Hairdresser benefits cheat 'has 117 years to pay back cash'
A woman who cheated the taxpayer out of more than £19,000 in benefits has been told she has 117 years to pay the money back.
Alison Ollis, 44, from Saltford, Somerset, claimed the cash in income support over three-and-a-half years, but failed to notify the authorities that she was also working at the time.
The single mother-of-three was given a 39-week suspended prison sentence at Bristol Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to two charges of delaying or obstructing a social security inspector in the exercise of his powers.
But because Ollis is still living on benefits she has been ordered to pay back the huge debt at a rate of just £3.20 a week.
If her circumstances remain the same, Ollis would, in theory, finally have coughed up the full amount when she was 161.
Ollis had signed an income support review form for the Department of Work and Pensions, in which she failed to declare work which would have reduced her benefits.
She had earned extra money working as a part-time administration assistant for South Gloucestershire Council, at an after-school club and at a hairdressers.
She claimed she had not gone to the Child Support Agency to get money from her children's father because she thought it would not make any difference.
The exact amount she falsely claimed was £19,471.77, but she will only have to pay back £166.40 a year.
She was given a 39-week sentence, suspended for a year, and ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work as punishment.
The judge admitted he normally would have been sent her to prison, but said he had to consider her children's needs.
A spokesperson from the Department for Work and Pensions said the maximum they could recoup if the cheat was on benefits was £11.60 a week, but this figure could change with their circumstances.
"Benefit cheats steal money intended for the most vulnerable sections of our society, so when people are convicted for benefit fraud, we always seek to recover that overpayment.
"However, when recovering this cash it is important to strike a balance. We are determined to recoup the stolen money but we don't want to cause the person unnecessary suffering. That would not benefit anyone.
"To ensure that the individual and their family do not suffer undue hardship, repayment is restricted by legislation and will take account of the individual's financial circumstances.
"If the person is still on benefits, current legislation imposes limits on the amount that can be recovered. These restrictions apply primarily to means-tested benefits like Income Support.
"In cases of fraud the maximum that can be recouped for these benefits is £11.60 per week."
She said that if Ollis dies before she had paid off the debt, they would seek to recover the outstanding amount from her estate.
