Greedy mum who stole 16k in benefits as she likes spending money dodges jail

Adele Walton conned 800-a-month out of the government

Daily Star

22:00, 30 Oct 2019

[0_JS197236595.jpg]

Adele Walton leaving Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, where she was facing fraud charges

A greedy mum who stole 16,000 in benefits because she liked spending money walked free after claiming her children would face poverty if she was jailed.

Adele Walton, 34, pocketed an extra 800-a-month in child care costs by submitting forged receipts for nursery and pre-school fees for her son.

But an investigation revealed the boy who has special needs did not attend nursery.

[0_JS197236666.jpg]

Ms Walton walked free from Manchesters Crown Court after claiming her kids would face poverty without her

She told investigators: I just like spending money.

Walton admitted she had blown the extra cash she had claimed for the education sessions under the Governments Universal Credit scheme.

The mum-of-two illegally pocketed an extra 16,000 over 20 months.

,Text scams: NatWest advise how to spot fake messages,

Article continues below

She wept in the dock at Manchesters Minshull Street Crown Court as she faced jail after admitting fraud by false representation, making an article for fraud and unlawfully retaining a wrongful credit.

But Walton escaped with a 10-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months after claiming her partner would have to give up work if she was banged up and her children would suffer.

She was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and now faces a proceeds of crime hearing to determine how much cash she will have to repay.

[Dailystar Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Star as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.

[Google Preferred Source Badge]

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.