compensation payment of £9,000 she found herself with too much capital to be able still to claim the benefits.
Christopher Andrews, for the defence, described how Yardley had lived so sensibly on her benefits that she had managed to save this substantial amount of money, which she had then intended to spend on medical aids.
"By living within her means and so frugally, Yardley was punishing herself," he said.
"If she had spent it on absolute rubbish she would never have been in this situation."
Carrie-Anne Rawlings, for the prosecution, said that in the years following the compensation payment Yardley had deposited £41,271 in a building society account.
Sentencing her, Judge Sharp accepted she had many medical problems and was hoarding money to pay for disability aids. Yardley had also made substantial repayments, totalling £24,627, in housing and council tax benefits, and had set up a repayment plan relating to Income Support.
Yardley was given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay £425 towards prosecution costs.
A spokesman for the DWP said: "Benefit fraud costs the taxpayer around £1 billion every year.
"This money is intended to help those most in need, not line the pockets of criminals.
"That's why we're reforming the benefits system and making it less open to abuse."
The spokesman said that those committing fraud should be under no illusions that they would get away with it.
"Our investigators have more powers than ever before to track these thieves and bring them before a court, and in addition to any sentence imposed by the court they must also pay back all of the money they falsely obtained," he said, adding that anyone who suspected someone was fraudulently claiming benefits could call the confidential National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854440.