Legal News
Mother Pretended Son Had Cancer to Claim £100,000 (7 October 2011)
Date: 07/10/2011
A mother who shaved her five-year-old son's head and eyebrows to pretend he had cancer fraudulently claimed £100,000 in benefits, Gloucester Magistrate’s Court has heard. The Berkeley-based woman is alleged to have sent her child to school in a bandana to con teachers and school friends into thinking that he was seriously ill and had been receiving treatment. The mother-of-five has been accused of two child cruelty offences and 15 fraud and deception charges. It is alleged that the mother even convinced the boy that he had been diagnosed with the disease.
Magistrates have bailed the mother-of-five until December the 2nd when she will be called to Gloucester Crown Court for trial. The woman was previously ordered to attend a hearing at Gloucester Crown Court in August after being accused of making false claims that her elder child was ill and thus required benefits. On that occasion, the woman was jointly charged with a male defendant with making fraudulent claims that her ten-year-old son was ill enough to receive benefits and with perverting the course of justice.
Duncan Lewis’ welfare benefits solicitors can explain the welfare benefits system in terms that the layman will understand. The team understands that regular changes to the system render it hard to applicants to navigate the system successfully. The department is able to explain the type of benefits available to clients, whether they are unemployed, disabled, on a low income, or unable to work due to illness or an accident. Duncan Lewis is also able to specialise in advocacy and representation before all types of social security tribunals and appeal boards.