Businessman earns himself a Criminal Record for benefit fraud.

Reporter: Ask Bury
Date online: 05/02/2008

A benefit cheat earning £38,000 a year, who swindled Bury Council out of more than £2000 has been ordered to complete 80 hours of voluntary work as in addition to paying back the money he obtained. Brian Perkins, 37, of Flat 12, 57 Ridings Close, Sale, M33 5LR (DOB 12/05/1969) appeared before Bury Magistrates Court on 30tht January to be sentenced in respect of two allegations of obtaining housing and council tax by deception.

At the time of the offences Perkins had told Bury Council that he was unemployed and that he lived at 70 Coniston Drive in Bury but benefits officers discovered that he had left that address to take up employment firstly with Shires Hotels Limited, then with Star Breweries and latterly with Sale Golf Club.  Perkins did not tell the Council about the fact that he had obtained employment or that he was no longer residing at his address, and continued to claim housing and council tax benefit with the consequence that there was an overpayment of £2367.23.

Perkins, who had had previously pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, told the magistrates that he had only failed to attend interviews with council officers because he was not living at the address he had told the Council about.  He claimed not to have made any personal gain from his offending claiming that the money had gone to his landlord instead.  Perkins also told the court that he is being required to pay the money back.

Perkins told the court that he is now self-employed and employs 15 staff within a catering business.

The magistrates told Perkins that it was disingenuous to suggest that he hadn't benefit personally from his offending as his behaviour had enabled him to avoid his liability to pay his landlord.  The magistrates told Perkins these were serious matters because the amount of public funding that he had obtained dishonestly exceeded £2000.

Perkins was sentenced to a community order of 12 months, during which he must perform 80 hours unpaid work.  Perkins must also pay the council's costs in prosecuting him which amounted to £358.76, which must be paid at a rate of one hundred pounds per week.